The Beaumont enterprise. [volume] (Beaumont, Tex.) 1904-current, 1904-09-12
THE HISTORY OF
molten LING
UNKNOWN REASON WHY THE
RUSSIANS ABANDONED
POSITION.
AFI[RwARD TRIED TO TAKE II
Correspondent Tells Of the Attack
and How the Mikado's Soldiers
Went Into eattle.-other
Military Features.

Correspondence of Associated Press
Headquarters Second Division, LIST
Imperial Japanese Army, near Molten
Pass, July %. l90i,-When the whole
history Of this war Is written the af'
fair at Molten Ling on the 18th of Jul
IL may have the proportions merely
OF an outpost engagement. But. II
brings into strong light the methods
and the efficiency of the two armies
n, the present stage of hostilities,
and 1t explains the continuous and
Iuuvarying success on land of the Yam
, KEGS of the East against one Of the
great military powers of Europe
why the Russians should have aban'
] doned the best defensive position be
tween the Yalu and Lao Yang with
out a fight and soon afterward made
two costly and unsuccessful eitorts
TO regain il, remains yet mystery
Two days before this attack the Jap
anese knew through their remarkable
Intelligence service that ii was plan
ned They foresaw largely how II
would be executed, though probably
thew did not anticipate how stubborn
ly the Russians, fired with amDilioh
IL maintain the prestige of European
troops and inspired by the name Oh
Sliobeleff linked with the memories
of schipka pass, would storm the
stronghold. 1t was Skobeleff's fight
ing and Skobeleff's men against the
men and the methods Of a century
| later
On the morning Of the seventeenth
several of the correspondents who
were camped at the division general S
headouarters some miles from the
mass. were awakened at dayllght by
| the sound of distant vollevs. a
thick white fog covered the hills, Ike
London fog in December, so dense
that tents could not he seen a nun
dred wards awav The ground was
muddy and trees dripped as thoug'
there had been a heavy rain. Inc
correspondents were soon IN their
saddles but word came from lhe
nress censor that they were not TO
90 until given permission. WITHIN
an hour most of the military attaches
and newspaper men had gatheredd III
front of headquarters frettlng 10 De
Iunleashed Delegates from eac.l
camp were laboring with the stan OF
fcers, Word came from within that
.. the general was acquiescent but par
~ the staff were unwilling. We
we're to "wait a little" phrase be,
come familiar during two months OF
waiting in Toxic. Later the general
MIGHT go. and perhaps the CORES
rondents could accompany MIN.
The waiting was protracted until
o'clock and meantime could be seen
the machinery of battle behind tHe
stage. Several infantry battallohs
came I'D the road at dog trot, the
mems khaki tunics plastered to theil
hacks with sweat while they moppeo
their faces with towels presented by
the natriotic societies of Japan, pear
irg blue prints of the miiado's sol
djers stormng impossible blue precl
pices in the face of gigantic. Dlue
Ihearded Russians. Most OF the mel
Hooked as eager for their work as Q
football team racing onto the hela
There were no shirkers althouSl
lsnme followed the rear OF their com
panies painting painfully under th'
Ifftv hounds weight of eqllipmen
V hich they all carry. A hospital com
Irany marched past with thee stretch
lcrs roped to the backs of horses an,
Iscme of the Red Cross men should
cred wooden cruutches to help sol
.diers with leg wounds from the iield
Trains of the small black Japanes
stations passed bearing ammunltio,
boxes and trenching spades, whlcl
ere also utilized for buryng the dead
Ammunition caissons with latherini
isix-horse teams rumbled over tn
! read and two or three field batterle
lin reserve appeared and unharneSse
on the square where the marks o
Russian tents remained to await pos
sibe orders for the front. A com
lany Of engineers shouldering BAN
boo poles and coils of copper wire be
gan to stretch a new telephone lin
which extended across the fields a
fast as the coils could be unwound
, Probably no other army has as ligh
and durable material for many use
as the Japanese find in their bamboo
Occasionally an officer, wearing tn
gold and white sash OF thhe staff gal
Hoped in from the direction ri tn
firing. But there was no confusion
InUr disorder and seemingly It'll
hurry. Every officer and man. an
lc-ey organization knew IFS bushes
land proceeded about 81 without -
Icitemout OF fuss. Tho whole ma
chime operated with the same smootf
luose that IL has exhibited from th
iday the mobilization began IN Toxic
The sounds Of battle were iuc7cas
ing at Z o'clock and the oXpoofan
Witnesses became impatient t.
gyms began booming about that tim
land the explosion 81 "A shell was
heard cvrv two or three minute
iashfle the unrcmifiiTE rattle ~ rH
tfre became louder. Uunct Iafnf p
'rrrquanf vol eys and everyone aI''
'tfar The yoIleFs came from Russia
, 'rffrs and that the Jausne=a Tnr
firing a. Ei1 iu accordance ul'h ffH
{ usual +ar-ic-. some faIrief rna' 3D.
d --0-- wac coming closer. u certain
FOUNDED rr1r~r th11 m tho MON o
|~- fHa f1rrh. and -ha listener 1.7a
10 speculate whether The ft1-I
.frT carried the pass
D. The Chinese were gcttEg IlEh