The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-08-05
MORE DETAILS OF BATTLE.
kuropatkin'. Army in Grave Danger Of
Division and Defeat,

4 NAtORaANtu Sttny Nv Nt9NS My w
Division and Defeat.
st. Petersburg, Aug. 4.-The greatest
anxiety prevails here for news of the
general advance against the southern
md western positions of General Ku-
'opatkin's army. The public believes
hat the decisive battle Of the campaign
s being fought. but this has not yet
been established.
Indeed, the Associated Press hears
rom the keenest military attaches in
st. Petersburg that for several days
the main body of the Russian army has
'een moving north toward Mukden.
md when the present line to the south
'ast is forced the Japanese will find
hat they AVE crushed only the shell.
Should this prove to be SO, Genera! ku-
copatkin will doubtless be obliged to
testtoy the immense quantities of
stores accumulated at Lao Yang.
Sure to Be Decisive.
Shrewd military critics, however. do
not believe that General Kuropatkin
can escape a general engagement. His
army forms a wedge, with General
oku hammering away at the points,
and Generals Nodzu and Kurok OPP
afating with driving movements of
great force against the sides. If one
IF the latter should break through, the
Moulo Oe tOoiIled. III
general staff seems amazed at the i'm
mehse strength of these cooperating
Japanese armies. The Japanese evil
dently have succeeded In c%oncealing the
real number of their men and guns.
Which the general steff now believes
must be in excess of 300. 900 men. with
between 800 and 400 guns.
While General Oku is holding the
Russian army at Hal Cheng in check.
General Nod2u Is evidently trying to
work around the vital point at Simou-
cheng. AT the same time General Ku-
roki Is trying to flank the First Siberian
army corps, which was commanded by
the late Lieutenant General Count KEEL
Ter. on the main Feng Wang Cheng
road. and is also pushing a strong col
umn through direct toward Lao Chang.
on the Samatzsa road. There is a road
leading north from %Simoucheng which
strikes The Feng Wang Cheng-Liao
chens should be forced a rapid advance
along this road would pocket the First
Siberian army corps.
Simoucheng Taken?
The report received from Toxic that
Slmoucheng had been actually forced
did not become generally known. The
general staff remained in session UNI
III almost 9 o'clock a. m, and on adj
lournment 1T was stated that nothing
beyond the days official dispatches had
been received. 1t is thus impossible to
confirm or deny the Toxic dispatch,
but II 1t is true, as pointed out in the
foregoing, it leaves the Russian forces
in an exceedingly serious position.
Lacking definite information and If
the Russian formation has not been
broken by the capture of Simoucheng,
the authorities here say that If Kuro-
patkin accepts a general engagement
they believe it will be near Anchantz-
chan, half way between Lao Shan n
Lao Yang, in which case the opposing
forces will fall back thither and the
Simoucheng force under Mitschenko
which is already fortified with a view
to such a contingency. Yanzalin would
then become the advanced position for
Anchantzchan, the natural strength in
which is shown by the fact hat it was
the only position the Chinese defended
against the Japanese.
The Artillery Duel.
General k%uropatkin's report of yes
terday only carried the fighting up to
been driven in from the left flank OF
the ~Simoucheng position. The Rus
slams had repealed several attacks and
one bayonet charge in which was des-
perate hand-to-hand fighting at Rang
wa Heights. Elsewhere the Russians
HiC iCPoI { W ne nOlulIlS lIielF OWL.
General kuropatkir's dispatches give
no figures of the last two days fight
ing. The main attack seems to have
been by the artillery. the favorable arm
of the Japanese. There was the great
est hope of further news from Russian
sources regarding program of to-
days battle. Crowds hung around the
bulletin boards until 2 a. M. M finally
dispersed disappointed.
The only real news of the days re-
suits was contained in a brief dispatch
to the Associated Press from Hal
Cheng, filed there at 5:45 o'clock this
afternoon. saying that an artillery duel
had ragged all day along the entire
front, but that the Russians at night
fall continued to hold their positions.
No news was received from Port
Arthur today. 1t has been learned that
Captain Won Essen commanded the
N~ladivostok squadron during the re-
cent raid.