The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-01


die together If necessary" THIS is the re-
port made by one of the soldiers who have
reached Chefoo. One thing is certain,
that all the Chinese officers of rank at
Port Arthur bolted before tho real fight
began, and Li-Hung-Chang's famous Huai
soldiers have proved that they cannot
fight any better behind tho strongest forth
hcation in China than they did in the
open field of Corea.
Both Mr.. Detrng and Admiral Won
Henncken had declared time after time to
the viceroy that Port Arthur was abso-
lutely impregnable, even against Euro
pean troops, without a prolonged siege.
1t is also certain that the road leading
from Port Arthur north, over which the
Chinese refugees passed, was covered
with dead and wounded for miles, men,
women and children, the victims of the
cowardly and cruel deserters from the
fortress.
Report of tho Red Cross People.
The Toonan, Captain Lowe, left TEN
Tsin on Monday last. flying tho Red
Cross flag. for Port Arthur, to bring back
the wounded and some of the dead, whose
relatives applied for their bod es to be
brought over for interment. Permission
had previously been given by the Japa-
nese for this to be done. The Toonan has
since arrived back at Ticn-Tsin, and the
report she brought over of the sight inside
the fortress, even when she was there so
many days after the fighting, was some
thing frightful. The dead bodies of many
of the officers we're lying around under
mating, though in many cases they we're
in rough shells which the Japanese had
hastily constructed. The wounded we're
II. l. n
lance department., and some of the UNI
fortunate fellows who we're injured had
been removed on board the Japanese war
ships for better attention. Two or three
foreign doctors from Tien-Tsin accom-
panied the Toonan on her mission of
mercy.
Foreign naval officers who have since
visited Port Arthur say that, with 5000
British troops, the place could have been
held for years against any force. Much
indignation is felt at the scandalous way
in which all the foreign naval and mill
tary heroes, who have for years "eaten
the rice" and drawn the pay of the Chi
nese. deserted them in their hour of need.
Not one of them. as VIC have already said,
remained at Port Arthur or went there to
resist the attack. A glance at the Chefoo
visitors list shows that Commander Bour-
CHER and Commander Philo McGIffin
(whose blatant Boosting we have heard
beforeJ are comfortably sojourning at the
Seaview hotel, while Won Hanneken and
his staff were kept away from the place
by finding they had work to do elsewhere.
Commander McGifiin, who, it will be re-
membered, was the first to bring tho
news of his victory ut the Yalu, where he
sank one or two ships with his own hand.
according TO his own story, is under the
doctors care at Chefoo, prcsum ably be-
cause DIR. Kirk of Wei-Hai-Wei does not
understand his complaint. Other people
do.
The Porpoise was quite close to the
scene of conflict and witnessed the at
tack by the torpedo boats. Her people
describe the affair as a most dashing eX-
plot. None of the Japanese ships conde-
scended TO return the fire of the forts,
which they sailed past in line. The tor
pedo boats bore tho brunt of tho attack,
and their gallantry, speed and skill are
universally admitted by foreign eye-wit-
nesses of the battle. The guns on the
forts turned all their fire upon their
swiftly darling, agile little enemies, which
went straight for the fortress, bow on, to
attack two Chinese steamers which were
endeavoring to break through, filled with
soldiers and officers. So hot did the fire
of the forts grow that the people on
the Porpoise saw shots drop between
two torpedo boats which were rush.
ing at tremendous speed within n
length or two of each other. But none of
the shots took effect, and the torpe-
do craft went about their work with the
most deadly determination, which moth
4, 4. a..
tention of the defenders of the fort by
their maneuvers, and assisting in the
landing of small landing parties from tho
fleet under cover of their machine and
quick-firiug guns. While the waspish lit
tie torpedo boat ilotilla was thus taking
the edge off of tho fight. as it were, tho
firing on the land side was deafening.
The boom of tho heavy guns was inter-
larded every moment with rifle fire, tho
sound of tho volleys being distinctly audi
BILE through the mighticr roar of the artil-
lery.
Whom the Japs Entered.
In the evening of Wednesday the Chi
nese defenders began to escape i'm large
Numbers, and when the Japanese entered
the inner fortress Thursday morning
there was scarcely "a Chinese soldier to be
found except those who were dead or too
badly wounded TO run away. There was
no fighting ut close quarters in the final
assault. the artillery and infantry doing
all the work. The Japanese worked as if
in a sham fight. and when "a she'll burst
among them, or big shot tore its way
through their ranks. the men on both
siucs closed up without n moments hcsi-
tatiou, and the formation of the attack
was preserved as If on parade. Some of
the outer forts had, however. been carried
by rushes and hand to hand fights. in
which the bayonet was used; most OF tho
Japanese killed met death from simple
shells thrown by the big guns. Dozens
of Chinese were shot down by rifle
or machine gun fire. When
the Porpoise officers inspected the
scene of the great battle they found many
of the big guns loaded and looking bright
and clean, as il shot had never been
fired from them, others had thousands of
rounds of shell, shrapnel, PallIster and