The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-11-11
GENERAL NoeI IGNORES GEN.
ERAL sToEssEL.
WOULD TREAT WITH men
Promises Humane Treatment to All
Russian Thoops Who Will
Cease Fighting.

Chez Foo, Nov. 8, $3.50 p. m.-The
Japanese besieging Port Arthur, ig-
noring Lieutenant General Stoessel,
the commander of the Russian mill
tary forces there, have offered terms
of surrender to the Russian soldiers,
according to a dispatch leaving Port
Dalny yesterday. In the meanwhile
the c%easeless activity of picks and
spades continues. The Japanese are
gradually advancing in the trenches
which spell inexorable fate to the
watching Russians.
A Russian prisoner captured on
October 26 said the troops composing
the garrison of Port Arthur were in
want and dispirited. They saw the
fruitlessness of the struggle. Hope
less ofsSzrelief, with food scarce and
medicine and hospital supplies insult
ficient, it was admitted by the Rus
SLAMS that a Japanese victory was ulti-
mately inevitable. The soldiers, ac-
cording to the prisoner, see no reason
to prolong the resistance which brings
glory to the officers but GRIZZLY hard
ship and death to them.
Nogi Offers Terms.
Upon hearing the prisoners story
General Nogi assembled his staff, dis
cussed the matter briefly and then,
under the light of a bicycle lamp,
drafted a letter to be circulated among
the soldiers themselves, the prisoner
having promised to deliver it in mercy
to his comrades. The letter related
to General Kuropatkin's retreat and
his inability to make an impression on
the army of Field Marshal Oyama, to
say nothing of breaking through his
forces and relieving Port Arthur. The
letter also pointed out that the Sec
ond Russian Pacific squadron has Just
started on its slow voyage. Continu-
ing, it called attention to the resist.
less advance of the Japanese trenches,
making it a matter of weeks when the
Japanese would walk into the Rus
sian main stronghold.
Offers Terms.
In conclusion the letter offered hu-
name treatment to all who surren-
dered, saying it was in the interest of
humanity to prevent further useless
slaughter.
In the darkness of the early morn.
ing of November 4 several copies of
the letter, written in Russian. were
given to the prisoner, who gained the
Russian lines unobserved by his Of
Ulcers. That night the Russian re-
turned, saying his comrades would
answer within a few days. He said
the temper of the men seemed tn
snow that while they we're m%utinous
toward fate they also did not like the
IDEA OF an unofficial surrender. The
letter did much, however, to dispel
among the Russian troops the impres-
sion fostered by their officers that a
massacre would follow a Japanese vic
tory. The company to which the pris-
oner belonged originally numbered
6Oo n now totals 30 men.
AS the Japanese are sufficiently
near the summit of the hills to rem
der tunnelling highly practicable.
much OF the work is now being done.
The Russians are building counter
tunnels. Whichever side finds it's tun-
mel under the enemy's blows up the
latter tunnel. To prevent explosives
being rolled down in their trenches
the Japanese have made ranges of
hillocks of earth above the trenches
Five Russian mine sweeping steam |