Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1904-09-20
The VENOM OF
The OPPONENTS
1t Is Said Feeling Between Belliger-
entS Is Bitter.
RED CROSS DISHONOR.
Wounded Call vainly For Assistance
and Dead Bodies In DecOmpos-
ing Condition Lie Unbur-
led on Battlefield.

Chefoo. Sept. 2o.-According to
Lieutenant Prince Radzivil of the Rus
sian army, who reached here Sunday
from Port Arthur. bearing dispatches
from Lieutenant General Stoessel to
General KuropatlSin, the temper Of the
belligerents at Port Arthur has reached
an absolutely merciless stage. Prince
Radzivel served with the British in
the Boer war, and he says that until
he became aware of the state OF affairs
at Port Arthur he had no idea that war
could be so horrible. 1t was set forth
in these dispatches some weeks ago
that serious suspicious were enter
tanned by both belligerents that the
other was misusing the Red Cross flag.
These suspicious have been increased
by the commission of various acts by
the soldiers of both armies. until now
even flags of truce or surrender are
not respected by either side.
Prince Radzivil declares that the
men of both armies are absolutely
venomous in their antagonism. Lieu
tenant General Stoessel has addressed
his garrison saying the present mood
of the Japanese indicates clearly the
necessity of resisting the INTO the last
drop of Russian blood, because IL the
Japanese soldiers entered the fortress
II would be impossible for their officers
to control them and prevent a massa-
ere. For this reason Lieutenant Gen.
eral Stoessel is making no objection to
civilians leaving Port Arthur. When
the 800 women, who are in Port Ar
thur engaged in hospital work, were
advised TO leave, they replied that they
would rather face tn possibility OF
massacre than desert their posts. In
consequence of the fact that flags of
truce are ignored. numbers of Jap
anese dead, woh have been lying on
the slopes of the hills of the northeast
defenses for weeks past. are still un-
buried and the stencil in Port Arthur
from decomposing bodies, when the
wind is in the right direction. is al
most unbearable. The Russian SOL
diers. who are in some cases posted
only fifty PAGES from heaps OF decay
ing dead, have constantly to wear up
on their noses handkerchiefs soaked
In camphor. or otherwise they would
be unable to remain at their posts.
In the course of the assaults which
took place in the four last days of Au-
gust two companies of Japanese SOL
diers. according to Prince Radzivil,
found themselves at the mercy of the
Russians and raised the white flag.
To this. however. the Russians paid no
attention and continued to fire vollies
rapidly into the helpless ranks OF the
enemy. In the meantime, Japanese
troops in the rear of the company that
had raised the white flag saw what
their comrades had done and expressed
their disapproval of the surrender by
firing into their rear. AS a result of
this fire from friend and foe 900 men
were annihilated. The dead fell
among the decomposing bodies of pre-
vious assaults. For days afterward
the wounded men I'm this area raised
fluttering handkerchiefs in their
pleas for help. but the Russians were
afraid TO venture out to give aid. |
Within a week the enemy had made Its |
last prayer for help. and the shambles |
was quiet. but CHASTITY field of hor-
ror. Among the heaps OF dead the |
prince saw two soldiers, one a Rus |
sian and the other a japanese, lying |
locked in death embrace. The teeth of |
the Japanese were sunk I'm the Rus |
slams throat, while the Russian had |
forced two of his fingers into the eye
socket OF his antagonist.
The prince cited this as merely an |
incident denoting the ferocity of the |
conflict at Port Arthur.
Continuing his interview with the |
correspondent, the prince said: "The |
stories In circulation concerning the |
shortage Of ammunition and provisions |
at Port Arthur are not true. There |
is an abundance of ammunition for /
both large and small arms and plenty |
of preserved food. The use of Chinese /
shells was merely a saving measure.
II left Stoessel in the best of spirits. |
He is encouraged by the heroic exam
pie set by the wounded men. of whom
5000 out of the original 5000 In the |
hospital have returned to the front.
There has been no fighting since
Sept /, with the exception OF artillery
and outpost exchanges.
1.-The japanese shells have done
great damage to the hospital and other
building in Port Arthur. but the losses
OF life from these commandments have
been very slight.
"on Sept. IA the bodies OF 1900 Jap
anese soldiers were discovered between
Fort No. 2 and Fort No. 3. The stencil
from the decomposed bodies attracted
investigation. The Russian authorities
admit that they are not able to ex-
plain what engagement resulted In this
slaughter"
Prince Radzivll gives another YER
sion from hearsay concerning the two
companies OF japanese troops that
surrendered. According to this YER
sion a japanese battery fired first on
the two companies when the white
flag was raised. whereupon the two
companies turned and charged the bat
terry.
Vigorous Smelling.