The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-09-13
A DISMAL SPECTACLE
Was Presented in Lao Yang When Occupied by
Japanese Troops After The Fighting -.-FinaI
Operations Before Evacuation.
The LOSS OF LIFE WAS APPALLING

Now we come to the more delicate
question of criticism. Information rel
ative to such an enormous operation
must necessarily be incomplete and as
the authorities have increased hun
dredrold the difficulty of obtaining in
formation, your correspondent will
not attempt more than broadly to state
one or two of the opinions which are
prevalent.
After what has been printed of the
excellent tactics and the brilliant STRAIT
egy of the Japanese, your correspon-
dent must state, that what has come
under his personal observation, did not
come up to expectations. 1t is the
honest opinion of your correspondent
that there was nothing strategically
excellent about the handling of either
army. If any strategetical success
has been attained by either of the bel
| ligerents, the laurels rest with Gen
eral Kuropatkin who can claim to
have defeated the main object of the
Japanese operations. AS to the tao.
| tics of the Russians, they obviously
cling to the error of overmanning their
| defensive positions, while the sole
! spirit of the Japanese tactics, as illus.
trated by the operations of the di.
visions under General Oku, was sledge.
hammer frontal attacks.
Your correspondent is satisfied that
| General Oku's commands are the finest
infantry in the world and nobody who
has had the opportunity to observe it's
work can believe that there is any
other army which, in five consecutive
days, could have delivered eight I'M
successful infantry attacks against the
intrenchments they did and still per.
severe
! Nothing can be said at this time
about the cavalry of either belligerent
there being no evidence that the
mounted branches accomplished any
thing anywhere during the Lao Yang
campaign.
AS to the future course of the opera
tions, 1t is conjectured that General
| Kuropatltin is falling back somewhere
on the Harhin road. The Japanese
army, when it reaches Mukden. will
have to rest there for time after the
terrible severity of the last fortnight's
operations. 1t is also necessary for
them to get their railway into working
order, and If the reports which have
reached us of General Linevitchs ad-
vance is true, 1t may be necessary
| for General Kuroki to base himself on
the same communications with Gen
erals Oku and Nodzu Even when the
| ra Re, in full Al
will be considerable strain on every
part of the Japanese army, though the
situation abs been improved by the
occupation of Yingkau and the use of
the Liau river, so far as New Chwang
city, as a subsidiary line of communica-
tions.
After witnessing the occupation on
Sunday afternoon, we rode to the first
Russian position, the one described in
a previous telegram as rocky emil
nence and remained there all night.
Early Monday morning we left on
horseback and riding all day we reach
ed old New Chwang on a branch of the
Liau river. Towards evening we sue
ceeded in engaging a junk which car
ried us down stream all night and
till noon Of the following day when
the contrary winds made 1t necessary
to abandon the boat. We thereupon
marched on foot the remaining twenty
miles to Yingkau where we arrived
after dark Tuesday. We crossed the
following morning to the railway sta
ton, reaching Shan Hal Kwan on the
same evening. Your message being
on the wires, within GO hours after
leaving the battlefield, your cores.
pondent was travelling through the
country away from the Japanese COM
munications. We noted the splendid
harvest, the people working contented-
ly in the fields, as II the fate of the
nations were not being decided almost
at their doors. Everywhere people
showed us civility and friendliness
On the river we met large numbers of
iunks flying the Japanese transport
flags and carrying army stores to old
New Chwang, which has now become
an advance base.