Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-08-30
wITHDRAWs HIS FORCES FROM
OUTER DEFENsEs INTO
THE FORTRESS.
JAPs FIGHT FIERCELY

Press on After the Retreatlng Rus
SLAMS Fighting Resumed at Port
Arthur.
st. Petersburg, Aug. 2e.-lt Is
reported from a reliable source
today that General StoesseI teie-
graphed the emperor that the gar
rlson at Port Arthur has already
suffered severely, intimatlng that
1t is hardly possible to hold out
for more than month or six
weeks longer.
Llao Yang, Aug. 2s.-The Jap
: anese have transferred their ac-
tivity to the Russian eastern and
southern fronts. A rear guard
battle Is proceeding. The weather
Is Improved and the roads are
drying and events are therefore
likely to be preclpitated.
Hslattun, III miles east Of Lao
Yang), Aug. 29.-The Russian ar
my from Anpine this afternoon
debouched upon Lao Yang plain,
after fighting rear guard action
for nearly ten miles from Anping,
bringing It's wounded, and burylng
Its dead on the way. Six guns
are reported to have been lost,
but a number Of Japanese have
been captured, showing signs OF
great fatigue and hardships.
Liao Yang, Aug. 29.-The Russian
army has erected it's retirement with
a transport and it's artillery, on Lao
Yang, and is now in position awaiting
the advancing Japanese
Japanese Lose Heavily.
The progresssof the latter has been
rapid and determined, sparing Of no
sacrifice. In the attack on the
Siaolindzy position, one Japanese bat
talon lost all its officers. General
Rontkowsky was among the killed.
Japs Press Enemy Hard.
The japanese artillery resumed the
battle this morning, the point of pres
sure again being the Russian south
point. The japanese infantry is now
advancing to the attack with the regi-
ments deployed in open order.
The Russian Retreat.
The retirement of Russian trans
port of four corps yesterday evening
across the plain while the artillery
and troops in the rear held off the jap
anese afforded magnificent spectacle.
All along the extended lines there was
the incessant roar Of batteries, the Rus
slams working their guns with the great
coolness and not retiring until the
transport was in safety.
kuropatkin Evacuates Many Towns.
st. Petersburg, Aug. 29.-General
Kuropatkin since yesterday morning
has been drawing in all his forces
from his eastern and southern fronts
toward Lao Yang. Anping, Tsegow
Liandiansian and Anshanshan, consti.
tuting the main positions of the outer
defense line around Lao Yang, have
been abandoned.
Japanese Use Bayonets.
The heaviest fighting occurred on
the extreme left, where the Japanese
advanced to the assault again and
again with their bayonets. The at
tacks were delivered with fanatical
bravery.
The Russian Losses.
The Russians lost a large proper,
tion of their officers, ten guns and
from 1900 to 1000 men.
Retreat Order a Surprise.
The Russians have been generally
successful in beating off the assaults
ali along the long line and declare the
order to. retire came as surprise, just
uyh
for a general advance.
Retreat Was Necessary.
This. is considered to be a proof
that Kuropatkin, finding his main po
sitions menaced on the flank and an
ticipating difficulties in withdrawing
owing to the muddy condition of the
roads. considered that retreat was i'm
perative.
River Retards Armies.
The retirement from the east from
was greatly impeded by the conversion
of the Ian river into mountain tor
rent and this probably also accounts
for the failure of the Japanese to fol
low up the retiring Russians.
japanese Armies Are Large.
A Japanese column is moving up tn,
Liao river and threatens danger ant
General Kuroki's extreme right seem
also to be working around to Scuel
mans position at Anping and to b.
moving toward Mukden.
The strength of the envelcping Jap
anese armies may be judged from th'
fact that General Oku alone, who il
coming up from the south is oficiall,
reported to have 10000 men.
May Continue Retreat.
Whether Kuropatkin intends to ac
cept a battle at Lao Yang may no
be positively kpowp> for several days