The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-01-16

Two wooden bridges. built on piles LIZ
SO arranged as to open the whole width
of the river for the necessities of nav1-
cation, Joined the town with its out
skirts which extended along the left
bank. The outskirts were abandoned,
| the bridges destroyed. The passage OF
the Angara, Which was very wide at
that place. would not have been posi-
BILE under the fire of the besieged. But
the river could be crossed either above
or below the town, and as a conse-
quence Irkutsk was in danger of being
attacked on the east side, which no
rampant protected.
1t was, then, in works of fertilization
that the hands were first employed.
They worked day and night. The grand
duke found a spirited population in
supplying that need, and afterward he
found them most brave in it's defense.
Soldiers, merchants, exiles, peasants.
all devoted themselves to the common
safety. Eight days before the Tartars
had appeared on the Angara ramparts
of earth had been raised. A moat.
flooded with the waters of the Angara,
lldu UCCh Jug Dcl"Ccu Nv luuCl anu
outer wall of the fertilization. The
city could no longer be taken by a sud-
den assault. 1t must be invested and
besieged.
The third Tartar column-that which
had assembled the valley of the Yeni-
sei-appeared in sight of Irkutsk on the
Oath Of September. 1t Immediately &C.
| cupied the abandoned outskirts, Of
which the very houses had been de-
stroyed in order not to impede the &C.
ton of the archduke's artillery, which
was unfortunately very insufficient.
The Tartars organized themselves
while waiting the arrival of the two
other columns which were commanded
by the emir and his allies.
The junction of these divers corps
took place on the 25th of September at
the camp of Angara, and all the army,
except the garrisons left in the princi-
pal conquered towns, was concentrated
under the orders of Feofar-Khan.
The passage of the Angara having
been regarded by Ivan Ogareff as i'm
practicable before Irkutsk, a strong
body of troops crossed at some versts
down the river on some bridges Of
boats which had been established for
that purpose. The grand duke did not
attempt to oppose that passage. He
could only have harassed them without
preventing it, lot having any field
| pieces at his disposal, and this is the
reason he remained cooped up in IT.
kutsk.
Ivan Ogareff, a clever engineer, was
| certainly able to direct the operations
of a regular siege, but he had not the
material to carry forward his opera
tons quickly. So he had hoped to sur
prise Irkutsk, the end of all his efforts.
One can see that things had turned
out otherwise than he had reckoned.
On the n hand, the march of the Tar
tar army delayed by the battle Of
Tomsk; on the other, the rapidity with
which the works of defense had been
carried on by the grand duke. For
these two reasons his projects had fail
ed. He found himself therefore under
the necessity of carrying on a regular
siege.
Meanwhile by his advice the emir at
tempted twice to take the town at the
price of a great sacrifice of men. He
threw the soldiers against the earth
works which seemed to present some
weak points, but the two assaults were
repealed with the greatest courage. The
| grand duke and his officers did not
spare themselves on that occasion.
They led the civil population to the
| ramparts. Civilians and mujiks did
their duty remarkably we'll. At the
! second assault the Tartars had succeed
ed in forcing one of the gates of the
town. A fight took place at the be-
| ginning of the principal street, the Boil
chaia. which is two versts in length
and terminates at the banks of the An
| CARA. But the Cossacks. the gendarmes,
and the citizens opposed to them a
strong resistance, and the Tartars had
to return to their positions.
Ivan Ogareff thought then of trying
to win by treachery what force could
not give him. His project, it is known,
was to make his way alone into the
town and present himself before the
grand duke with some plausible tale
to win his confidence and when the mo-
ment came to deliver one of the gates
to the besiegers; afterward, that done,
to glut his vengeance on the brother Of
the cZar.
The gypsy. who had accompanied
him to- the camp Of the Angara, urged
him to put this project into execution.
And, indeed. it was necessary to act
without delay. The Russian troops of
the government of Irkutsk were march
! ing to the relief of Irkutsk. They were
concentrating on the higher waters Of
the Lena and marching up the valley.
They would surely arrive before six
days. 1t was necessary, then, that Ir-
kutsk should be delivered up by treach-
cry before six days.
Ivan Ogareff did not hesitate any lon
ger.
One evening, the I'd of October, a
council of war was being held in the
large room Of the governor generals
palace. 1t was there the grand duke
resided.
This palace overlooked for a great