Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1905-01-21
Thcught KnFoeafkIn Was Coming With
Army Relief.
THE CHINESE SPIES DID IT..
Was Amazed When Japs Informed
Him That Kuropatkin Had Been
Defeated and Was on the shakhe-
stoesseI Ready to Retire.

Headquarters Third japanese Army,
at Port Arthur, Jan. 8, via Tientsin,
Jan. u.-Captain Tsunoda, the Jap
anese staff officer who was sent to
Port Arthur to inform General Stoes-
sci Of the contents of the message OF
the emperor of Japan, saying that the
garrison should be treated with the
greatest consideration, says:
General Stoessel's first inquiry
was about the whereabouts of Gener-
al KurODatkin. l said 1 did not know
exactly, but understood he was some
where about BIukden.
General Stoessel remarked that he
had last heard from General Kuropat-
kin October G, saying he would come
to relieve Port Arthur soon. Gener-
al Stoessel added that he had sent
out Chinese spies, who returned and
reported that General Kuropatkin
with relieving army was at Kin
chou, twenty miles north of Port Ar
thur. General Stoessel was plainly
incredulous at my statement, that
General Kuropatkin had been defeat
ed and driven back toward Mukden,
SO produced maps, showed him the
position of the two armies near the
Shake river and gave Stoessel de-
tails of Kuropatkin's defeat with the
loss of 10000 to 10000 men, at which
the Russian general expressed amaze
ment and quickly remarked that he
had been misled
General Stoessel then asked
where the Baltic fleet was, and 1 told
him that some of the ships had not
passed the Cape of Good Hope.
with a hopeless expression, Gen
eral StoeSsel said:
Now, that Port Arthur has fall
len, there is no use for the fleet COM
ing any farther
q then asked General Stoessel
what had caused the most damage to
the garrison during the siege, and he
replied:
your 11-inch howitzers After
they arrived our defense works be-
came useless
General Stoessel then pointed out
that he and Admiral Alexieff had
been through the Boxer trouble and
had seen the work of the Japanese
army. General Stoessel also said he
had been associated with the Japan
csc Generals Yamaguchi and Fuku-
Shima at that time and expressed the
opinion that the Russian and Japan
csc forces nd borne the lions share of
the work. Since then he had a high
idea of the organization and fight
ing qualities of the Japanese army.
'"The real cause of the war was, in
General Stoessel's opinion, the ignor-
ance of the Russian people of the
fighting qualities of the Japanese.
The first attack on Port Arthur in
February by the Japanese fleet was
| a tremendous surprise. The forts, he
explained, were only partly garrisoned
by 1000 troops.
AT this point General Stoessel said
he had always opposed the scheme of
Governor Sakharoff, of Port Dalny,
| in spending money in building up
Port Dalny instead of finishing the
| defenses of Port Arthur. Sakharoff.
who was an engineer officer, died 81
| dysentery during the siege.
Continuing General Stoessel prais-
| ed the ingenuity, pluck and patience
of the Japanese infantry, especially in
making siege parallels and trenches
| to the forts.
Referring to the artillery, Gener-
| al StOessel said that at first he did
not think the artillery practice good,
but he was soon compelled to recog-
nize how good it was. General Kon-
| dratenkO and colonel of engineers
| Grman), General Stoessel pointed
out, were killed in North Keekwen
fort by & Japanese shell just prior to
| the explosion of December 49, Gen
eral Stoessel felt their loss greatly as
| Kondratenko was a clever engineer.
| General Stoessel further said he
| had served his emperor in three
| wars. and he had been thrice wound
| ed, first in the RussO-Turkish war.
second in the Boxer trouble and third
| at Port Arthur. Now he felt he had
earned the right to return to Russia
TO live in his old age with his family
The general added that he was TAX
ing home with him five children OF
officers who had been killed during
the slege.
after his conference with General
Nogi, General Stoessel expressed
| qualification at meeting so pleasant
| ! gentleman. He had not expected
the considerable treatment accorded to
him. General Nogi appeared to Gen
eral Stoessel as an old friend rather
| than as the commander OF an army
which had forced him to surrender"
TEXAS RUNNING BEHIND.
Austin, Tex, Jan. 1.-THE twenty
ninth Texas legislature will convene
at noon tomorrow in regular session.
The present session is an important
| nne In addition tn nrovidipe for I'll