The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-31
COMES FROM
PORT ARTHUR
Hector Fuller, War Cor
respondent, In
Town.

the Indianapolis News, who is a pas
senger aboard the steamship Doric, has
the credit of being the only newspaper
writer sent to the Orient since the OUT
break of the Japanese Russian war, to
enter the city of Port Arthur and re-
turn again to tell the story of his visit
Not only was it Fuller's privilege TO
enter the Russian stronghold, about
which the japanese forces are tight
ening their lines. but he had the door
of prison cell close upon him, and
finally it was reserved for him to be
brought face to face with General
Stoessel. commander of the Port Ar
thur garrison. FuIler's story reads
like a romance. and a CALLING romance
writer's. who as correspondents were
sent from all parts of the world to the
seat of war, but We're unable to get
next to anything worth while.
Fuller was able to see from the VIM
dows of his prison the Russian battles
ships whose names were made famous
when the japanese fleet launched their
first war blow on the night Of Febru-
ary s. These were the Czarevitch, the
Retvisan and the Peresviet, and when
ne saw them, all were In good condi-
ton, able to fight again.
He returns to the United States with
prejudices strongly against the Japa-
nese government for its action toward
the war correspondents. He believes.
not from his prejudices. but from his
observations. that the Japanese cannot
ultimately win. Their resources are
not great enough to bear the strain.
ne says, and their credit abroad is
now limited
Mr.. Fuller was sent out by his paper
about the time the war broke out,
going by way of Suez. He went to
Toxic and received pass to go to the
front. He waited and waited and
meanwhile the Japanese capital began
filling up with writer's and corresponds
ents whose names are known in every
part of the reading world. Mr.. Fuller
says there was represented in that
galaxy of writer's. 1novelists, lftera-
teurs, trained newspaper men and sea-
soned war correspondents
'"The South African war was the
graveyard of military reputations.''
said Mr.. Fuller in the Alexander Young
Hotel lounging-room last night, "but
the war in the East has been the
graveyard of literary regulations. The
war correspondents have suffered in
this war more than an outsider can
appreciate. Take that gathering Of
men and look over the list. The great
est papers in England, France, United
States were represented, yet the war
writer's are all lolling about the hotels
of Toxic while things were doing in
the field. They were lulled into sense
of sympathy toward the Japanese
while hoping that the word would come
releasing them and allowing them to
start off for that mysterious militant
region-'the front We were told that
we could start in a day or two. Then
it would be next week. When we
asked permission to go away for a
week or ten days to some little town
we We're told. Well, / think you had
better stay here, for in two days you
can GO
only a few We're permitted to start
to the front and then they were held
back when a battle was in progress
1t was all a tissue of lies that the
Japanese told the correspondents. They
never intended we should go forward.
1T't i0ta m Ia ne
respondents free to watch the trend
of battle events. Military experts, as
well as correspondents, are about TO
miss the most important developments
concerning the progress of war among
modern nations. We are just now at
the critical stage in war development,
a time when this war should be OBJ
served closely to determine the value
of new devices of slaughter.
THE japanese nation is the kinder
garten among the powers. Her cadets
have been trained in Annapolis. In
West Point. and at European schools
On the British training ship Worcester
where I was once a sailor, Togo was
received with honors. Yet they are not
returning the debt due the nations
which taught them.
FULLER IN PORT ARTHUR.
"As 90 my stunt in entering Port Ar
thur ] got tired of waiting in Toxic
and quietly slipped out, went TO Shang-
hal and then to Chefoo There I hired
from a wealthy Chinaman sampan for
which I had TO pay 500 Yen. I also
had to indemnify two Cinnamon who
were to go with me. I left Chefoo in
the sampan on June and on June II
landed in a fog at Louisa Bay. near
Pigeon Bay. I saw two torpedo boats
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