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Show v il i w lf-Jl 1 .: O .. w J . n.i: s;;n i -f cr r.rrrcri rr.on -f f " ' . zczim or 7Ahytj?.. 4- - 4- LONDON, March J. Heart-rend- 4. inr stories sre appearing In the 4-41 4-41 Enfli8h newspapers of tne suffer- 4- lng of refugees from Port Arthur 4- ton the train Journey to European 4-Russla. 4-Russla. " ' 4- 4- It is bitterly cold and there Is a 4- scarcity of food and water. Several 4- Children have been suffocated under 4. the rugs and shawls with which 4-4.. 4-4.. they were covered in attempts to 4- kepp them warm. Owing to ex- 4. 4- posure and exhaustion, an epidemic 4-4- of influenza has broken out among 4 4- the refugees. A 4 4- 4- 4- 4- 4- 4- 4-4-4-4-4-4-4 4- 4- 4 which has reached me, our patrols having hav-ing passed the night twelve versts (eight miles) from Ping Tang, approached ap-proached that town on the morning of February 29th. They closely pressed a Japanese patrol with seven officers, forcing It to retreat at a gallop toward the gates of the town. "The presence of our patrol near Ping Tang caused great alarm, and soon the enemy's sharp shooters manned the wall and towers, 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 1$ Ping Tang " LAND OPLitATTONS AT POST ASTHTTB MAT N0T BEGIN. FOB TWO WEEKS. WASHINOTON, March S. 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 vto advices received here from what are believed to be -reliable sources. It was expected that the attack upon the fortress would take place yesterday or today, but these latter advices, with-.out with-.out explaining the reason for the delay, show that there baa been a change in the original plana' Army officers here 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 the place, two weeks' privation will render the' final assault easier. Moreover, " as Port Arthur can be safely left as it la for the time being, the Japanese troops may be employed instead in northern Korea and near the Talu river, where they are now most needed. Tcjo's Fleet Decs KctRc-' appear at Pert Artbr; " Chinese Brigands Attack At-tack Russian Camp. LONDON, March J. Hardly -a word of news from the seat ot war, with the exception . of the Russian, official fllsr patches published here this morning, and it now seems clear that the story In the Morning Telegraph two days ago of a bombardment of Port Arthur by the Japanese on February ,26th,. is nothing noth-ing more than a re-echo ot previous attacks. at-tacks. , From TInkow comeS an, unconfirmed report that 600 bandits armed with modern rifles have attackedi a Russian post to the west of Halcheng-(Halcheng is thirty-two miles east by north of Newchwang). that there was severe fighting and that both sides . lost heavily. This report is discredited at Tin Kow, but if It Is true it indicates that a serious, danger is confronting Russia in these , well-armed "brigand bands. According to the Daily Mall's account of the affair, six Japanese ound among the bandits were killed. This would tend to show that the Japanese are organizing the bands. . Reports received here from Toklo declare de-clare that Japan has granted permission permis-sion for fifty-three foreign newspaper correspondents to accompany the Japanese forces. Seventeen, of these correspondents are Americans. The date of their departure has not been fixed. A mile and a quarter of the Siberian railroad, according to the Toklo reports, has been destroyed in the Ninguta district dis-trict between Vladivostock and Harbin. The Tien Tsln correspondent of the Standard cables that the Russians are fortifying' strongly points south of Mukden. Thousands of coolies who are working day and night on the ramparts and entrenchments of Haicheng are compelled to labor without pay. 270 DEMONSTRATION BY JAPANESE FLEET; PINO YANK HELD BY JAPS. 1 ST. PETERSBURG, March 2. In a dispatch to the Czar Viceroy Alexieff aye: . "Admiral Stark, telegraphing from Port Arthur today, March 2nd, says the enemy did not appear off Port Arthur on either February 28th, Febru- -ary 29th or March 1st. Reconnaissances made -by cruisers and' torpedo boats over a radius of sixty miles from Port Arthurr also failed to discover the enemy's vessels." -. . , MaJ.-Gen. Pflug, Viceroy Alexieff' s chief of staff, sends the following telegram,- dated March 2nd:. "According to additional Information |