The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-01
TAKING OF PORT ARTHUR
An Eye Witness Gives a Graphic AC-
count Of the Attack.
THE TERRIBLE ATROCITIES
Flight of the Chinese Leaders and
Men-Outrages and Slaughter
The Pigtails Deserted by
Their Foreign Friends.

Shanghai Corr. OF the New YORK Herald.
/ have collated the following facts from
reliable sources, mostly eye witnesses,
giving some fuller particulars of the great
est disaster which has befallen Chinese
arms since the present war began. Ever
since the battle of Ping Yang the work
of strengthening and further increasing
the effectiveness of the Notifications of
Port Arthur has been vigorously carried
on, with the result that when the Japa-
pese investing forces reached the point
of attack, the morning of the Goth ult., il
was believed the task which they were
about to undertake would prove the most
obstinate struggle they had yet encoun-
tered in the campaign. Tho investing
forces, by all accounts, appear to have
numbered from 1900 to IL, 600 men, con-
sisting of the first division, commanded
by Marshal Oyama, and the mixed brig
ade, commanded by Count Yamagi, while
the garrison consisted of at least 10000
Chinese soldiers, divided as follows:
Four thousand Huai troops, under Gen.
erals Chao Huai-yeh and Lin Yuen-chen.
Four thousand Chilli troops, under
Generals Hsu Pang-tao and Chen
Yuen-ho.
Twelve thousand troops from the GEN.
trail provinces, principally Hupeh, Human,
Kwangsi, Chekiang, and Fuhkian, under
Generals Chang Nan-yo, Chang kwei-ti,
and another general whose name we have
not ascertaIned.
Gen. Chang Kwei-ti was in supreme
command, and in addition to tho military
council of seven no had associated with
Kung Taotai and some other civil off,
cials. The foreigners of Port Arthur, Mr..
Fleischer, engineer of the torpedo depart
ment, and Captain Calder, harbor master.
had taken their departure for Chefoo long
before the day of the bombardment APP
preached. The seven generals had been
charged by n special decree from the inn
perial government to hold the fortress at
peril of their lives, and in the totally I'M
expected event (as far as Pekin was con-
cerned) of being unable to carry out their
instructions they had distinct orders TO
blow up the forts, the magazines, the ar
senals, and all the workshops, and to de-
stroy the dock rather than let them fall
into the hands of tho enemy.
Advance of tho Japs.
The place was in a perfect panic, as the
Japanese lines we're steadily closing in on
all sides. Thousands of the inhabitants
of Port Arthur and tho neighborhood had
fed TO the mainland by steamer and junk
before tho Japanese investing line finally
cut the garrison off from similar means of
retiring. Tho Japanese advanced from
the narrow neck of land in solid bodies,
with long intervals between, Marshall
Oyama being in command of the right
and Gen. Yamagi OF the left division.
The Japanese fleet Unanswered outside,
but the garrison, we are led TO under
stand, expected that an attempt TO draw
the enemy's ships Off would be made by
Admiral Ting and the Nanyang. Foochow
oh AnI
repeatedly ordered TO reinforce the bat
tered Peiyang fleet. We in Shanghai
know how futile such expectations were,
as not one of the southern viceroys would
allow his ships to move outside tho
waters of his own immediate territory, for
what reason we know not.
Long range firing began on the 20tn ult.,
the Japanese heavy range guns commence
ing the attack on the outer or northern
forts, Nos. and 7, on tho morning of tho
2lst ult. As long as the Japanese guns did
not succeed in working much havoc, tho
Chinese made a show of fight; but when
the whole line began 10 reduce The radius
of the investing circle, tho defenders of
the outer forts lost heart.
Before the first fort fell six generals
and the remaining civil officials con-
trived TO escape in iunks, the Japanese,
IOllONlIE NNClI usuaA CuSiOllls uaNluR lell
passage open for the retreat of the gar
rison TO the northwest. Those retreatIng
heroes were Chao Hwai-yeh, Hsu Pang-
tao, Liu Yuen-chen, Cheng Yuen-ho.
Chang Nan-yo, and a sixth military hero,
whose name We have not yet learned.
Kung accompanied them. They had
junks in waiting about n mile or two from
the port, TO the north. with their valuables
on board, and as soon as they recognized
that the enemy was IN earnest they
skedaddled. Many thousands of the
troops, some 1900 or i4,OOJ, led by their
officers. bolted during the night of the
20ih. In tho afternoon of the 2lst the
final assault was made. The sailors and
torpedo boats cooperated in tho manner
we have already described, running in
under the seward guns of the fortress.
The real bombardment of the fortress
lasted only 10 hours.
Atrocities Committed by Chinese.
The retreating troops committed terrible
atrocities in their fight upon the people
who had the misfortune to come in their
way. Men, women and children were
murdered and outraged, wholesale pillage,
slaughter and loot being apparently the
chief thought of the flying soldIcry. The
mutilated bodies of some Japanese
officers and men, who had been skirmish-
ing in the nelGhborhood the day before,
were found lying inside the fortress and
their horses were discovered crippled with
sword cuts beside the bodies OF their rid
ers. This sight was not calculated to in
spire the Japanese soldiers with feelings
of consideration. and il caused them TO
fight with all the more determination
when they got within striking distance.
The 5000 or 1900 Chinese who remained
with Gen. Chang kwei.ti TO defend the
forts were nearly all killed or wounded,
scarcely Chinese soldier remained at the
end without some mark of the fray. The
Japanese loss appears TO have been about
800 killed and wounded.
Chang Kwei-ti is reported TO have
played the brave part acted By General
Tso at Pingyang. On tue night of the
lOfb ..shap tho ~rh.r