The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-16
WILL HOLD PORT ARTHUR.
Russia Has No Idea of Abandoning
 r.

It.
 St. Petersburg, March l5.-From the highest official quarter the Associated Press has received the information that there Is absolutely no foundation for the r,imors persistently sent out from Tokio that the Russians are abandoning Port Arthur.
 ''It is the veriest nonsense" said the of- ficiaI informant of the Associated Press. Nothing has occurred there to warrant such reports. The Japanese fleet has not been seen for several hours. The motive of the Tokio government in spreading this report is proJably to influence feeling fin Japan for the purpose of creating en- thusiasm while a war loan is being floated.''
 The newspapers here manifest the greatest indignation over the report, The Boerse Gazette characterizing 1t as out rageous and a British invention.
 Attention Is redirected to the order of the day, issued by Lieutenant General Stoesset, commander at Port Arthur, in which he declared that that place would never be surrendered. as representing the Russian position. Relative to this point, a military officer said to the Associated Press: This mere statement carries its own refutation, unless we meant to beat an ignobIe retreat all along tie line. If we abandon Port Arthur. we leave our
 
 to discuss"
 General Kuropatkin expects to reach Mukden, March 26. Everything will be sidetracked in order to get him to the front on schedule time. The general may proceed on a flying visit to Port Arthur, but he is more likely to enter at once up- on his duties as commander in chief Of the Manchurian army. He bears an au- tograph letter from the Emperor to Vice fn xHybO ha yvin understood that the viceroy will then turn over the entire direction of the land operations to General Kuropatkin, who will transmit his reports to lne Emperor through the viceroy, but practically this is the only point on which Niceroy Alex jeff will maintain superiority. General Kuropatkin had his plan of campaign practically perfected before he left here for the Far East He returned to St. Petersburg quietly from his coun- try seat. and his presence here was not known for four days. The following four days he devoted to the completion of his plans, in conjunction with his staff, and with the aid of all the information in the possession of the ministry of war; as well as of the special reports from the theater of war.
 A superstitious idea prevails here that General Kuropatkin will signalize his birthday, which occurs March 30, and which is also his patron saints day, with # some important act.
 On account of the difficulty of housing the vast number of troops poured into Mukden. 1000 have been sent forward within the last few days toward the Yalu river as endorsements for the 7,- 900 troops already at Kasan and Anfu. and the stream of soldiers from European Russia is now being held at Harbin.
 Prince Louis Napoleon has gone to the Caucasus. accompanied by Prince Marat. Prince Louis Napoleon will relinouish his command of ,4e cavalry division of the Caucausus and then proceed to the t,ar East where he will take supreme com mand of the cavalry under General Ku- ropatkin.
 The Dowager Empress to-day inspected her own Red Cross detachment, which is proceeding to the Far East.
 The statement by General Zilinski that the Russians found poisoned swords left bv the fleeing Japanese has aroused much comment Similar swords were used bv tho ---nese during the Boxer rebellion especially in Manchuria, and the slightest wound inflicted by them proved fatal
 The use of such weapons is prohibited by the Geneva and The Hague conven- tionEs.