Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-24
RUSSIAN PRISONERS.
Captives Confined In Buddhist
Temples and Town Hall.
OFFICERS ARE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Fight Them Only Because Ordered
to Do So by the C1ar.
AT o'clock we took a special ILL.,
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 i'll 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
ders and had been captured in the
first serious fight of the war-the bat
tie of the Yalu They were greatly as
toniShpd when l greeted them with
'Zdrastvuitia rebatta' Good morning,
boys. but their faces lighted up with
interest and pleasure ut the sound of
their own language, and they respond
ed i'll unison with CHEEKY chorus of
We wish you health, your high nobili-
ty"
"'How are you getting on herep l
inquired. Are you cOmfortableT
"'Da nitchevo' Uts not so bad, said
sergeant. who was probably the
starosta and who stepped forward az
spokesman. OF course it's a prison
cr's life. the place is rather close, and
it's very tiresome, but what's to be
done? Sudba' dts our luck.
How do the Japanese treat your
inquired. They seem to me to be
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 at all.
l didn't come to fight them because 1
bore them any i'll will. but l was n
soldier. and when the gossudar (the
car ordered me to fight l had to
fight. AS you say, they seem to be
very good people, and l wish them all
prosperity
This sentiment seemed to have the
approval of the rest of the men. who
numbered seventy-five or Il hundred,
and the feeling thus expressed is prob
ably that of a majority of the common
soldiers of the russian army. They
have some reason for hating the
Turks, but they regard the Japanese
either with Indifference or with the
kindly interest that the Russian peas
ant takes in all good people They
fight them not because they hate them,
but because the Sossudar has so or
dered.
I'VE went successfully to three or
four temples, or public buildings, in
which common Russian soldiers were
kept, but our stay in each place was
so short that | had little time for in
Quires. All the prisoners agreed that
the Japanese treatment OF them was
good. but in one instance there wns
complaint that on the days when rice
was substituted for bread the ration
was insufficient. The hospital for the
sick and wounded Russians was I'M
der the management of the Japanese
Red Cross and was clean, well veutilat-
ed and apparently in excellent cOndi-
ton.
From the hospital we were taken to
see the officers, twcnty-three I'm num-
Der, who were quartered in Matguya-
up I'm the spacious apartment so as to
give every two men room to them
selves. and their situation seemed 10
be fairly comfortable. In talking with
some Of them asked them what they
thought Of the fighting capacity of the
Japanese. ooh. they can fight WELL
said Il gray haired colonel who had
taken part in the Russo-Turkish cam
Il -p.4g
fellows, everybody knows that But
what sort Of n chance have we had?
They've outnumbered us everywhere.
On the Yalu we had only 5000 men,
and they attacked with 10000. At
Nanshan the other day they had two
or three divisions, while we defended
the hill with only two battalions Of
infantry. outside of the men who work
ed the guns. Think Of that-two bat
talIons against two or three divisions!
OF course we We're overwhelmed
The Russian officers whom we met
in the town hall of Matsuyama We're
educated and intelligent men. and sew
eral Of them looked like students. One
seemed to be possessed Of considera-
BILE artistic taste and ability, and at
the time Of our visit he was amusing
himself by painting in water colors
Japanese flowers. They all admitted
that their captors were making 1t spe-
cial effort to treat them well, and they
expressed grateful appreciation Of the
consideration shown them. I doubt
very much whether Japanese prison
ers are treated as well I'm Russia. The
Russian officers at Matsuysma receive
a daily ration consisting Of one and a
half pounds of bread, pound Of meat
or fish, one and one-fifth pounds of
vegetables and suitable quantities Of
tea, sugar, salt and 'appetizers.' Their
allowance for clothing is ample, and.
in the discretion of the commanding
officer canteens may be opened for
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