The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-08
NOGI TREATS WITH
RUSSIAN PRIVATES
thru q Prisoner He Offers Them
Terms for Unofficial
Surrender. xii
GARRISON IN WANT an
AND MUCH DEPRESSED
Prisoner Brings Back Word that
His Comrades Are Con-
sidering Offer.

Chi-fu, Nov. s.-The Japanese be-
seiging Fort Arthur, ignoring Lieuten-
ant General Stoessel, the commander of
the Russian military forces there, have
offered terms Of surrender to the Rus
sian soldiers, according to, advices leav-
meanwhile the, ceaseless activity of
picks and spades continues. The Jap
anese are gradually advancing. their
trenches, which means inevitably the
fall of the city.
A Russian prisoner captured Oct. 60.
said the troops composing the garrison
Of Port Arthur were in want and displr.
tied. They saw the fruitlessness Of
the struggle. Hopeless of relief, with
food scarce, and medicine and hospital
supplies insufficient, it was admitted by
the Russians, that a japanese victory
was inevitable The soldiers, accord
ing to the prisoner, see no reason to pro-
r. long the resistance, which brings glory
to their officers, but chiefly hardships
and death to them.
=, Upon hearing the, prisoner rs story,
cussed the matter briefly, and then
drafted letter to be circulated among
the soldiers themselves, the prisoner
having promised to deliver it in mercy
to his comrades.
kin s retreats and his inability to break
thru and relieve Port Arthur. The
letter also pointed out that the second
Russian Pacific squadron had Just
started on its s. ow voyage. Continuing
1t called attention to the resistless ad-
it matter of only very few weeks
when the Japanese would walk into the
main Russian strongholds. In conclu-
sion the letter offered humane treatment
to all who surrendered, saying it was in
the interest of humanity 4 to prevent
flnr o1a
In the darkness of the early morning
of Nov. 4, several Of the letters, writ
ten in Russia, were given to the prison
err, who regained the Russian lines I'M
observed by his officers. That night
the Russian returned saying his com
rades would answer within few days.
He said the temper of the men seemed
to show that while they were muffin
Gus towards fate, they also did not like
the idea Of an unofficial surrender.
The letter did much, however, to dis
pei among the Russian troops the i'm
preston fostered by their officers that
a massacre would follow a Japanese
victory.
The company to which the prisoner
belonged originally numbered 800 and
now totals thirty men.
AS the Japanese are sufficiently near
the SUBMITS of the hills to render tun-
neling highly practicable, much Of this
work is now being done. The Russians
are building counter tunnels. Which
ever side finds its tunnel under the
enemy IS blows up the latter s tunnel.
Five Russian mine sweeping steam.
ers have been sunk by Japanese shells.
Toxic, Nov. 8.-Unoffcial news re
ceived from Port Arthur since Saturday
reports progress by the besiegers. The
Japanese operations are proceeding
satisfactorily tho slowly. Limestone
formations and rocky ground interfere
with the sapping. It is now considered
that the capture of Rih-lung mountain
and east Keekwan mountain without
An-tse and Else mountain is not suff
cient to force the Russians to abandon
the city proper.