Arizona republican., 1905-05-15
THE EIGHT aEcIMs


 On Sunday morning Gen. Kuroki. with .-is staff which included Prince Kuni and the young Marquis Saigo, ascended a small mountain to Witesan which was ono of the hills nearest the Shakhe held by the Japanese, but the day was cloudy and soon after noon when only a few guns had been fired a heavy snow storm descended upon the hill toD and cut Of the view of the river. so that the bombardment was re- luctantly abandoned. This mountain was the generals coming tower throughout the battle until the Rus sians retired rom t..e river. There the officers stood at a great telescope or sat around charcoal fires while snow storms and sand storms swept by in icy blasts and Russian shells were bursting about the batteries on the lower hills at either side and upon Witesan. A cluster of wires connecting with the divisions. with the artillery command CTS directing the fire from other hills and with the headquarters of Marshal | Oyama was focused at the rocky peak. and the tink,e of the telephone bell sounded constantly for three days the artillery duel continued with hardly a crack of Idf!e and until Wednesday there were no Japanese soldiers in sight along the lines except a few men | occasionally darting from their shelter around the guns. All of the infantry at the front were concealed in the earth huts and burrows on the slopes behind their trenches. The artillery fire was neither as heavy nor as con- tinuous as along the lines to the west where the big guns were planted. The Japanese seldom engaged their full  tions of such rapid fire as was dis played at Liao Yang. Close by Witesan the Japanese had two batteries of cap- tured Russan guns which nearly eX- hausted their ammunition before the artillery stage of the battle was fin lished but when the Russians retreated the batteries went forward toward Tiehling confident that they would get a new supply.
 THE INFANTRY APPEARS. On Wednesday the men who have done more than any other branch of the army to win battles-the Japanese linfantry-came into evidence. During the night two companies had been sent forward and occupied a village in the plain to the right of Witesan in front of a hin where the correspondent was watching events. That day they were subjected to tEe hardest test that in- ifantry has to endure. to hie still under heavy smelling all day and take theil chances of being hit. There was nc protection in the town except huts witf straw roofs end mud walls. and mut walls aro-nd the yards. The soldiers huddIed in long rows behind the wall. while the Russian shells fell nearby and sometimes among them. The Rus sian battery working on this village lused mostly solid shells. but it's ain was poor so that the majority dropped either in front of the village or behind it. and when night came the fields look ed as though they had been plowed Q random, but only thirty soldiers wer hit.
 During the night of Thursday anC early the morning of Friday the infan try began to play the leading part il the battle before Wdtesan and iron that time until the Russians raised white flag to ask for an armistice or the afternoon of Tuesday the seventl they successfully endured an ordea that has few counterparts in the his tory of battles. Two brigades crossed the river Thursday night and drOv the Russian advance line from the frs trenches at the foot of the hills by on of the night rushes with the bayOnet which the Japanese army has success fully attempted so often during thi war. contrary to the text books of tn best European theorists. Friday morn ing they were arrayed at the foot O the hills which were the Russian de lenses of the main line, and some de tachments were part way up the slopes There was sharp fighting during tn