The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-12

from the burning settlement gave in
disputabie testimony of General Kuro-
patkin's decision to relinquish also the
second of his great positions-a deci-
sion which was known on Thursday
The army was withdrawing all the
latter half OF the night. while the
houses of the settlement had been va
Gated earlier and their lights left
burning. Morning showed. through the
great smoke clouds. low lying for miles
about the settlement. armies three and
four miles deep in all the main roads
moving north along the east side of
the railway
The battle still centered north of the
imperial tolnbs with occasional shots
along the Hun river, where later an
opening permitted the Japanese to
make quick advance and dash to-
ward their main operation with the
purpose of concentrating and cutting
off the Russians.
Shelled From Three Sides.
At 11:30 the japanese had partly sue
Ceeded, for at the Tawan with shrap-
mel they shelled three sides of d rect
angle, where the main army was NOV
ing with great exertion over made
quate thoroughfares. The japanese,
however, accomplished at this place
nothing more than a momentary STAN
Pede and though a soldier. crazed by
his efforts, threatened to shoot a cor
respondent in order TO take his bag
gage cart for himself. the correspond
ent observed everywhere the admirable
GOODNESS which has distinguished the
Russian army throughout its trying re-
treats of the past year.
This retreat must be reckoned as a
wonderful spectacle. For miles in
fantrymen and baggage wagons today
strew the line of march. For rapidity,
T9nanRSR 20
time were outstripped by the Russians
withdrawing. The Russians perhaps
had more at stake than in any preVi-
Gus battle with the japanese.
Crucial Point at Dark.
The crucial point of the retreat oc-
Cured at dusk, when the rear guard
troops and the transport. which has
reached SantaitZe. ten miles north Of
Mukden, suddenly received a rifle
stampede. The success of the Japan
csc in closing against the armies try
ing to get away from the extended
Hun river bridge position was evident.
In ordering a retreat General KurO-
patkin is said to have declared it was
done in order to satisfy protesting
opinion and that. whatever the blame,
he would take it, which in the light of
events seems to show that he best
knew the capacity of the soldiers.
Getting Out of the Trap.
The battle on the right flank and
around Mul1den appears to be the
greatest of the war except at Port Ar
thur During the terrible dust storm
of Thursday the Japanese with ma
chine guns occupied several empty
houses in a village held by the Rus
SLAMS and otherwise bettered their pO-
sition west of the railroad, so that
when the retreat came with Japanese
shells on all sides, it suggested another
Cronje incident. For ten hours not a
man nor horse rested, while the wound
| ed were being gathered up on the two
sides in the rear and often in the cen
| ter, and every energy was bent toward
/ getting out of the trap, the jaws of
| which were almost upon the Russians
| At Santaitze the Associated Press
! correspondent, with others, lost all
| baggage in the retreat.
Losses $40, 900.
J Many bodies of troops were encoun-
| tered, some Of them in advance and
some on the rear. which were constant
! " mistaken for japanese. Forty miles
retreat was accomplished in seventeen
! hours 1t was virtually through ploweo
| fields with enormous dust clouds
which made it impossible to see any
! distance a great amount of the equip
page, ammunition. guns and stores o.
! the Russians were lost
! The losses on both sides are reckOneC
at 10000 for the entire fight.