The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-06
FATE OF RUSSIAN ARMY
IS IN BALANCE TO-DAY

81. HtIERSbURG, March B, 1925
a. m.-The fate Of Gen. Kuropatkin and
his army hangs in the balance today,
depending on the result of the fighting
almost In the outskirts OF Mukden.
according to latest reports this morn
Ing the fighting went well for the Rus
slams, who beat back the wave that
threatened to roll over Mukden as II
mad over the Notifications of Port Ar
thur; but nothing is known as to what
is going on beyond the line of breakers
whether part of Gen. Nogis force is in
full career for Tie pass or whether the
japanese have staked all in a cast
against Mukden.
The immiDence Of the peril on the
west wing has withdrawn attention
from the operations on the center and
left, where the fighting has been ex-
tremely heavy. and on the left espe-
cially where the Japanese gains are
sufficiently great to cause apprebene
sion to themselves. Military critics
here point out that the Japanese have
put themselves in a critical position by
the extreme extension of their lines.
laying themselves open as they did at
Liauyang TO the possibility of a most
enectlve counter stroke and probable
defeat II Gen. Kuropatkin should be
able to launch column against a
weak link In thee hahn.
resembles Liauyang
In other respects the situation also
resembles that at Liauyang, the jap
anese making a costly demonstration, :"
to hold the Russians in their fortifica-
lions on the center and throwing away
the lives or thousands in order to give
the thanking force an opportunity to
administer a telling blow.
A feature of all accounts of the
nghting reached st. Petersburg is the
emphasis laid on the awful carnage.
There is reference after reference to
dead piled high on the ground over
which an attack was delivered, strew-
ing breastworks, almost hiding abatis
from sight and even being used by the
japanese to construct hasty entrench-
ments. The Russian losses on both
TANKS are conceded to be enormous
but IL is claimed that defenders of the
center suffered comparatively little by
the japanese bombardment and beat
ing off the Japanese attack.
The attacks delivered by Gen. Nogi's
soldiers Were marvellous, in view of the
forced marches which they made for
SIX days. recalling the records OF Stone
wall Jackson's foot cavalry"
They entered the battle with the
greatest dash and fought day after day
with vigor; but those of them who
were taken prisoners dropped to the
6AOulAo and lar0lV
able to speak. They had not eaten for
two days, which accounts In part for
their utter fatigue.
Gen. Kuropatkin's line of communi-
cation has not been touched, though 1t
is in extreme jeopardy. His right
flank is bent so sharply backward that
1t may necessitate the abandonment OF
the Poutiloff and Novgorod hills. to
which the Russians are still firmly
clinging
The Russian left also has been. so
sharply repulsed that correspondent
compares the whole position to the let
ter c. The japanese possibly are push
ing northward at tangents with both
TANKS.
Council of War
A hopeful sign is the postponemenr
until tomorrow Of the grand council of
war which was to.have met at Tsarskoe
Selo today. This leads color to reports
that the general situation has some
what improved. The council was called
to discuss the retirement on Tie pass.
The action OF the Japanese has made
successful retreat far more difficult
than that at Lao Yang, where but one
flank was rolled back.
A food OF dispatches came through to-
DAY. but they were mostly old, referring
70 the fighting on the left flank and Gen.
Linevitch's losses, which have been al
ready described.