The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1905-03-07
ADMIT SITUATION CRITICAL
RUSSIANS SEE LITTLE HOPE OF.
VICTORY IN PRESENT TER
RlFIc STRUGGLE.

St. Petersburg, March THE result
of the greatest battle of modern times
is expected to be determined within
tWenty-four hours. Two of the larg-
est armies of modern times, both in
men and guns, are now locked in a
Kuropatkin has evidently made every
preparation to cover his retreat by
moving his accumulated stores and
munitions northWard it is the opinion
of military men here that one side Or
the other cannot escape an oyerWhelm-
ing disaster. With both wings bent
backward Kuropatkin's position ap-
pears to be desperate, but the issue is
still in the balance. News of victory
for him is only regarded as possible by
his breaking through the enVeloping
lines and news Of concentrated Of
fensive is hourly awaited. Unless Ku-
ropatlin can strike and strike hard
it is realized that he must lose.
Field Marshal Oyama' strategy in
this battle is now clear. He startled
and amazed the war Office by the mar
Yelous daring of General I<uroki''s adj
vance against the extreme Russian
left and the series OF blows delivered
at the center, where no less than thir-
teen separate attacks have been
launched by the imperial guards ten
miles east of Poutiloff hill. But it is
now realized that the heavy blows at
the left were intended to mask the
real turning movement, which came
Like a Bolt From a Clear Sky
the trap The situation seemed an
exact duplicate of that at Liaoyang
and the Russian commander-in-chief
FASTENED to mass forces to meet, Ku-
rolel. Friday the whole situation was
suddenly reversed when, with light
ming rapidity, the Japanese turning
operation began on the plain between
the Hun and Lao rivers. In order to
succeed Oyama threw the neutrality
Of China to the winds. General Nogi
with his Port Arthur veterans moved
UP the right bank of the Hun and fell
like an avalanche upon the weakened
Russian right, doubling it back in con-
| fusion, the Japanese advance being CO.
ordinated with the advance straight
| from the west of a japanese column of
10000 men, which circled around or
| through Chinese neutral territory. AL
though rumors of the presence of the
latter column westward of Mukden
were circulated as long ago as Tues
day Kuropatllin evidently was taken
by surprise, possibly refusing to be-
lieve that the Japanese would thus
openly fling Chinese neutrality to the
| winds. At any rate it was not until
Saturday night that he was able to
shift sufficient reinforcements west to
stem the tide when the Japanese were
within sight of Mukden. But the lat
est advices are to the effect that the
/ )dous efforts, have everywhere stopped
and now, if ever, Kuropatkin's hour
has come. The Japanese lines are ex-
tended oyer sixty miles. while Kuro-
| patkin's are constantly contracting.
! Military critics declare Oyama has not
great enough superiority to take risks.
| According to the war Office Oyama has
not over 10000 men in excess of Kuro-
patlSin, whose forces total 100000.
| TWO ATTACKS REFUSED.
Japanese EnergeticaiIy Assault Rus
sian Left Flank.
st. Petersburg, March Z. General
KuropatlSin, in dispatch from the
front dated March 5, says:
The situation On the Mukden front
lremains quiet
On the left flank, on the right bank
| of the Hun river near Machia pu, the
Japanese this morning resumed the
offensive energetically. Two attacks
were .repulsed.
The battle continues successfully
northWard of Machiapu. All are show
ing the greatest bravery.
In the center our positions on the
Shakhe river as far as Shahopao are
Iretalned Night attacks on Poutiloff
and Novgorod hills were beaten off.
We counter attacked this morning and
captured two machine guns.
The japanese during the night at
tackled Kandolizan. All the assaults
were repulsed
An attack on Gaotu pass at ii
o'clock last night was beaten OF. =