The Weiser semi-weekly signal. (Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho) 1904-1911, 1904-10-08
RUSSIAN PRISONERS.
Captives Confined In Buddhist
Temples and Town Hall.
OFFICERS ARE ALLOWED SERVANTS

All the Prisoners Speck Well OF
Their Treatment and Regard Their
Captors with Kindly Interest.
Fight Them Only Because Ordered
to Do So by the Gear.
"At O'clock we took q special Lili-
putian train on the Iyo railway for
Matsuyama.' says George KEENAN, in
the Outlook, writing about Russian
war prisoners in Japan. "a heavy
rain was falling when we reached our
destination, and as we were driven
from place to place in closed 'rikishas
we saw little Of the town except the
temples, halls and improvised bar
racks in which the Russian prisoners
were confined. We found the first lot !
Of them in an old and rather dark
Buddhist temple filed with church |
properties and the figures that we are
accustomed to call idols. They were
all noncommissioned officers or sol
diers and had been captured In the
first serious fight Of the Wharf.-The bat
tie of the Yalu. They were greatly as
tonished when 1 greeted them with
| 'Zdrastvuitla rebatta' Good morning,
boys), but their faces lighted up with
| interest and pleasure at the sound OF
their own language, and they respond
| ed In unison with CHEEKY chorus OF
| we wish you health, your high nobili-
tyr
"How are you getting on hereT ]
inquired. Are you comfortabler
ada nitchevo' Cts not so bad),y said
sergeant, who was probably the
starosta and who stepped forward as
spokesman. OF course it's prison
er's life, the place is rather close, and
it's very tiresome, but what's to be
done? Sudba' Cts our luck).
"'How do the Japanese treat your
inquired. They seem to me to be a
very good sort of people, and I'm sorry
you Russians are fighting them.
"'They treat us very WELL he said,
and I've nothing to complain Of ut all
: I didn't come to fight them because
bore them any Ill Will, but was 9
soldier, and when the gossudar Ctht
car ordered me to fight l had t6
fight. AS you say. they seem to be
very good people, and ! wish them al
prosperity
i "This sentiment seemed to have TIT
approval of the rest of the men, wh'
3 numbered seventy-fve or a hundred
and the feeling thus expressed is prot
u ably that of q majority of the commo
u soldiers of the Russian army. The
have some reason for hating th
y Turks, but they regard the Japanes
either with Indifference or with tn
kindly interest that the Russian pea
ant takes in all good people The
=, fight them not because they hate then
a, but because the gossudar has so
!. dered.
1--WE went successfully to three
" four temples, or public buildings,
N which common Russian soldiers wei
kept. but our stay in each place WI
80 short that l had little time for
" ouiries. All the prisoners agreed tn
~ the Japanese treatment OF them WI
~ good, but In one instance there WI
~ complaint that on the days when RI
"- was substituted for bread the rati'
|" was insufficient. The hospital for t
at sick and wounded Russians was U
10 Red Cross and wassclean, well ventii'
Gu ed and apparently in excellent CON
a., ton. *.
'ih ..From the hospital we were taken
es, see the officers, twenty-three In nu
'hi Der. who were quartered In Matsu,
lne ma town hall. Partitions had been
en- up In the spacious apartment 30 as
'ie give every two men a room 10 tne
en selves, and their situation seemed
us be fairly comfortable. In talking W
some Of them asked them what Il
thought Of the fighting capacity Of
Japanese. oh, they can fight W.
~ said a gray haired colonel who
90 taken part In the Russo-Turksh CT
neu paign of 1878. they are molodsd q
80 80 fellows), everybody knows that.
'n what sort of q chance have we d
pa They've outnumbered us everywh
cen On the Yalu we had only 5000 n
up and they attacked with 10000.
oei Nanshan the other day they had
'ne or three divisions. while we defen
~ the hill with OILY two battalions
auy infantry. outside of the men who WI
ne ed the guns. Think of that-two
talions against two or three dlvisi
OF course we were overwhelmed
"The Russian officers whom we
in the town hall Of Matsuyama '
4 In educated and intelligent men, and
had eral OF them looked like students.
eDin' seemed 10 be possessed OF coDsid
Sea, bic artistic taste and ability, an'
Ma the time OF our visit lie was anu
bout himself by painting In water q
eat Japanese flowers. They al ao'nl
Al that their csDt0rs were making
bne claI effort 10 treat them well, ana
they expressed grateful appreciation o.
that consideration shown them ! q
With very much whether Japanese ~
allow era are treated es We'll ~ Russia
mon Russian officers "a MateuynAp 30
oDDL-- ! Ill. .--l-... .nu-L.LLun ~ ONO 4