Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1904-06-30
RUSSIAN PUBLIC ANXIOUS
AWAITING WITH BREATHLEss IN
TEREsT NEWS FROM oP-
POSING ARMIES.

st. Petersburg, June S0.-The whole
city is awaiting with breathless inter-
est news from the opposing armies in
Southern Manchuria, grappled in the
decisive battle of the campaign. But
those fully appreciating the almost i'm
passable country through which the:
Japanese columns are advancing and
the difficulty of moving large bodies
of troops into position hardly expect
the battle to begin in earnest inside Of
several days, although admitting that
heavy fighting between the advance
forces may now be in progress. The
papers, with the exception of the army
organ and the Novoe Vremya, are
unanimously of the opinion that a!
pitched battle is now certain. The
former is silent on the subject, which
may be significant, especially as Gen.
eral Kuropatkin's movements are
shrouded in mystery. The Novoe
Vremya says:
''The time for strategy is passed
We are now on the eve Of tactics. Not.
knowing the exact position OF our
forces we cannot state what Kuropat-
kin intends to Go. 1t is possible he
may consider it untimely and unprofit-
able to enter upon decisive engage
ment of all his forces, in which event,
while engaging the enemy, who is
pouring troops down upon him, he may
retire nOrthWard to meet his reinforce
mentS."
The tone in both public and official
circles has greatly improved. The re-
port that the Port Arthur squadron has
successfully put to sea and that no
snip has actually been sunk seems to
have removed the dependency a,a
Cevelopraents on Land and sss.
are looked forward to with II rc@ce -eaa
cheerfu!ness. Confide-ce is nantes eGX
in the influence the navy will have
upon the campaign and many people
are inclined to attribute the japanese,
precipitancy to get at Kuropatkin t.
the fact that the squadron al a~ge,
threatens the Japanese army's sea-
Communications.
SDecial dispatches say it was Maior
General Mie-chenko's divtsioo whssh
has been en- %ge.. in constant E Il As
in the vicinity OF the mountain passes
over which the japanese are advanr-
ing One dispatch saws the country is
almost impossible. Mistchenko retir-
ing only when the enemy appeared in
overwhelming numbers. The CORE
spondent considers it doubtful whether
General Kuroki will advance all three
columns. as this would disunite his
forces. He is more likely to push home
his attack from Siuyen upon Tatche-
kiao. exclusive of General Oku. The
correspondent figures that kufoki has
10000 troops, the japanese commander
being in personal command of 2o,00G
men at Dalien pass.
General Kuropatkin has issued an
army order insisting on the kindest
and most humane treatment of jap
anese prisoners and wounded, notwith-
standing the tales OF atrocities COM
mitted by the Japanese. The order,
which directs that the same respect
and honor should be paid to the brave
foes as if they were Russians. is most
favorahly commented upon by the No
voc Vremya, which says:
The Japanese apparently are una
BILE to restrain their instincts. AS the
military operations develop and our
reverses multiply they seem to become
more savage"