Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1904 — JAPS ARE REPULSED. [ARTICLE]

JAPS ARE REPULSED.

DEFEATED IN ATTEMPT TO LAND NEAR PORT ARTHUR. Mika-.lo*s troops Driven Back to Their Ships with. Heavy Loss—Fully 12,000 Led Into Trap and Many Slaughtered Before They Retreat. Reports received nt NewChwang Monday tell of serious losses for the Japanese.- Three attempts to land an army on the Liaotung peninsula near Port Arthur were defeated and the Japanese were driven back with heavy loss. It is also reported that a Japanese transport was shelled and .sunk by the Russian shore batteries and that 1,800 soldiers on board were drowned. Of 600 Japanese who succeeded in effecting a landing near Talienwan (Dalny) 430 were sabered by the Cossacks and the survivors escaped to the ships. The most serious engagement was at a point on the shore of Pigeon bay, west of Port Arthur, where a force of 12,000 Japanese troops attempted to disembark under cover ,of night. All was .quiet on the shore of the little cove when the Japanese licet of transports under convoy of half a dozen warships drew.nenr. . Silently the long rowboats of the transports were lowered and filled with soldiers, Not a sound was heard from the shore to indicate that-therr presence was suspected. Quickly the boats were rowed to. the beach and, having landed their passengers! returned to the transports for more. About 3,000 Japanese had been landed on the narrow beach when suddenly a shoot of flame burst from the encircling hills and with a rush a large body of Russian infantry swept down upon the invaders. The guns of the Japanese warships shelled the hills back of the beach, but. it -was impossible to reach the Russian force without doing equal slaughter in the ranks of the landing army. The Japanese fought furiously, but were overpowered and forced to retreat to their boats, by which they were conveyed to the transports, taking with them as many of their dead and wounded as they could. It is not known what the Japanese loss was, but it must have been heavy. Another unsuccessful attempt to land an army was made about forty miles farther north, but the Japanese were driven back with a loss of thirty killed. It is known that after the naval engagement in Chemulpo boy the Japanese landed 19,000 troops, which were imm«diati ly dispatched northward.