The Washington times., 1905-08-13

nOSDlLaDiY
where in Port Arthur he let me go
ebout as a free man aud to see what I
liked. The only disagTeeable incident
! throughout my stay in Tort Arthur was
the day in which General Stoessel reprI-
manded General Smirnoff for having
allowed me TO enter.
The truth was that General SmirnOff
had no more to do with my unexpected
entry into Port Arthur than General
6toessel himself.
My own impression of General Stoessel
at this tine, so far as l was able to
Judge, We're that he was doing the best
he could. Personally he struck me as
a quiet, unassuming man of soldiery
Other Views
Others in Port Arthur did not share
this view A number of the officers
plainly limited at this even while I was
In Port Arthur,
The newspaper men of the Novi Krai
hated him as bully and tormentor. One
of them told me that the trials Of the
paper, such as the destruction of the
presses by bombs. the difficulty of pro-
curing paper 10 print on, and the dan
gers run by the staff writers in the
trenches at the front. were as nothing
to the persecution which they had to
endure from StOesseL
While l was at Port Arthur the un-
fortunate newspaper was suspended by
orders Of General Stoessel. The worst
sufferer was Noshin, the brilliant staff
correspondent. who spent ali his time
IN the outer trenches, but who finally
had TO flee from Port Arthur hidden in
the hold of Il torpedo boat commanded
by one of his personal friends.
Another set OF men who hated General
Stoessel were the merchants. foreigners,
endure much from his prosecutions.
Herr LinpaintneF, the German photo
grapher, in particular, had much to COM
plain of.
Arrested Photographer.
Though he had an official permit to
photograph, he was put under arrest
by General Stoessel himself, merely for
taking a picture OF Il public view pass
ing along one of the streets OF Port
Arthur.
When he went TO see General Stoessel
about it, after his release, Stoessel or
dered him out of his presence, stamp
ing his foot and roaring at him like an
infurlated bull.
Such We're some purely personal ex..
peFlenoeg OF the man on the part OF
those that knew him and saw him every
day in Port Arthur. All that l knew of
him then was that he had an honorable
military record, having served with dis
tinction in the Russian-Turkish war,
where he was wounded, and again in
the Boxer campaign, where he led the
Russian column that helped effect the
relief Of Pekin.
The current stories that he had amass-
ed private fortune from loot. at thiz
tainIy there Were no evidences of undue
wealth in General Stoessels house or al
his table when I was received there.
Reports Confirmed.
It was only later. after the fall OF
Port Arthur, when l had an opportunity
to visit General Smirnof at Nagoya, in
Japan. where he lay a prisoner of war.
that the evil reports of General Stoes-
sci as q military commander. which
had heard. received positive confirma-
ton.
General Smirnon then said:
Yes, il is true that I protested against
the capitulation. On the last torpedo
boat that fed out of Port Arthur during
the eapitulation proceedings. sent an
official protest against General Stoessefs S
capitulation as unWarranted and irregu-
lar
1T was unwarranted because we had
enough food and stores left TO last fivs
or six months. We had sufficient ANN u
milton and able bodied men to withstand
at least three more general assaults.
General KOndradjenko, just before he
was killed, III the middle of December.
was of the opinion that We could hold
ont three months longer, ana told Cen
/ eral Stoessel 80 l was Of the same
s'The capitulation was irregular be
cause I was not consulted. l was com
/ snandant of the city and of the inner
ring Of forts. was responsible foI
| these and would not have given them
! up had 1 had my way. The first I knew
/ of the capttulation was that the men IN
the outer positions were already laying
I Down their arms and fraterniZing with
the Japanese. General Stoessel had sent
/ out a white flag. without a word 10 any
! OF US, except only TO his own chief-of-
staff and General Gregorovitch-
Knew Too Late.
! The terms of the capitulation were
already being drawn up. 1t was too late
/ then. Of course, for me TO do anything.
/ The commanding positions were already
! ia Japanese hands.
( Under the circumstances il IS only
/ proper that General Stoessel should 60
I before court martial; only 7 do not
+ understand how he can be properly
: courtmartialed without me a witness
My hurried last report, as telegraphed
/ 10 General Kuropatkn from Cheefoc
! can scarcely be taken as sufficient evl-
denCe.
If / were there I should confine my
! testimony TO certain points. General
StoesseI In his final report 10 the Gear
( stated
d" We have done all that human power
/ can do. The unceasing lighting for the
last eleven months has exhausted our
I ehcrsies; hardly amy ammunition is left
only few persons remain unattached
I by. The sEurFy. Now. only 1900 men
are under arms they are all III
None OF these statements was III ac-
| coTdance with the facts. General Kon-
- -