The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-12-20

selves to slaughter - Advance on
Port Arthur and its Gallant Defense.
New York, Dec 19-The World to-
morrow will print the following spe-
ciaI advices from its correspondent,
James Creelman, who was with the
japanese army, dated Port Arthur,
Nov a. via Van Couver, Dec. 10:
The struggle for the emancipation
of Corea has been suddenly turned in
to a headiong savage war of conquest.
1t is no longer a conflict between civ
tIization and barbarism. Japan for
the last four days has trampled civili-
cation under the feet of her conquer
ing army
The taking of Port Arthur and the
possession of one of the most power
full strongholds in the world was too
great a strain upon the japanese char
acter, which relapsed in few hours
back into the british state from which
1t awakened a generation ago.
Almost the entire population IN Port
Arthur has been massacreed and the
work of butchering the unarmed and
unresisting inhabitants has been con-
tinued The streets are choked up
with mutilated corpses- In spite or the
yastness of the battlefield and the
strength of the batteries massed in this
mighty chain of land and sea ports,
the taking of Port Arthur is robbed of
its dignity as battle by the fact that
a large and well trained army attacked
q mere rabble There was a great
deal of artillery thunder and scientific
rnanoeuvering of the troops among
the cannon crowned hills, but the in
inNt a
butchers BILL as the hardened CAM
paigner would call 1t, was insignifl-
cant.
The JapaneSe lost about fifty dead
and 80 wounded in carrying fortress
that would have cost them 10 900 men
had it been occupied by European or
American citizens. China is now at the
mercy of the island empire. In few
days the fierce sennal troops will be
ready to leave Japan to join Field Mar
shall Oyama's army, and then the third
and final movement towards Pekin will
begin.
Up to the moment that Port Arthur
was entered | can bear witness that
both of Japan'S armies now in the field
were chiValrous and generous to the
enemy. There was not stain on her
flag when we left Kinchow on Nov. IL
and began the march on Port Arthur.
The battery of thirty siege guns was
still fioundering in the rear, but Cen
eral Hassagawa had arrived with the
famous kamancts troops and the en-
tire army of invasion was assembled
something like $4,000 men.
News had been received from the
Japanese spies swarming about Port
Arthur and a general plan Of action
agreed upon. On Nov. IL the cavalry
reconnoitered the villages Of
Suishiyeh in the valley, commanded by
the land forts of Port Arthur and
fell back after a skirmish to Dojoshu,
a hamlet at the eastern foot of a forti-
fed monument and the hill command
ing the way to a wide valley adjoining
the Suishiyeh valley.
BEFORE PORT ARTHUR.
AT 10 O'Clock the next morning the
Chinese advanced out of the Port Ar
thur forts and surprised a small body
of Japanese cavalry scouts in the val
ley. The Chinese mad three field guns.
They arrived at the monument just in
time to see Nishi's advance brigade
take up its position and send fianking
columns around to the hill to cut off
retreat behind. The eminences were
filled with troops rushing aloug at the
top Of their speed to the rescue. | conld
see the Chinese advancing in three col
umns from the southwest and north
west.
Away to the left were the japanese
cavalry in a cloud of dust cutting
their way back on the main road
through the line of tossing red ana
white standards.
There were at least 500 Chinese in the
columns. Suddenly the enemy caught
sight of our flank movement and be-
gan to retreat The Japanese had lost
eight men in the fight and forty-two
wounded. No man can say how many
The enemy lost L saw the Japanese
dead on the road with their bodies
mutilated. Several corpses were with
out hands, two had been butchered like
sheep and their hearts and livers torn
out.
As,.the japanese reinforcements be-
gan a double quick, the enemy disap-
peared through the ravines into the
Sishiyeh valley and returned to Port
Arthur.
COUNCIL OF WAR HELD.
On the morning of the Goth. after the
armies had been placed in a straight
line on the east OF Port Arthur. with
range of low mountains between
and mass of forts beyond, council
of war was held. The field marshal
and his staff met Generals Yamaji
Nichi, Noghi and Hassagawa with
their staffs. 1t was decided that part
of Yamaji's division should make a
great turning move on the Hank OF the
Chinese and attack he left while Has
sawaga's brigade should follow with
an attack from the east on the forts
forming the Chinese right. The rest
of Jamaji's troops were TO move
straight down the Sushiyeh valley and
with field and siege batteries attack
the Chinese front from the north and
move into Port Arthur.
Meanwhile the independent column
marching along the east under Lieuten-
ant Matsumitsu would simultaneoLs
move against the eastern forts. But
while the council of war was pro-
ceeding the Chinese began to realize
that the Japanese had Established their
mountain batteries on the hills COM
maadins the left center of the Chinese
position and decided TO advance out of
Port Arthur and dislodge them.
DUEL WITH ARTILLERY.
Then began tremendous artillery
fight. Within a few minutes regiment
after regiment could be seen running
in clouds of dust across the head of
the valley into the ravine leading TO
the support 70 the japanese artillery
position. The air was filled with shells
and the Chinese gradually corcentrat-
ed their fire until the trees began TO
disappear from the western slope The
Chinese marched out of Port Arthur in
three columns. One descended from
the two dragon forts and the other two
came out of the Port Arthur Valley.