The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-03-17
CONFLICT IN FAR EAST

ton Of his army which he succeeded
in extricating from the positions
around Mukden is still in serious
danger. The Japanese generals, real
ling that with a little more speed
they could have inflicted a crushing
defeat on the Russian army after the
battle of ~Liao-yang, determined not to
again allow an opportunity to pass,
and are following after the defeated
and sorely tried Russian forces.
While a small portion of Kuropatkin's
army has reached Tie pass, the great
er part Of those who escaped from the
battle of Mukden are still
Struggling Onward,
being at last accounts between twelve
n sixteen miles from their goal,
with the Japanese, flushed with vic
tory and reinforced by fresh men
harrassing them from all sides. Even
should the remnant of the army reach
Tie pass it is hardly possible for it to
make a stand there against the over
whelmtng force opposing it, especially
as the Russians must be worn GU and
weakened by the loss of men, guns
and ammunition. 1t is more likely that
Kuropatkin will fall right back to
Hardin with what he can save and
wait there for the reinforcements that
st. Petersburg already has promised
him. A possible obstacle TO the plan
is Gen. Kamamura's army, which has
~n ,,at hnnn located md prbinh !,
also be heading for the northern CAPT.
tai.
Russia Loses 100000 Men.
Gen. Kuropatkin admits that 1870
officers and 1891 men are not re-
spending to roll calls. This is rather
vague. 1t may or may not include the
thousands Of wounded who have been
sent north, and again it may not in
clude the losses suffered by the third
army. with which the commander-in-
chief was not in communication for
some time. The figures given by the
Japanese war office appear more rea-
sonable. namely, 10000 prisoners, 26,-
500 dead and left on the field and co.
600 killed OF wounded, the latter fig
u e, Vi toul ST, llClIulllS the uedG
found by the Japanese. The Russian
losses. therefore, total over 100, 600
men, or more than one-third of the
whole army. The fact that the Japan
csc report the capture of only sixty
guns indicates that kuropatkin at the
last moment succeeded in sending a
considerable portion of his artillery
mort h VIC ri on tho rai1urar 1hn
Japanese Losses
up to this morning were reported as
1922. not including the army which
pushed north between Mukden and
Fushun.
Official Russia is determined to car
ry on the war and St. Petersburg re-
ports that orders have been issued for
the mobilization of more troops. This
may prove a difficult task with the
temper of the Russian people in it's
present condition. There is still hope
in st. Petersburg that Russia can ex-
haust Japan financially, and for
months there has been talk of the mo-
bilization of an army on the Siberian
border which would compel Japan to
hSSP h1i vas OIL II III NitliIuulid.
The Japanese nave not yet reported
the capture of guns, which they gen
orally do almost Immediately, but it
seems hardly likely that Kuropatkin
could have removed all of his artil-
lery. On the 1st of January, accord
ing to correspondents who have just
returned from Mukden, the Russians
bod in nncifsnn nloDn thA C1a111 a,l
Hun rivers 300 guns, including a
number of 6 and S-inch guns on ce-
ment foundations s~tradding the rail
way just north of Shakhe station. In
addition, many guns arrived in Muk-
den during January and February. SO
that the Russian artillery when the
big battle started must have num-
bered nearly 1000 pieces. It is likely
that Kuropatkin has sacrificed some
of these, and is bending all his ener
gies to ~extricating his army. That his
task is a dinicult one all the dis
patches indicate, but Russian sympa-
thizers point to his retreat from Lao
yang, where conditions were opposed
to him. The retreat from Liao-yang
a. accomplished uuI11S ii teTf1lC
rain storm W. roads hub deep in
mud, while at the present time the i.
Manchurian roads are frozen as hard
as stone, and have been worn as
smooth as asphalt by the continual
passage OF the big wide-tired commits
sariat wagons. The result of
oyama's Great Turning Movement
depends almost entirely upon Kawa-
mura's army, which has not yet beer
located definitely, although supposed
to be moving from the east toward
k~urOpatkin's line of retreat. Should
he reach the military road, which runs
in a direct line from Fushun |
to Tie pass, before the passage of the
army, the circle will be com |
plete.
Even should Kuropatkin extricate
his army, it is believed in European
capitals that peace soon viii follow
latest Japanese victory. The call
ing to st. Petersburg of M. Iswolsky. |