The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1904-09-06
MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE
RUSSIANS RELIEVED BECAUSE
kUROPATklN SUCCEEDS IN
GETTING AWAY.

st. Petersburg, Sept 6.-The feeling
OF national grief and disappointment
caused by General Kuropatllin's un-
successful attempt to make a stand at
Liaoyang, deep and bitter as it is, is
somewhat tempered by the develop
ment of the fact that the Russian COM
mander-in-chief had removed the bulk
, Of his stores ncrthWard before the bat
tie, leaving a mere shell at Liaoyang,
and that he succeeded in eXtricating
his army, especially General Stakel-
berg's corps, from the clutches OF the
Japanese.
The accounts of the battle published
in the newspapers here are very incOm-
plete. Some of the papers evidently
have not yet awakened to the full
force of the disaster, but without eX-
ceptiOn they try to put a brave face
on the situation. There is not the
slightest suggestion of yielding. The
cry of the papers is that the war must
go on until Russia is victorious, if not
this year, then next year.
The war Office here believes that the
battle is virtually ended and that Ku-
| ropatkin's line of retreat is open.
While admitting that KurOpatkin
sustained a severe reverse the war
office considers that the failure Of
Field Marshal Oyama to hold and cut
| off Kuropatkin is strategic defeat
for Oyama. The Russian military au-
| thOrities figure that Oyama had a
| numerical superiority of $4,000 men in
the operations against Kuropatkin.
The officials of the war Office do not
expect a renewal Of the fighting fO1
several days, which they think the
! Japanese will employ in recuperating,
while Kulopatkin collects his army
preparatory to pushing the troops
northward. He has a double track
railroad and high road. When the
| fighting recOmmences it is expected
here that it will be in the nature Of a
series Of rear guard actions, as the
final withdrawal is effected. There
are no facilities at Yentai for defense.
Wonderful Celebrity of Japanese.
According to the military authori-
| ties all kuropatkins hopes and plans
| for victory were dashed by the won
| derful celebrity with which Oyama' s
| right pushed nOrthWard after crossing
| the Taitse river. Here Kuropatkin' S
| information evidently was faulty in
believing that he had before him the
| whole of the Japanese forces which
had crossed over to the right bank.
He had already completed a prelim-
| mary bombardment of Kuroki's force
| Friday and was about to strike him
when he discovered that another Jap
anese column had crossed the river
| further up stream and had worked
| around still further northward The
| latter column was marching with
| great rapidity westward to cut the
| railroad and close the door on the Rus
sian retreat to Mukden. Just at this
! point there is a break in the reports.
Whether Kuropatkin actually attempt
ed to deliver a blow against Kuroki is
! not clear. At all events if he did he
was compelled to desist upon the dis
{ covery Of the northerly Japanese col
umn. The latter took him by sur
| prise.
General Orloff's division which suf-
fered so severely, had just arrived
from European Russia. Although this
| division was thrown into confusion
and lost frightful number of men
the temporary check it was able to
give the Japanese probably saved the
railroad for Kuropatkin.
In the meantime Kurolli, freed from
Kuropatkin, marched hastily west
ward to intercept General Stakelberg,
who was crossing the river from the
left bank. 1t was then that Kuropat-
kin thought Stakelberg's corps was
lost and SO reported to the war Office.
But Kurol1i was too late. Stakelberg
not only succeeded in getting his corps
across but marched at high speed thir-
ty miles to Yentai, actually arriving in
time to come to the support of the
hard pressed Orloff.
The war Office processes ignorance
of the losses of guns and men sus-
tanned by the Russians, but there is no
doubt that many thousands have
! fallen