The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-09-13

IchlHB' OSpl' J.-NlDHuOu lnes.D >
Lao Yang, at sunrise of September
4, presented a dismal spectacle. The
Russian settlement was burning and
a heavy pail oI smoke hung over the
old town. Frightened Chinese were
hiding from the Japanese troops, while
the latter, more or less dead beat,
were bivouacking in the suburbs. The
attaches were informed that they could
not visit the town owing to the fact
that a certain number of Russian rear
guard companies had entrenched them
selves in the center of the Chinese
town and in the streets fighting was
proceeding.
This statement was incorrect, how
ever. There was not shot fired in
side the barricades that day and not
Russian was left there except few
deserters who were hiding in the
clothes.
The Russian settlement was in ruins.
The damage to the town itself was not
so great from shell fire, but the rear
guard of the Tenth Siberian rifles had
sacked all the European shops and the
houses of many wealthy Chinese, and
before evacuation over so Chinese had
been killed.
The spoils of war, which fell into
the hands of the Japanese, were quite
insignificant when one considers the
importance of Lao Yang as a Russian
possession. A certain amount of prop
erty had been destroyed by the fire
in the settlement, and the Japanese
were unable to secure any locomotives
a commodity of which they stand most
urgently in need, more valuable to
them indeed even than the batteries
of artillery.
The Japanese divisional command.
ers who had advanced by the railway
line and secured the bridge across the
river, Immediately pushed their tired
troops forward in an attempt to pursue
the enemy hut the pursuit had no
particular significance since the Rus
sian rear guard guns we're in position
and spasmodically shelled the town
and the Japanese troops moving in and
around II.
Throughout the day we still heard
the sound Of firing from the direction
Of Yentai but it did not appear that
| General Kur0ki's guns we're any nearer
| to the Russian communications than
when we had entered.
II will therefore be safe to speculate
that General Europatkin has been able
to ro-iro with tho M in orp,1y upon
| Mukden without serious apprehen.
sione. although he may have had to
sacrifice some of the rear guard be-
| fore the concentration has been fully
realized. II r. impossibla to give
| further information regarding the
| fighting north of Lao Yang. since
your correspondent found it necessary.
| to leave Immediately for China. in or.
| der to be able to send an account of
| this great battle.
Your correspondent has already sent
you rough estimate of the Japanese
losses and is convinced that they must
have exceeded 10000 in the left army's
five divisions alone, that Is the Tenth
| anu fllIN ulNlSlDnS Wl'n ITeUeTal
Nodzu and the Third. Fourth and
Sixth. with General Oku.
There Is no need to tell again the
story of the horrible spectacles which
met one on the Iiao Yang plain II
should be mentioned, however. that
on the fighting plain, the Russians
were unable to remove their dead
though they succeeded in transporting
from the field the majority of the
wounded. Nor is it possible correctly
to estimate the strength of General
Kuropatkin's army, but your cores
pondent is inclined to think that the
main Russian concentration was di
rected against General Kurod and the
Tenth division. and had opposed tc
our 10000 or 100000 men about 10000
and eighty guns to our 900.
| The Russians had the advantage OF
possession during the first two days
and It Is safe to estimate their losses
on or about 30 per cent below those OF
the Japanese; but this estimate is
more or less speculation.