The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1904-09-20
AWFUL CONDITIONS
At PORT ARTHUR
ferOCious Foes Justify Gen.
erdl Slerman's Definition
of What War Is

Chefu. Sept. 1s.-Accordlng to Lieuten-
ant Prince Rad1ivil Of the Russian army.
who reached heie last night from Port
Arthur. bearing dispatches from Lieu.en-
ant General Stoessel. the commander-in-
chief Of the forces In the Russ an
stronghold. to General Kuropatkin. the
temper of the be.ligerents al Port Ar
thur has reached an absolutely merciless
stage.
Prince Radzivl served with the Brit
ish in the Boer war. and he says that
until he became aware Of the state OF
affairs at Port Arthur he had no idea
war could be so horrible.
1t was set forth in these dispatches
some weeks ago that ser Gus suspicious
were entertained by each beiligeient that
the other was misusing the Red Cross
flag. These suspicious have been In
creased by lie commission of various
acts by the soldiers of both armies. until
now even flags of truce or surrender are
Hoi feSpeCleu Dy eitIeT sue.
Prince Radzivil declares that the men
of both arm es are absolutely venomous
in their an,agonism. Lieutenant-General
Stoessel has addressed his garrison. say
Ing that the present mood OF the Japan
ese indicates clearly the necessity of re-
sisting them TO the last drop of Russian
b'ood. because II the japanese soldiers
entered the fortress. 1t undoubtedly
would be impossible for ther officers To
control them and prevent massacre
For this reason Lieutenant General
Sloe sci IL making no objection to civ.-
ians leaving Port Ar,..ur. When the 800
women who are in Port Arthur. engaged
In hosl al work. were advised to leave.
they replied they would rather face the
possibility OF massacre than desert their
posts.
WOUNDED LEFT TO PERISH.
In consequence of the fact that fiags
OF truce are ignored. numbers o. Japan
ese dead. which have been lying on the
slopes of fhe hills of the nor beast de-
lenses for weeks past. are SIN unbar.ed.
and the stencil In Port Arthur from de-
composing bodies. when the wind is In
the right direction, Is almost unendura-
BILE. The Russian soldiers. who are in
some cases posted only fifty PAGES from
heaps OF decaying dead. have constantly
to wear over their noses handkerchiers
soaked In camphor. as 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 soldiers.
themselves at the mercy of the Russians
and hoisted white flag. To 8. how
ever the Russians paid no attention and
continued TO volley rapidly into the help
less ranks OF the enemy. In the mean
while japanese troops in the rear OF the
companies that had raised the white flag
saw what their comrades had done and
expressed their disapproval of the sur
render by firing into Their rear. AS a
result OF this fire from friend and foe
900 men were annihIla ed. The uead fen
among the decomposing bodies of pre-
vious assaults.
For days afterward the wounded men
In this area raised futtering handaer.
chiefs in their hands In plea for help.
but the Russians were afra d to ven,uie
out to give succor. Within a week the
last arm had made its last unregarded
prayer for help. and the shambes was
a quiet but ghastly field of horror.
Among the heaps of dead the prince
saw two soldiers. one a Russian and the
other a japanese. lying locked In death
embrace. The teeth OF the Japanese
were sunk In the Russians thu oat. while
the Russian had forced two of his tin
gers into the eye-sockets of his antag-
on ST. The prince cited this as merely
one incident denoting the ferocty of the
conflict before Port Arthur.