Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1904-09-09

AAOAll lAlS AAOI lAtCdSl VI Ol uhdCiIs
st. Petersburg, Sept. 1.-THE battle
at Lao Yang last night continued un-
til midnight, with a frightful slaughter.
The Japanese at last succeeded in get
ting a column across the Taitse liver
on pontoons, northeast of Lao Yang.
General Kuropatkin gave an order to
fall back on the main works, but ow-
ing to the Japanese pressure this
movement was not executed. The ar
mics slept in their positions. Official
advices this morning, timed at 6 a. M,
say the battle had not been resumed
at that hour.
The battle at Lao Yang yesterday
was of the most desperate character.
1t ragged continuously from dawn until
midnight and the slaughter must have
been immense. AT s in the evening,
after holding his outer positions all
day. in the face of the most desperate
charges, Kuropatkin rave an order TO
retire upon the main works about the
city.
The Japanese assaults during the day
had been directed principally against
the Russian center, a little east of Mai
etung hill, near the railroad, and three
miles southwest of Lao Yang.
Nothing approaching the severity of
the infantry and artillery fire here had
been heretofore experienced in this war.
General Kondratsvitch's division bore
the brunt and suffered the most. Bay
onet charges succeeded each other in
rapid succession, while the artillery
duel never ceased for a moment.
No attempt is made in the official
advices to estimate the number of gun
the Japanese used, except that they
had many hundreds.
Each gun carried $50 charges, and
these must have been expended many
n nr 49, anI
shells were fired between sunrise and
sunset.
General Kuropatkin's order to
fall back on the Notifications
was probably due to the receipt of In
formation that the japanese had sue
Iecdeu in crossing the Iaitse river
northeast of Lao Yang, although Gem
erals kennenkampf's and Mandariteff's
divisions had been especially placed In
position in this direction to checkmate
such q I'VE The Japanese crossed at
a point called Sakankankwantun,
twenty miles east OF and somewhat
above Lao Yang, and marched in force
directly westward, with the evident OBJ
ject of cutting the Russian line OF COM
munication with Mukden. Their exact
strength was not established. but the
division "a made out.
AS soon as the Japanese found, the
Russians were retiring from their outer
positions, they resumed the attack
there. although it was then quite dark.
Thus pressed, the Russians arrested
their movement to the rear and again
faced the Japanese.
With a view TO eventual retirement
from their outer positions, the Rus
slams had dug a large number of pits
with stakes concealed in their bot
toms. These pits were artfully con-
cealed among the high Chinese corn.
When the Japanese charged after the
Russians they fell into the pits In hun
dreds and were engulfed n impaled
on the stakes N their lines were
thrown into confusion. When the Rus
SLAMS faced about and returned to their
cid positions they found these death
traps filed with dead and dying,
The rattle of musketry and boom of
cannons continued until midnight,
when at last silence brooded over the
bloody battlefield and the tired soldiers
Iay down where they had fought, while
the wornout surgeons and angels OF
mercy ministered to h wounded all
night. Chinese coolies worked at carry
ing them into Lao Yang.
General Sakharoff in reporting the
battle say the Japanese suffered enor-
nous losses. much larger than those of
the Russians. who also lost heavily.
The dispatch says this order was
given last night. after the Russians had
withstood an artillery and infantry at
tack from dawn to midnight. But the
Japanese pressure was too great to per-
nit its being executed. General Kuro-
patkin probably fearing that a retro
grade movement at that time might
result IN a rout
A dispatch from Toxic. however.
bringing the action up to this afternoon,
says the Russian right nd center are
now falling back. pursued by the Jap
anese. Russian official advices q
Kurokt. who was reported yesterday as
moving 70 the northward on the Rus
sian left. has thrown pontoons over the
Taitse river and crossed with n df-
VISION. while others are following. Ku-
-Eoki,A nhiacf nhxinliSlu a. * ir1o.--~-