Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-01-18
WHY FORTRESS FELL
General Stoessel Interviewed
on Leaving Nagasaki.
LOSS OF METER HILL A DEADLY BLOW
Defender of Port Arthur said: "It Is
Not True That 1 D~issented From
Decision to Surrender; We
Had No Hope of Relief"

LONDON, Jan. 1S.-A Nagasaki dis
patch says that General Stoessel, who
left that port yesterday with his fam
lily for Odessa, when interviewed be
fore his departure, said:
1.-THE %capitulation of Port Arthur &C
curing on New Years day was merel.
q coincidence The loss of Two Hun
dred and Three Meter hill and the sub.
sequent capture OF forts. combined
with the deadly craftsmanship with
the terrible eleven inch shells. the de-
pressing effect of the death Of General
Kondratenko and the fearful increase
of scurvy, really fixed the time of cap
scented from the unanimous decision of
the final council of war. Our final
urgent requests for relief We're never
answered. AZ regards parole. | dis
tinctly discouraged any concerted nc
ton. Every officer decided for himself.
Generally commanding officers stuck
with their men and chose imprison-
ment. Most of the naval officers also
chose captivity. many probably being
influenced by the fear Of impending
court martial
There were actually surrendered at
Port Arthur between nine and ten thou
sand soldiers and sailors. of WHOM
many were unfit for duty. The sick
ana wounded numbered 10000. Fifty
per cent of the officers of the garrison
were killed, and only rs probably per
cent went through the siege mscath-
ed.
The fortress could have held out for
some time longer but for tho fire OF
the Japanese eleven inch howitzers,
which destroyed the food depots. the
workshops and the ammunition stores
and made the repair Of the defensive
works impossible.
Interviews with other Russian Of
ficers revealed great bitterness against
and denunciations of Admiral Alex
cleft for his failure TO properly fortify
Port Arthur and his cowardly flight"
by the last train from the fortress.
They say the torpedo boat destrOyers
that escaped before the surrender car
ried all the regimental and> naval colors
to Chefu. The Junior officers denounce
the incapacity and folly of the govern.
ment In entering upon the war and
declare that all the men who return to
Russia from Port Arthur are revolu.
tionists in spirit. These opinions were
openly expressed in the presence OF
General StOessel, who remarked: let
them talk. They have earned the right
to think as they please by Drawing un-
told deaths for Il country"
A Mukden report details an attempt
of Il strong Japanese detachment of
infantry, cavalry and artillery to cut
off the column of General Mischtschen-
kos cavalry as the latter retired north
ward.
The japanese under cover of a mist
outfianked the Russians. 4 battle en-
sued, the Russian artillery with the
column intlicting heavy losses on the
japanese ut short rangc and then re-
firing. The Russian losses were FIVE
and forty non killed OF wound
cd.
The Russian protest against the I'M
putation that General Observation-Disclosures
cavalry violated Chinese neutrality,
even if-of which there is at present no
evidcnce-they crossed the Lino river
above Newchwang. claiming that II
small strip on the west bank is dis
reserved as included in the
of hostilitics.
At St. Petersburg 1t Is said that Rus
STA has notified China that il she con
contraband in favor of Japan Russia
Will march her forces into north China
and Chinese Turkestan. The viceroy
considers the situation Worry serious.