The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-03-11
GREAT BATTLE STILL
RlGEs AElR HUKDEN
Marshal 0Yama Gives No
Rest to General Kuro-
patkin's Shattered
and Routed
Legions.
RETREAT OF The RUSSIANS
RETREAT OF TIE RUSSIANS
BRIEF DISPATCH FROM DE-
FEATED COMMANDER.

FEAIED GUN MANDEhA
He Reports That the Withdrawal of All
His Armies Commenced Thursday
Night--st. Petersburg OmciaIs Claim
Ignorance of the Extent of Disaster
Japanese in MuIxden-Oyama Informs
Toxic That There is No Time mt Pres
ent to Investigate the Enormous Cap
fure Of Arms, Ammunition, War Sup
plies ANA Prisoners--Russian People
Anxious for Peace.
ST. Petersburg, March 1o.-General
Kuropatkin has sent the following dis
patch to Emperor Nicholas under to-
days date: III
..Last night began the retreat Of all
our armies During the night there
was no fighting but a heavy cannon
ade.'' II .I
In these few words the greatest de-
feat in the history Of the Russo-Japan-
ese war was made known in st. Peters
burg. Two thoughts formed instantly
. in the minds Of every one, and two
words were on every lip-surrender-
peace-the former dreaded, the latter
hoped.
General Kuropatkin is no maker of
phrases, his words are never quoted
like the famous 'all is lost save honor"
but his laconic message hides more
than probably any other sentence in.
the literature of war st. Petersburg
knows nothing of the extent of the dis
aster, not even the lines Of Kuropat-
kin's retreat; whether the route to Tie.
pass is still open, whether he is en-
deavoring to cut his way through to
safety, or whether, as many of the
pessi1nistic believe, he has taken to the
mountains. If it be the latter he will
be inevitably hemmed in and starved
into surrender as Marshal Bazaine was
at Metz j.
The dispatch has been studied as
closely as was ever the most abstruse
text Of Scripture over which dogmati-
clans have Wrestled, and for the words
''all our armies" the optimistic draw
the deduction that the bulk of the Rus
sian forces got away clear, the COM
mander-in-chief sacrificing, however,
thedevotedrear guard who flung them.
selves as prey to the Japanese wolves,
who were closing in on their trail, and
sacrificing also, it is conceded on every
hand, the greater part of his heavy ar
tillery, especially the Siege guns, and
enormous quantities of supplies and
munitions H. *. +. i
According to advices received from
other than Russian sources, the great
battle still continues north of Mukden,
where the final struggle is soon likely
to take place between the enveloping
Japanese and the shattered Russian
forces in their attempt to break
through in their hurried retreat.
OF the present situation Of the army
whether it is utterly routed or mere
ly beaten; of the proportion of Rus
slams left in japanese hands, or Of the
prospect of the escape Of the remainder
st. Petersburg at this moment knows
less than the smallest hamlet in
America. Since the Associated Press
Mukden dispatch was filed at O'Clock
Friday morning no dispatch, save the
brief official announcement of the re-
treat has come from the Russian army.
General Kuropatkin's preceding dis
patch, giving the last but scanty de-
tails as to the positions Of the army
having been written at 9 O'Clock
Thursday evening. The members of
the general staff threw up their hands
when asked for information. 1--WE know
nothing. We hope he will bring the
army off safely but we do not know
how he will do it's We only know he
has commenced to retreat; that is ALL"
Every one is now discussing peace.
which many of the staunchest advo-
Gates of the war, bureaucrats and Of
ficers, now declare to be inevitable. It
is openly bruited that Rojestvensky's
+ fleet has been recalled and is now on
the way homeward. The admiralty,
when asked if the report was true,
said: ''We 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-
tion of Rojestvensky's voyage from
Madagascar waters. It can be stated,
however, that no overtures for peace
have yet been made and none are likely
to be made for few days, before the
extent of the disaster has developed.
Aside from peace, defeat may bring
other consequences in it's train. That
an enormous impetus has been given
to the reform movement is plain to
event the most reactionary conserva-
tives; but the immediate result chiefly
dreaded is the effect on internal dis
orers. not only in the capital, butt also,
since St. Petersburg is not Russian,
upon the millions of peasants in the
vast agricultural regions, among whom
the spirit of revolt is now incubating
an ! already has hatched pillage and
arson in a few districts. It is believed,