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Show I! IN ROUT1 OF RUSSIANS Skirmish Fighting Continues to MarK Advance of :l Land Forces in Korea, bui Heavy Fighting Is Not Looked For for Several Days Togo's Floating Fortresses Silent. !Jj LONDON, March y. Hardly a word n of news from the seat of war, with the ! jL-xccptlon of the Russian olllcial dls- 1 patches published here- this morning, and it now seem? clear that the 'story M In the Morning Telegraph two days ago JE of a bombardment of Port Arthur by 1 the Japanese on February L'L'lh, is noth- , Ing more than a re-echo of previous at- jjii lacks. m From Yinkow comet an unconfirmed tj report that 500 bandits armed with Ibt juodern rirle& have attacked) a Russian VZm post to the west of llaicheng (Haicheng 't?! wtl Is thirty-two miles cast by north of r V Kewcliwang). that thero- was severe f,l M lighting and that both Fides lost TV 'jU heavily. This report is discredited at iU VM Yin Kow. but if It Is true It indicates Ji 'Ji that a wrlous danger Jb confronting (ill jl Russia in these well-armed brigand m?MM: bands. fKtfMi , According to the Daily Mall'u account 'tIBw of th0 affair, six Japanesxi found ahiong J Hf' . the bandits were killed. This would AViJv'iM? ' tend) to show that the Japanese are Pi i organizing the bands. Rj W Reports received here from Toklo do- 'm clare that Japan haa granted pc-rmls- km i pion for llfty-three foreign newspaper S correspondents to accompany the A I Japanese forces. Seventeen of these n corresixmdenty are Americans. The Hl date of their departure has not been Jl fixed. 'jHI A mile and a quarter of the Siberian 'jHI'H railroad, according to the Tokio reports, fift&'t has been destroyed In the Nlnguta dis- lly- 2' trict between Vladivostock audi Harbin. The Tlfcii Tsln correspondent of the Standard eabloa that the Russians are PiMte- fprtlfyinff strongly pobita south of I'diTrfS ' 'jfrtikden. Thousands of coolies who are fr?'Ac working day and nlght-on the ramparts iU .Viflf and entrenchments of Haicheng arc f'H compelled to labor without pay. ! ' iVEl A persistent rumor current late last K& IMm Slight was circulated In the- lobby of the 4--r---4--f---'---4--r-4-f,f 4- LONDON, March 3. 1 1 carl-rend- lug stories are appearing la the 4- Kngllsh newspapers of the suffer- 4- 4- lugs of rofiigees from Tort Arthur -i- on the train Journey to Kuropcan 4- 4 Russia. - . 4. 4- It Is bitterly cold and Ihoro Is a 4- 4 scarcity of food and water. Several 4 4- children have been suffocated under 4 4 tlit rugs and shawls with whlcl 4- 4 -they were covered In attempts to 4- 4 keep them warm. Owing to ex- 4- 4 poKurc and exhaustion, an cplilemlc 4- 4 of Influenza has broken oat among 4- 4 the refugees. 4 44 4 444444444-r 44 House of Commons today that Port Aithur had fallen. The origin of the rumor could not be traced, and no confirmation con-firmation was obtainable. NOTHING DOING IN THE BOMBARDMENT LINE. ST. PETERSBURG, March 2. In a dispatch to the Czar Viceroy Alexleff says: "Admiral Stark, telegraphing from Port Arthur today. March 2nd. says the- enemy did not appear off Port Arthur on either February 28th, February Febru-ary 29th or March 1st. Reconnaissances made by cruisers and torpedo boata over a radius of sixty miles from Port Arthur; also failed to discover the enemy's vessels ' Maj.-Gen. Pllug. Viceroy Alexleff's chief of staff, sends the following telegram, tele-gram, dated March 2nd: "According to additional Information which has reached me, our putrols having hav-ing passed the night twelve versis (eight miles) from Ping Yang, approached ap-proached that town n the morning of February 20th. They clOBoly pressed (Continued on Page 2.) CHINESE BRICANOS AID THE JAPANESE (Continued From Page 1.) a Japanese patrol with eeven officers, forcing It to retreat at a gallop toward the gates of tho town. "The prceence of our patrol near Ping Yang caused great alarm, and soon the enemy's sharp shooters manned the wull and lowers, expecting an attack. According to the report our patrols approached ap-proached within 700 paces of the town, which they found to be surrounded with new ramparts. These, however, were checked by the enemy, and It Is supposed sup-posed the Japanese have more than 1000 men In Ping Yang." EXTENSIVE LAND OPERATIONS WILL NOT BEGIN FOR WEEKS. WASHINGTON, March 2. The landing land-ing In force of the Japanese on the Llao Tung peninsula and the beginning of the land investment of Port Arthur will not begin for a fortnight, according accord-ing to advices received here from what arc believed to be reliable sources. It was expected that the attack upon the fortress would take place yesterday or today, but those latter advices, without with-out explaining the reason for the delay, show that there has been a change In the original plans. Army officers hero think that the Japanese Jap-anese have decided that with the railroad rail-road connecting Port Arthur with the outside world cut, thus preventing supplies sup-plies from reaching tho place, two weeks' privation will render the final assault easier. Moreover, as Port Arthur can, be 6afely left as it is for the time being, the Japanese troops may be employed Instead In northern Korea and near the Ynlu river, where" they are now most needed. |