Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-02
THREE JAP ARMIES CONYERGED
kurOpatkin, In Desperate Position.
 Had to Give Battle.

lbuu tV UIFC DuItICs
 Greatest Battle of the Campaign I'm
 Manchuria Japanese Attack Tn
 Tremendous Force Many Times
 With the BayOnet, but Have Been
 RepuIsed by stubborn Resistance
 of Russian Infantry.
 LONDON, Aug. Especial adviceS from St. Petersburg say that against an overwhelming force of Japanese, comprising three armies attacking from three sides, General Kuropatkin still holds his position around Haicheng and Liaoyang. The Japanese have been fre- 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 ny him had repulsed savage assault. Mortally wounded by Japanese shell, General Keller lived long enough to realize that his defense had been sue cessful and that the enemy had fallen back
 This engagement between the com bined Japanese forces in Manchuria 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 nificent 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 from Simoucheng, an important posi- ton at the juncture of the Fengwang- cheRg and Siuyen 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 31, but have not yet received reports of the operations on our extreme right flank.
 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 o'clock. He died twenty minutes later.''
 General Kuropatkin also reported the retirement of the Russian vanguard on the south front a 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 un- bearably hot, and the seriousness of the situation requires General Kuro- patkin to use every man able to fight It is feared that the Japanese by force of numbers will succeed in overwhelm- 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 reorganization.
 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 KuropatlSin'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- ropatkin.
 British correspondents with General Kuroki in the field, in brief dispatches, concur in the statement that the Jap anese have caxried positions which leave only one defensible point between them and Liaoyang.
 The attack on the position beyond Molten pass was fully Justified by it's success. Every advantage was in favor of the Russians, whose position was strong and force superioI but again they showed inferiority in tactics and in power of resistance.
 At St, Petersburg it is said that Rear Admiral Enquist, with the cruiser divi. sion of the second Russian Pacific squadron, now lying off Constadt, will xvniph hnnhnr and lr11t fn cna 11ndnr