Evening journal., 1905-04-24
RUSSIAN -AsALni nAiD
How General Mistchenko's Co.'S
sacks Fought Small Force.
PLUoKY STAND OF THE JAPANESE

The account given Dy young Japa- /
ase officer, Lieutenant Iwai, while .
wing in a hospital at Liaoyang of the /
ircumstances in. which he received I
lur wounds makes a vivid page in |
story Of General Mistchenko's cav
Try raid down the western bank Of
The Lao river, in Manchuria, says a
Tokyo correspondent Of the London
Times.
On Jan. 3, 1904, it became known to
the japanese garrison at Anshatien
that the Russian cavalry was showing
some activity in the valley beyond the
Llao. No details were procurable how
ever, and the officer in command de-
cided to send out a company Of infan-
try to reconnoiter. lie did not suspect,
il would seem, that more than few
sotnias Of Cossacks would be encoun-
tered. Captain Yasuhara went In COM
mand Of the company. 1t numbered
over a hundred men-the exact detail
has not been puhlished-and with it
were Lieutenant Iwai and Assistant
Surgeon Namba. The little force moved
EAUM ~ NAA NAnNiRNAHAa NAANANtA va LIB ~
collect information as they went. Dur
ing six days they saw nothing Of the
enemy, but on the 9th, when they had
Dr.. crossed the Taitse river and were in
the region between it and the Lao,
l they discovered that a large body OF
cavalry. some 5000 strong, was in
front OF them. II was then about half
4 past 3 IN the afternoon. To retreat at
once would have been the natural
! .Acourse for Yasuhara's company, since
i, AtD effect a reconnaissance had been
4 fbeir only object. But the close prox-
nfmity Of the Russians made safe re-
treat impossible for infantry, and,
borrower. an excellent position for de-
ensiye purposes offered itself in the
i. snmedlate neighborhood. Yasuhara
determined. therefore, to make stand,
Bending meanwhile a small detachment
- the rear TO convey the intelligence TO
i headquarters.
4 At half past 4 the advance guard Of
he COssacks detected the presence Of
The Japanese; but, seeing that the lat
ters number was insignificant, the
Russian troopers rode on boldly. The
first volley from Yasuhara's men emp
tied over sixty saddles, and the re-
malnder Of the Cossacks, gallOping
back out Of range, dismounted and ad-
vanced on foot It was evidently a
hopeless combat. There had not been
time for the Japanese TO intrench eff
fectively. and they soon saw that to re-
main where they were would be certain
death. One chance suggested itself.
At q short distance from the position
first chosen there stood a solidly built
Chinese house. Could the infantrymen
get possession Of this edihee they
might possibly hold it until darkness
furnished some opportunity for retire
ment
The Russians, however detected this
purpose before it could be successfully
executed. and desperate struggle for
the possession Of the house took place,
Two rushes made by the Japanese fail
ed, and though the third carried them
Into the building, they found when they
counted their force that only twenty
seven men remained fit for action.
Eighteen others had reached the house,
but all were wounded-Captain Yasu-
hara, shot through the stomach; Lieu
\ tenant Iwai, hit in four places; Assist
ant Surgeon Namba, with a broken leg
and three seTgeants and twelve pri-
Yates, all crippled. More than one-half
of the whole company lay killed or
wounded outside IL was q little past
o'clock. During the next two hours
the Russians repeatedly attempted to
recover the building, but were always
driven back Now. however, their ar
tillery came up, and simultaneously
with the crashing Of the shells which
must soon settle the combat the little
garrison found themselves enveloped
In flames and smoke. A quantity Of
mlllet stalks piled against one side Of
the building had taken fire.
In these desperate circumstances a
proposal was made that they should
all die by their own hands. But Iwai,
who, though wounded In four places
had not become helpless, suggested
that a retreat might be possible under
cover of the conlagration. Calling up
on all who could follow, he struggled
out, and with him went a sergeant and
six privates, while a second sergeant
at the head OF twenty men made an
exit In another quarter. The intention
E vas to hold together, but in the dark
lness and confusion the two parties be-
lcame separated, one moving east to-
ward the Taitse, while the other made
It's way south in the direction Of Old
bNewchwang. Both ultimately effected
their escape, Lieutenant Iwai and his
seven comrades reaching Anshantien,
while the other twenty-one passed
through Newchwang and finally en-
Ii iered Niukatun Meanwhile Captain
II Yasuhara, He three sergeants and
twelve privates who had remained I'm
the building committed suicide.
III Assistant Susgeon Namba, however.
met with an awful fate He had strug-
| gled out simultaneously with Iwai;
but, 1t being plain that he could not
make any protracted effort to escape.
his comrades left him, feeling assured
that the Red Cross on his arm would
Insure his safety. But Iwai declares
that by the glare OF the burning house
he saw the Cossacizs raise Namba and
throw him into the flames. They did