Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-01
FLIGHT FROM MUKDEN
Graphic Story Of the Rout of
the Russians.
JAPANESE KEPT ALO0F
COULD HAVE DISPERSED THE
MOB AT ANY TIME.
Experience Of Trader Who Made His
Way to Tie Pass and Thence
to Takumen.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
NEWCHWANG. Manchuria March 25.-
The following story of the retreat from
Mukden was given to the Associated Press
by trader:
Il went with the retreat to Tie Pass.
saw it all. l don't want any more. ! knew
that the retreat was coming. I've seen em
before. l saw the Beers clear out of Pre-
toria; know the signs. The Russian Off
GERS jeered when 1 suggested such a thing
They were packing their stores, getting
their papers together in the various Offices
Trunks, boxes, valises of all sorts were
ready to be sent off at moments notice.
They tried to keep up their bluff until the
very last. Cherchoff, the head of the gen.
darmelie, was bad one. We had to get
our passes from him. We left our pass
ports in his office and he gave us a permit
10 stay week. ten days, two weeks, as the
case might be, until sold our milk or
brandy whatever it was. Sometimes we
had TO pay, sometimes not. If Cherchoff
sized us up as easy it went badly with us,
otherwise we got off with only a small
squeeze. Just the day before the evacua-
ton commenced Cherchoff charged two
Greeks 5000 apiece for two weeks permit,
and then cleared out at midnight, leaving
the men without their passes.
A Boosting Drunkard.
There was another fellow in the commits
sary Office who gave a dinner one night.
We have been successful he boosted in
his after-dinner speech. The Japanese are
in retreat. Maybe they will make a stand
at Liaoyang. maybe not. l do not think
they Will l say they are demoralized.
Long live the car. You see, you said we
should retreat. Look at me- l was fright
ened, too. / sent my things to the station
Today have brought them all back See
and he pointed to his hallway full of trunks
and boxes. He was very drunk but he left
that night for the north. 1t was for that
very purpose he had packed his boxes
All during the weeks fighting, from the
time the Russians first heard the japanese
guns to the west of Mukden their prepara-
tions for flight had been going on. Com
missary trains trundled north Files of
men moved slowly out of the city, gun
teams dragged the cannon away one after
the other.
IN Mukden many were drunk Officers
came in from the 'front.' went to the res
taurants and drank themselves stupid Chi
nese servants threw their masters into their
carts like so much wood and started them
on their journey north. Officers and men
senseless with vodka, were piled in the
waiting trains
A Retreat in Earnest.
When the news came that the railway hat
been cut the retreat began in good earnest.
hVe columns, the great mass of infantry In
they could. The advance was under fairly
good control, but the men We're more and
more demoraliZed toward the rear
we went with them, for we still had
some goods in Tie Pass-champagne and
brandy and sugar and preserved fruits.
Inc Russians went to the east of the rail-
way, through billy country On either
sioe Oh the center column came the COM
10. III
pnes' Outside again were the lines of guns
ana ammunition wagons. The hospitaI
train was mixed hopelessly with the hurry
ing: panlc-stricken infantry. On the TANKS
squadrons of cavalry We're securing the
country, watching for the japanese
we had started in the afternoon with a
cart. All about us were men iost1ing
pushing IN their hurry. Many didn't seem
to be leaving Mukden to it's fate.
Ihey never had liked the place. WHY
should they fight for it? Others were
stupid stupid dazed' deafened by the roar of
DUST. They had been fighting, they didn't
know how long Their eyes were fixed and
sta Some cursed Kuropatkin. Among
should they go back? Why should they be
ordered to retreat? They wanted to fight
to fight till the end But mostly they
diuh care, just slouched along the road.
The Japanese Kept Aloof.
The Japanese were way off to the west
and shelled US as we went along If thew
had wished to do so they could have cut
on the whole army. Why they didn't do
1t / can't understand. 1t only needed a
sudden dash to throw the Russians into
hopeless confusion. 1t was very bad as it
was. There was little order The men
threw away their boots. their heavy over
coats, their mess kettles. The roadside
was Uttered with discarded equipment of
all sorts. AS the columns fled across the
open they spread out in their hurry. the
men behind trying to overtake those in
front of them: When they had to pass
through a valley the crowd crushed to-
gether, fighting it's way through the defile,
streaming through the back alleys of the
little mud villages, struggling along the
hillsides. The strong men helped their
wounded comrades, struggling under their
burdens. Many dropped from fatigue
There was no room for them in the hos
tiers on which to carry them. They were
left in the deserted Chinese houses Most
of the country folk had fled and only
few farmers stood gaping, watching US
go by.
Guns and Supplies Abandoned.
LAS We went farther north 1t was more
and more every man for himself. The COM
missary wagons had been throwing away
cases of soup tins, great bags of bread.
provisions of all sorts that they might
make greater haste. They lightened their
loads to save the carts. They had no
time to stop and supply the men. The
men would not waste time in going to look
for supplies. They nibbled at the remains
of what had been issued some days before
or went without anything, trudging on
hopelessly, doggedly.
1.-The artilleryme nabandoned gun after
gun. The ice was already weakening in
the smaller streams. and the heavy car