The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-03-06
KURoPATKIh,s: FATE.
Depends Largely on Fighting Almost
on Outskirts of Mukden.


st. Petersburg, March 1926 a. m.-
The fate of General Kuropatkin and his
army hangs in the balance to-day, de-
pending on the result of the fighting al
most in the outskirts of Mukden. Ac-
cording to latest reports this morning,
the fighting went well for the Russians,
who beat back the wave that threaten
ed to roll over Mukden, as it had over
the Notifications Of Port Arthur; but
nothing is known as to what is going
on beyond the line of breakers, whether
part of General Nogfs force is in full
career for Tie Pass or whether the Jap
anese have staked all in a cast against
Mukden. The imminence of the peril
on the west wing has withdrawn atten-
ton from the operations on the center
and left, where the fighting has been
extremely heavy, and on the left espe-
cially, where the japanese gains are
sufficiently great to cause apprehension
to themselves.
Military critics here point out that
the japanese have put themselves in
critical position by the extreme exten-
sion of their lines, laying themselves
open, as they did at Liao Yang, to the
possibility of most effective counter
stroke and probable defeat, If General
Kuropatkin should be able to launch
column against a weak line in the
chain
In other respects the situation also
resembles that at Lao Yang, the Jap
anese making a costly demonstration"
to hold the Russians in their fortifica-
tions on the center and throwing away
the lives of thousands in order to give
the thanking force an opportunity to
administer a telling blow.
A feature of all accounts of the fight
ing reaching St. Petersburg is the en-
phasis laid on the awful carnage. There
is reference after reference to dead
piled high on the ground over which an
attack was delivered, strewing breast
works, almost hiding abatis from sight.
and even being used by the Japanese
to construct hasty entertainments. The
Russian losses on both flanks are con-
ceded to be enormous, but it is claimed
that defenders of the center suffered
comparatively little by the Japanese
bonbardrnent and beating off the Jap
anese attack
The attacks delivered by General Mo-
gi's soldiers was marvellous, in view of
the forced marches which they made
for six days, recalling the records of
StoneWall Jackson's foot cavalry,
D They entered the battle with the great
est dash and fought day after day with
vigor;; but those of them who were
taken prisoners dfepped TO the ground
utterly exhausted and hardly able to
speak They had not eaten for two
days. which accounts In part for their
utter fatigue. @
General Kuropatkin's line. Of commu-
nieations has not been touched, though
II is. in extreme jeopardy. His right
/ flank is bent so sharply backward that
! 1t may necessitate the abandonment of
| the Poutiloff and Novgrod hills, to
which the Russians are still firmly
clinging. The Russian left also has
been so sharply repulsed that corre-
| spondent compares the entire position
to the letter c. The Japanese possibly
are pushing northward at tangents
with both flanks.
A hopeful sign is the postponement
until tomorrow of the grand council
| of war which was to have met at
| Tsarskoe- Selo to-day. This lends color
to reports that the general situation
has somewhat improved. The council
was called to discuss the retirement on
| Tie pass; but the action of the Japan
ese has made a successful retreat far
| more difficult than that at Liaoyang
where but one flank was rolled back
A flood of dispatches came through
to-day, hut they were mostly old, refer
ring to the fighting on the left flank and
| General Linevich's losses, which have
been already described. ~