Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-08
WINNING.
Japanese Are Now Con-
fdent Of Victory.
Slowly Closing in On the
Russian Army.
St. Petersburg Fears the Worst-The
Late War News.

For 10 days the japanese and Rus
sian armies in Manchruia have been
engaged in Il mighty conflict. the issue
of which has not yet been reached. AL
though the most Of the news from the
scene of the battle comes through Rus
sian sources and consequently may be
supposed to present the facts in as ia
vorable light as possible for the Rus
sian arms. it is evident that the Jap
anese made some gains, yesterday.
-. Petersburg has an unofficial re-
port that General Kuropatkins center
has been broken and that Is siege guns
have fallen into the hands of the Jap
aneSe. These guns were given perna-
nHnt cmplacements on the line of the
railroad north of the Shakhe station.
the fact evidencing the confidence Of
the Russians that the Japanese could
not penetrate thither In st. Petersburg
it is generally believed that General
kuroratkin was, yesterday, fighting
rear guard action to cover his re-
treat and that the night will have wit
messed large withdrawal of troops
| toward Tie pass. All of the command
er-in-chief's ability. it is considered,
Will be required to eXtricate his army
from its present predicament. The Is
sue. il is expected, will be decided to-
day. and much unquestionably de-
pend" upon the comparative ability Of
the opposing armies to resist the effects
Of hunger and fatigue. the limit of HUI
man endurance having evidently been
nearly reached on both sides. Beyond
| the statement that the casualties ex-
coed those of the battle Of Lao Yang.
there is little known as to the number
killed or wounded.
St Petersburg. March S.-215 A. NJ
That the battle of Mukden will go
down in history with Lao Yang in the
long list of Russian defeats. is the al
most universal belief in peSsimistic st.
Petersburg. which has forgotten the
meaning of the word victory. The war
officials admit that the issue Of the
great battle. which already exceeds in
magnitude of operations and losses
that of Shakhe. has been decided. al
though ii is positively stated in high
quarters that Gen. kuropatkin has tel
egraphed to Emperor Nicholas that it
will he impossible to hold Mukden and
that the withdrawal Of the army north
Nhtt mas Ss'hS OcS uIIs
Nothing from General Kuropatkin
later than Monday has been given out.
hut advices to st. Petersburg newspa-
pers and dispatches to The Associated
Press dated at s o'clock. last night. in
dictate that the position of the Russian
army after a day of furious and un-
precedented fighting is desperate, but
not absolutely hopeless. Everything
probably now depends on General I<u-
rOpatkin's I, serve.
While the Japanese hurled them
selves forward at every point. yester-
dry. their main energies were behind
the blow west and southwest in an at
tempt to envelope the Russian right
and drive ii wedge through the line at
Madyapu: but General Kuropatkin
seems to have been able to successfully
change front on the line of his shat
tered right, aligninG from northwest to
southeast, to protect the railroad To
Mukdcn; and at nightfall 1t was re-
ported. he was practically holding all
his positions. At the same time. he WAS
drawing in and shortening his line to
the southeast.
According to the reports all the con-
centrated attacks of the japanese to
the westward failed and the effort of
Generals NoSi and Oku to push the en-
circling movement north and eastward
across General Kuropa atkins line of
communications was blocked. Reports.
however. are conflicting.
IL Kuropat!1in mas plan for strik-
ing a real blow. upon which, in tn,
opinion Of experts, his salvation de-
ponds, there is 30 indication as yet OF
such purpose.
Both sides are terribly exhausted by
the ten days of continuous fighting and
Ill the correspondents at the front in
innate that the issue must be definite
L. decided today.
At the military clubs here General
EurOnatkin IS already regarded as
beaten.
General kurCpatkin'a critics among
military men are increasing in number.
the burden Of complaint being that In
eveiy action. he has shown lack OF