Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1904 — JAP ARMIES ARE ADVANCING TO ATTACK MUKDEN [ARTICLE]

JAP ARMIES ARE ADVANCING TO ATTACK MUKDEN

Nine Divisions Pushing Forward and Another Battle Is Imminent. FIGHTING AT PORT ARTHUR Assailants Said to Have Captured Two Important Forts. News ft-om Stoessel of the lflth Inst. Says He Had Kepulsed an At* tack on the Water Supply of the Fortress. London, Sept. 20.—A dispatch from Tokio to a nejvs agency says: “A strong Russian force made a sortie from Port Arthur on the afternoon of Sept. IS. and attacked the Itczshan fort, which was recently captured by the Japanese. The fighting lasted some hours and the Russians eventually were repulsed with heavy loss.” Mukden. Sept. 21. —A battle is Imminent. The Japanese are advancing with eight and possibly nine divisions. London, Sept. 21.—Telegrams from Chefoo and Shanghai state that the Japanese began a general attack on Port Arthur Monday, which was continued Tuesday morning and that the Japanese have captured two important forts. St. Petersburg, Sept. 21, 1:05 a. m.— Interest is again concentrated upon Port Arthur, owing to the receipt from foreign sources of news that a general storming of the fortifications there has begun. A few belated telegrams dated Sept, bi from General Stoessel. the commander at Port Arthur. published yesterday afternoon, recording the repulse of the Japanese and continued attacks, strengthen confidence here in the ability of the defenders to hold out despite the furious onslaughts being made on them. Attack on the Water Supply. The last attack mentioned Ivy General Stoessel took place the night of Sept. 14, and was directed against redoubt No. 8, which protects the water supply of the city. The redoubt is about two miles beyond the' line of permanent forts, and the attack upon this shows that the Japanese were not then within striking distance of the main fortress. A report comes from Shanghai that some of the defenses had fallen into the hands of the Japanese as a result of a general assault on Sept. 20, but this is not confirmed from Russian sources.

News That Is Not Believed. The sensational announcement that General Kuroki has crossed the Hun river unopposed and that the whole Japanese army is advancing upon Mukden is overshadowed by anxiety for Port Arthur. Moreover, the announcement relative to Kuroki does not receive complete credence here, as being in direct contradiction of official news issued by the general staff. General Kuropatkin announced only two days ago that there was not a single Japanese east of Bentsiaputze. “Show Me.” Says the Ru»s. How it is asked, could General Kuroki, with 100,000 men, slip past General Itennenknmpff’sCossacks and cross the Hun river near the Fusban coal mines, thirty miles east of Mukden? Fushan is situated on the road from Bentsiaputze, where General Kuroki crossed the Taitse river. This road is carefully watched by General Kuropatkin s outposts between Mukden and Sintsintin. A strong guard has been placed at the Fushan mines, which Genera! Kuropatkin will not give up without a struggle. Dispatch from Kuropatkin. St. Petersburg, Sept. 22.—General Kuropatkin, telegraphing under Tuesday’s date, declares that the situation at the front is unchanged. He describes an outpost fight at Da pass, half way between Bentsiaputze and Sintsintin. A Japanese force, consisting of four companies, marched up from Dziantcbian, twenty-three miles northeast ,of Saimadzi, and tried to capture the pass and turn the Russian flank, but the Russians repulsed the attack and the turning movement was checked by Russian cavalry, supported by machine guns.