The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-08-07
japanese Show Wounded Every
Consideration at Battle of
Mo Ten Pass.
STORY OF THE AWFUL DEFEAT
Correspondent Visits the Field
and Describes the Remarka.
BILE Scenes That He Wit.
messed There.

(via San Francisco. Aug. s.-"Night
fighting is the test of soldiers" remark
ed one Of the foreign attaches when he
visited the scene of yesterdays bloody
affair. aand the japanese certainly
have proved their quality this time"
Probably no incident Of the war has
placed the Japanese soldiers in more
trying situation than the night attack
at Mo Tien Pass and nowhere have they
gained more complete victory against
great disadvantages, None Of the cor
respondents with the army heretofore
have been permitted to witness fight
ing at closer range than their view OF
the crossing of the Yalu from a safe
and comfortable eminence on the walls
of Wiju. When correspondents or mil
itary attaches have attempted to get
10 the actual scene Of events their un-
failingly courteous guardians always
have rebuffed them with the explana-
tion that it is Every dangerous" that
they are guests Of the Japanese gov
ernment and the government is respon-
sible for their safety.
On this occasion, however, the cor
respondent of the Associated Press was
able to see the conduct Of the soldiers
on the field and their treatment Of
wounded and captured enemies in the
heat of the fighting.
Whatever reasons Of military policy
may render secrecy desirable, there
certainly is nothing in the actions of
its soldiers that need make the Jap
anese government keep spectators to
the rear. The treatment of the Rus
sian victims of the incompetency of
their officers was all that the most
enlightened nation could expect. When
the correspondent arrived at the
trenches where less than a company of
Japanese, rushing. from their beds
without time to Dress had STAYED of
the Russian onslaught, at first with
bayonets and swords, the Russian dead
and wounded still lay where they had
fallen on the wet, grassy slope. How
fierce the half hours work there had
been was evidenced by the pools of
blood in the ditch and red trails smear
ed all over the grass and stones on the
hillsides before it.
In this fighting, Lieutenant Kono
alone killed several Russians, almost
severing their heads with a single
stroke Of his sword. When he exhib-
tied the weapon afterward, its edge
looked like saw blade. 1t has since
been sharpened for further use.
Although the fight had been begun
only three hours before, the japanese
advance was half a mile down the
valley pursuing the Russians the Jap
anese dead had been removed to a tenn
pie behind the crest Of the hill and par
ties of soldiers from one of the COM
panies in reserve were going about
the field with trenching spades bury
ing the dead Russians where they lay
and marking the graves with stake
or a pile of stones. The Russians
had gone into action carrying their
heavy overcoats and wearing their
bags of black bread. They had drop
ped both on the field Already, while
some details were burying the dead
and some caring for the wounded,
others had gathered debris from the
field and piles of coats and canteens
and hundred rifles with bayonets at
tached were stacked on the temple
steps. The Japanese system is not
Gilly lhOlOu6u Dub AuiNhs AhSAC was
a company of japanese soldiers whose
Khaki coats were black with mud and
sweat gathered at the trench quietly
discussing events with no sign Of ex-
eitement. Two big Russian prisoners
not wounded were resting there with
small Japanese sitting behind them.
The Japanese soldiers of the column
are heavier than the average Of most
European armies but the Russians in
the Tenth and Twenty-fourth East ST.
berian regiments are larger and the
boards, which most of them wear after
a season Of campaigning, give them a
particularly fierce appearance. The
bodies of three Russians who had been
killed on the parapet Of the trench
were laid in the road behind it with their
snuff -colored great coats thrown over
their faces. Four others Of the Tenth
East Siberian dressed in grey blouses
and caps without any regimental in
sigma were on the ground beside them.
one was shot through both legs, one