The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-01-06
PORT ARTHUR
AT LAST FALLS
COMPELLED TO succuMe TO THE
FIERCE TENAcITY OF THE
JAP ATTACK.
CAPITULATION Is COMPLETE
END NOW WRITTEN OF MOST
DRAMATIC INCIDENT OF
MODERN TIMES.
NO EQUAL in MODERN WAR
STORY OF OPERATIONS is ONE OF
REPEATED FIGHTING BY
LAND AND SEA.
NO EQUAL IN MODERN WAR

Port Arthur, whose hills have for
months run red with the blood of the
bravest of two warlike nations, has at
last succumbed to the fierce tenacity
of the Japanese attack.
Exhausted by months of almost con-
slant fighting, decimated by disease
and casualties and hopelessly sealed
In its rocky fortress, the gallant gar
rlson has yielded to it's gallant be-
siegers and the end is now written of
the most dramatic war incident of
modern times.
At 8 o'clock Sunday night Gen. Nogi.
commanding the Japanese army of in
vestment, received from the Russian
general, Stoessel, a note saying that
he found further resistance useless
and asking for a meeting to range
terms of capitulation. The note was
simple and direct and the Japanese
general Immediately named commits
sioners to confer with representatives
of the Russian commander. They met
at noon yesterday to arrange the con-
ditions of surrender. The negotiations
were concluded at 4:30 o'clock.
Nature of Terms Not Known.
The nature Of the terms agreed
upon is not yet known, but dispatches
from Toxic indicate that they will be
of the most magnanimous character.
The emperor of Japan himself, through
the chief of the imperial staff, has
| given public his expression that Gen.
Stoessel has rendered commendable
service to his county in the midst of
"that military honors be shown him.
The siege and the defense of Rus
sia's stronghold in the Far East have
been marked by bravery, ~gallantry
and desperation unequaled in modern
warfare, and hardly excelled in mill
tary history. The story of the opera
| tons around Port Arthur is one of
repeated fighting, both by land and
sea-. of the most desperate and thrill
ing character. Isolated instances of
heroism that would have set the world
ringing under less, have been dwarfed
| by the generally magnificent
Conduct Of Both Forces.
BY sea there have been torpedo boat
dashes of superb recklessness and big
| ships have plowed through mine
fields with heroic disregard to give
battle or in wild efforts to escape.
BY land the Japanese have hurled
themselves against positions declared
to be impregnable. They have faced
and scaled rocky heights crowned with
batteries and covered with defenders,
| suffering losses that military experts
say would have appalled, any European
| army.
In the doomed fortress it's people
have lived under a rain of shell and
shrapnel. Scanty %rations, b~esieged on
every side, knowing that hope of sue
cess OF escape was vain, the garrison
has fought with a stubbornness that
has evoked the admiration Of the
world. They met the untiring assaults
of the Japanese with a grim valor that
gained every praise Of their foe, and
the fighting has been waged
With a Reientiessness
that often refused truces to bury the
dead and collect the wounded.
Over the corpse-illed trenches men
have fought h~and-to-hand with cold
steel and dubbed guns, and at short
range have hurled at each other hand
grenades filed with high explosives.
The whole story is one of undaunted
courage and sublime bravery.
What Port Arthur has cost in hui
man life and in money no estimate of
even approximate correctness can be
made. The losses have been appall-
ing. 1t has been reported that in some
engagements leading up to the recent
capture OF 203-Meter hill, the attacking
force lost as high as 20 per cent of the
force engaged, while the garrison's
losses, of which NO word has come,
must have been frightful.