The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-03

TOKYO, Jan. IA dispatch from
the Japanese army before Port Arthur
received today says:
The enemys forces occupying Keek-
wan mountain and co. fort, following
an explosion at 1890 this morning,
opened sudden and fierce rife fire,
which suddenly stopped. Our scouts
were dispatched to the scene and inn
mediately afterwards found the enemy
evacuating these places. Our forces
Immediately occupied these two forts
and also the heights known as M and
N, south of the forts. This morning
almost all the enemy's ships, large and
small, were blown up in the entrance
and inside the harbor. Our offensive
movements have been suspended pend
ing the negotia tions."
Flag of Truce
Gen. Nogi reported as follows:
AT in the afternoon, Jan. 1, the
enemy's bearer of a flag of truce came
: into the first line of our position south
OF Sushfyen and handed letter to our
officers. The same reached me at 9
O'Clock at night. The letter is as fol-
lows:
"Judeng by the general condition
OF the whole line of hostile positions
held by you, find further resistance
at Port Arthur useless and for the
purpose of preventing needless sacri-
fee of lives, propose to hold negotia-
tIons with reference to capltulatlon.
Should you consent to the same you
will please appoint commissioners for
discussing the order and conditions re-
garding capitulation and also appoint
place for such commissioners to
meet the same appointed by me.
take this opportunity to convey to
your excelIency assurances Of my re-
spect. -Stoessei."
Shortly after dawn today I will
dispatch our bearer of flag Of truce
with the following reply addressed to
Stoessel:
81 have the honor to reply to your
proposal to hold negotiations regarding
the conditions and order of capItu-
lation. For this purpose have ap-
pointed as commissioners Nal. Gen.
IjichI, chief of staff Of our army. He
will be accomp anied by some staff of
ficers and civil officials. They will
meet your commissioners Jan. 2, noon,
at Sushiyen. The commissioners
of both parties will pc empowered to
sign a convention for the capltuIatIon
without waiting for ratification and
cause the same to take Immediate eff
feet. Authorization for such plenary
powers shall be signed by the highest
officer of both the negotiating parties
and the same shall be exchanged by
the respective commissioners. ] avail
myself of this opportunity to convey
to your excelIency assurances of my
respect. -Nogl."
Public Is Kept ignorant
ST. PETERSBURG, Jan. 8, Q "a. M
Foreign kilograms regarding the fall
of Port Arthur have been withheld
from the newspapers pending the issue
of the official announcement here. The
government is following the dictates
of its own judgment in this course;
but the public so far is entirely un-
prepared for news which must prove a
serious blow when it comes. The
newspapers so far merely intimate that
the defense of the garrison is proceed
ing as usual; but everyone has realized
for some time that the end was ap-
preaching, and there is no question
but that the majority, if they were
prepared by preliminary announce
ment by the government, could forgive
the loss of the fortress in admiration
of the garrison's heroic defense.
Possibly some of the hesitation of
the authorities here to make the an
nouncement of the fall of Port Arthur
Is que 10 threats ana fulnOfS= OF rdQlcai
demonstrations coupled with the abb
sence of the emperor; but it is certain
that no demonstration is likely which
could assume serious proportions, and
the radical leaders would be sure to
ALLEVIATE the sympathy of many even
of the more liberal Russians if they
chose such moment for revolutions
al'y demonstration.
It has been learned that the last tele-
gram sent by Emperor Nicholas to Gen.
Stoessel vested the commander of the
Port Arthur forces with discretionary
powers and urged him to exercise them
rather than allow the defense to go to
the last ditch This may account for
the apparently brief time required to
conclude the negotiations between the
Russian and Japanese commanders, no
time having been occupied in COM