Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-03-11
Russia Waiting Dread News Of
4 Surrender Of Kuropatkin's
Defeated Forces
MANY GUNS ARE CAPTURED
Greatest Defeat In the History Of the
War Likely to Lead to Peace Neso-
tiations-People Of Russia Know
\ But Little Of the Events at the Front
-churct.s Filled With Mourners.

The RuSStan-JapaneSe war WAS udde
known in st. Petersburg last night, but
only in the paltry eight words from
General Kuropatkin to Emperor Mich
olas, which were flung about the streets
In newspaper editions and passed from
mouth to mouth. Two thoughts form
ed instantly in the minds of every one.
and two words on every lip-surrender,
peace--the former dreaded; the latter
hoped for.
General Kuropatkin is no maker of
phrases; his words never are quoted
like the famous "all is lost save hon
or" but his laconic message hides more
than probably any other two sentences
in the literature of the, war. st. Pet
ersburg knows nothing of the extent
Of the disaster. not even the lines of
Kuropatkin's retreat; whether the route
to Tie pass is still open; whether he
is endeavoring to cut his way thru to
safety, or whether, as most believe, he
has taken ito, the mountains. If it be
the latter, he will inevitably be hemmed
In and starved into surrender, as Mar
shall Bazaine was at Meth.
The dispatch has been studied as
closely as was ever the most abstruse
clause OF the scripture over which
dogmaticians have wrestled and from
the words "all our armies" the opti-
mistic draw the deduction that the bulk
Of the Russian. forces got away, clear,
the commander chief sacrificing,
however, the devoted rear guard, who
Hung themselves as prey to the Japan
csc, who were closing in on their trail
and sacrificing, also, it is conceded on
every hand, the greater part of his
heavy artillery. especially the siege
guns, and enormous quantities Of sup
plies and munitions.
Russia is in Ignorance.
OF the present situation of the ar
my-wlether it is utterly routed or
merely beaten, OF the proportion Of
Russians left in Japanese hands, or OF
mainder-St. Petersburg at this mo-
ment knows less than the smallest
hamlet in America. Since the Associ-
ated Press Mukden dispatch was filed
at blo'clock Friday morning no dispatch
. Save IuO UI1Sl Ol14Cldl
of the retreat has come from the Rus
sian army, Kuropatkin's preceding dis
patch giving the last details as to the
positions of the army having been
written at 3 o'clock Thursday evening.
The members of the generals staff.
when asked for information, said:
I'VE know nothing. We hope he
will bring the army off safely, but we
do not know how he will do 1t. We
only know that he has commenced to
retreat: that is all.''
5s5, peaee is Being Discussed.
Everyone now is discussing peace,
which many Of the staunchest advo-
Gates of the war, bureaucrats and Off
GERS now declare to be inevitable. It
IFS openly bruited that Rojestvenskys
fleet has been recalled and is now on
the way homeward. The admiralty,
when asked If the report were true.
said: I'VE don't know, call again to-
morrow" and declined to comment on
the significance of the cancellation of
the purchase of Golfers, or the direc-
tfon OF Roiestvensky's voyage from
Madagascar waters. It can be stat
ed, however, that no overtures for
peace yet have been made, and none
are likely to be made for a few days,
before the extent of the disaster has
developed.
81 Aside from peace, defeat may bring
ether consequences in it's train. That
an enormous impetus has been given
to the reform movement is plain even
ito the most reactionary conservatives,
but the immediate result chiefly dread
ed Is the effect on internal disorders,
not only in the capital, but also, since
st. Petersburg is not Russia, upon the
millions Of peasants in the vast agri-
cultural regions, among whom the
spirit Of revolt now sis increasing and
already has Matched pillage and arson
In few districts. It is believed, how
ever, that the government us able to
], nip these uprisings in the bud and pre-
vent radicals in the city from bringing
off anything more than demonstrations
and talk of revolution, aside from the
peaceful revolution which has been
under way in the last six months, and
is secuted in all well informed quar-
tiers.
Outwardly st. Petersburg takes the
defeat unconcernedly. A stranger in
the streets would never know that
armies defending the honor and pres
tige of Russia had just sustained a
crushing reverse. There were no
crowds last night, no demonstrations,
no change from the ordinary street life.
Newsboys were hawking extras on the
streets about the situation in the far
east.
One circle Of liberals, on receiving
the news, called for wine and solemn
IL pledged New Russia" But gem
orally the defeat cuts deeply and is
keenly felt, especially by families re-
spected in the endangered army The
spirit Of unpatriotic exultation will do
the liberals no good at this time, as,
the defeat, which one Russian cores
pondent describes a Slaughter, not
battle" entails the sacrifice of so many
thousands of Russian lives the people
fear to count up their losses. It is
realized that in the fighting before
Mukden was evacuated the death role
OF the battle of Shakhe must have been
far exceeded and the streams of st.
Petersburg, where every third women
wears crepe will present sombre
sight when the casualty lists arrive.
TRY TO PROVE DRUG TRUST.