The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-10-11
MOTHER GREAT BATTLE
 INTENDS AT LAO YANG
EURoPATKIS,S ARMY CoNTIN-
 UES ITS ADVANCE.

priving in Japanese Outposts All Along
 the Line-Oyama Withdrawing His
 Legions to Fortified POsitions-Indi-
 cation That Russians VIII Attempt to
 Strike the Japs' Right--LittIe Light
 on RensOn of sudden offensive Move
 ment-Oyama Reinforced.
 St. Petersburg, Oct. 11.-2:15 a. m.-
 battle upon which the fate of this
 ears campaign in Manchuria depends
 eens only few days ahead. Adyices rom the front are meagre. All that is
 ositivey known officially is that Gen
 ral Kuropatlxin has cast the die at ast, about-faced his army and is narching resolutely against the enemy Is if resolved to do or die.
 According to unofficial reports Field Marshal oyama, at the first sign of General Kuropatkin taking the offens- i've began drawing in his line and con- tentrating upon fortified positions north bf Liao Yang. According to the latest
 reports, which are contained In dis batch to the Associated Press from Mukden, dated at 6 o'clock tonight, the Iapanese outposts are being driven in All along the line.
 The strategy of the forward move ment will be concealed as were the preparations for the advance, so that all surmises as to where General Ku- ropatkin intends to strike are mere guesswork. It is not clear as to whether General Kuropatkin contemplates a, blow on the left, center, or right of the Japanese army but the fact that stress is laid upon the capture of Bent siaputze, which opens the road and fords to Bensihu, twenty miles east of Liao Yang, where General KuroN crossed, and that Cossacks are already reported in the neighborhood of the stream, might foreshadow an exact re versal of the battle of Liao Yang, this time the Russian commander fanking, and turning Liao Yang with his left as Field Marshal Oyama did with his right.
 4 Little light has been thrown upon the Considerations which led General Ku- ropatkin suddenly to assume the offens- live, but no word is heard at the war office intimating that the course savers sof rashness. Officers of the general staff, while not underestimating the heavy task and severe sacrifices that are evolved in assuming the offensive, nevertheless express absolute confidence sthat General Kuropatkin has found 2 .weak point in the Japanese armor- ADifferent explanations abound as to the reason for making the forward move rnent at this time. The advance Is at tributed to a realization by General Kuropatlxin of the difficulty the Japan ese have encountered in making good their losses at Liao Yang and replen- ishing their supplies and ammunition, or possibly to a drawing off of a portion of the Japanese troops to reinforce General Nogi in a desperate effort to end the seize at Port Arthur. What ever the explanation, it is apparent from the nasty manner in which the Japanese withdrew before the first show of Russian strength that their recent ostentatious preparations for an ad- vance were largely bluffs. The best opinion here is that the impending bat tie is likely to develop with startling rapidity.
 It is reported that the Japanese have abandoned Sianchan, Saimatsze and Meichoulin, positions east of Liao Yang.
 Tn political circles considerable stress is laid upon the moral effect upon the Chinese that may be expected from General Kuropatkin's advancing with out being compelled to abandon the sa- cred city of Mukden, 1t being remen- bered that the Japanese failed to reach the city of imperial tombs during the Chino-Japanese war.