The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-08-02
KUROPATKIN
ON THE RUN
Main Force IS Hiking toward
the North.
LEFT SMALL REAR GUARD
Skeleton Force Will Engage Japs
at Vital Points and Harass
Mikado's Advance.
LEFT SMALL REAR GUARD

LONDON, Aug. Especial advices
from st. Petersburg say that against
an overwhelming force of japanese,
comprising three armies attacking from
Sthree sides. General Kuropatkn still
holds his position around Haicheng and
Liaoyang. The Japanese have been fire.
quently repulsed at various points
along battle front fifteen miles in
length. The Japanese have renewed
the attack time and time again.
The satisfaction felt by the emperor
and the general staff at the japanese
setback is overshadowed by the news
of the death Of General Count Keller,
commanding the Russian forces He
chose an exposed point from which to
watch the battle and was struck by
Japanese shell, dying in twenty min
uteS.
General Count Keller was killed just
as the Siberian infantry commanded 10y
him had repulSed a savage assault.
Mortally wounded by Japanese shell,
General Keller lived long enough 10
realize that his defense had been sue.
cessful and that the enemy had fallen
back
This engagement between the com
bined Japanese logtgss IN MmchunB
and the Russian army is the greatest
battle of the campaign and the result
of Russian defeat would be extreme
ly disastrous. The Japanese force is
enormous, and General Kuropatkin re-
ports that more troops are being landed
in the vicinity Of Newchwang.
The Russian artillery has done mag
nticent work in the battle, frequently
forcing the Japanese to shift their po-
sitions. japanese artillery fire has
been very effective, especially when
used as cover for infantry charges.
Thus far all the advances of the in.
fantry have been repulsed by the Rus
sian soldiers, many hand to hand bayo-
net conflicts being reported
Desperate efforts are being made by
the japanese to force the Russians
lApll nllAl'hNithEF an lAAAllOl lAiiA IbNA
tion at the jUncture of the Fengwang-
cheng and Sluyen roads. The latest
news concerning this position Is con-
tained in the following dispatch from
General Kuropatkin to the emperor:
"All our positions were retained at
Simoucheng when the fighting ceased
at 6:45 p. M, July 81, but | have not
yet received reports Of the operations
on our extreme right flank.
1--WE retained all our positions held
by our eastern force at YangZe pass.
General Keller. commanding. had
chosen this as the point from which to
watch the fight. A battery near him
was exposed to heavier fire than any
other and he was mortally wounded
at 3 o'clock. He died twenty minutes
later"
General Kuropatkin also reported the
retirement of the Russian vanguard
on the south front short distance in
the direction of Haicheng.
Despite the hopeful tone of the Off
cial dispatches there is feeling Of ap-
prehension In the general staff The
weather in Manchuria is almost I'M
bearably hot, and the seriousness OF
the situation requires General Kuro-
patkin to use every man able to fight
1t Is feared that the japanese by force
of numbers will succeed in OvePwhelm-
ing Kuropatkin's army and cutting 1t
off entirely. His condition is admitted
ly critical, his left flank has been
turned, and the chief hope held here is
that he will be able TO hold his position
until the japanese, whose losses have
been extraordinarily heavy, will be
compelled to retire for reorganizA tion.
Fragmentary dispatches indicate
that the japanese efforts are concen-
trated on Haicheng, while there is a
general advance along the line of the
railway. No report has been made Of
the Russian losses in the engagement.
General Kuropatkin's situation will
be desperate in the event Of his defeat.
A Tokyo dispatch says that after
two days fighting the japanese have
occupied Simoucheng, thus cutting off |
General Stakelberg from General Ku-
rOpatkln.
British correspondents with General |
Kurok in the field, in brief dispatches, |
concur in the statement that the Jap
anese have carried positions which |