The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-01-30
Toward Chantai
Leaving Dead on Field.
DEFEAT is CONCEDED.
Couldn't Hold the Position
Captured at Sandepas.
KurOpatkin's Offensive MOve-
ment Has Come to an End.

/ against the japanese left has failed
and General Grippenberg has notified
the emperor he has discontinued the
offensive.
General Mistchenko and General
| Kondratzvitch while not seriously in
jured have been obliged to relinquish
their commands. The war Offices
gives no estimate of the Russian loss
es, but they are believed to be heavy.
Lost 10000 Men.
Toxic, Jan. 3O.-The casualties during
the fighting at Chenchiehpoa and
Heikoutai are estimated at 5000 on the
side of the japanese and 10000 on the
Russian side.
Russian activity on the Shahke river
seemed to have ceased after the fight at
Chenchiehpao and Heikoutai. where the
japanese were victorious. The object
of the operations is not clearly under
stood here, but it is suggested that the
Russians either intended to turn the
Japanese left and move a heavy force
down west of the Lao river, or were
seeking to divert the attention from
some projected operation against the
Japanese right. It is reported that the
weather is warmer since January Is.
but it is still extremely cold so that it
is impossible to expose the troops at
night
The Toxic press expresses the opinion
| that General Kuropatkin either ordered
the movement to divert attention from
the domestic conditions in Russia. or
that he had planned to make fight
before Field Marshal Oyama had been
heavily reinforced.
| Manchurian army headquarters tele-
graphing yesterday says:
There has been no great change in
the direction of the right and center
armies since the night of January 2s.
] except constant collisions between re-
connoitering parties. In the direction
of the left army, the enemy keeps up
4 slow but constant cannonade. The
enemy's main body at Chenchiehpao
and Heikoutai seems to have retreated
/ in the direction of Neinyupao, which is
/ two miles west of Chantai and Sub
fangtai. At point 10 miles northwest
of Chengtai the enemy left many dead
The details of the fighting at
! Chenchiehpao and Heikoutai have not
yet been reported.
Compelled to Retire.
st. Petersburg, Jan. 3O.-Instead of
confirmation of Saturday nights re-
port that General Kuropatkin had
broken through the Japanese left,
there came Lieutenant General Sakha-
roff's official admission today that the
Russians had been compelled to re-
tire from SandeDas on account of
their inability to carry a redoubt. 1t
is also significant that dispatches from
Russian correspondents at the front
have again suddenly ceased, which is
regarded as an indication of the fail
ure of the operation and strengthens
the first impression that it was dem
onstration undertaken to distract the
people at home from the present situ-
alton. Nemfrovich Danchenko, the
war correspondent who has Just ar
rived from the front said to the Asso-
ciated Press today:
Il do not regard the present often
oven emf IN roro-
longed. I believe General Kuropatlxin
does not contemplate a decisive move
ment before couple of months. The
weather conditions till then will be
unfavOrable. General Kuropatkin now
is merely preparing the way and
sharpening his troops which have re-
Gently arrived.
The Russia Slave. of Moscow, pub
fishes an interview with Prince Hill
koff, the minister of communications.
in which he states that the double
tracking of the Siberian railway is
possible for the purposes of the
present war, but that minor improve
ments. especially the construction Of
sidngs, will bring up the carrying
capacity of the road to the equivalent
of twenty-five trains each way daily
At present, there are only eighteen
trains daily each way. Prince HilkoR
says he does not expect that the strike
in the railroad shops will continue, but
should it do so he may have to order
cars and trucks from foreign manu-
Lieutenant General Sakharoh has tele-
gTaphed the following report to the gen.
eral staff under date of January IS:
'On January 28 the enemy began to con-
centrate in considerable force near San
depas, intending to take the offensive On
January ~ our column on the extreme left
took the offensive against the villages of
Sumapu and Paotsia south of Sandepas
which were occupied by the enemy. Dur
ing the whole of January p an obstinate
fight was going on here and after mid
night we took Sumapu.
'On January 26 another column advanc-
ing upon Sandepas occupied q great part
of that fortified village; but, coming upon
tificial obstacles which had been scarcely
damaged by our fire and which was arm
ed with field artillery and quick firers and
seeing the impossibility of carrying the
redoubt without a preliminary lombard
ment, our troops left Sandepas which had
been set on fire. it being impossible to
remain there without risking defeat.
''On January q and 28 Sandepas and its
redOubt were heavily bombarded. while
our extreme column engaged near Samapu
Ion January 1927 our cavalry. operat-
ing six miles south of Sandepas, attacked
and defeated a Japanese company and
Altogether the japanese must have
suffered considerable loss"
Every Man at the Front.
Mukden, Jan. 20. via Tfen Tsin, Jan.
30.-Official reports published in the
army newspaper show that the entire
east was undisturbed except by small
scouting affrays during the fighting
at Holantaf and Ffechiachungtsu
(Heikoutai and Chenchiehpao2 p The
army is now working under the new
organization and entirely new orders