The Saint Paul globe., 1905-02-20
STOESSFL' COURAGE
IS IN THE BALANCE
Officers and Reports Differ on
Conduct In Port
Arthur


SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 1s.-Three
paroled Russian navy captains and
eleven leutenants arrived here today
from Port Arthur en- route to Russia
on the steamship Siberia. The party
consisted of Capt. N. o. Won Essen,
commander of the battleship Sevas-
topoi; Capt. Esconvitch, commander
OF the battleship Retvizan; Capt.
N A SAKE, commander of the
naval transport Yermad; Lieuts.
Bestoujeff- -Rumy, A. J. Bezestuzeff, v.
Beklemsheff, v. Butkevitch, K. Krot-
koff, F. Ostelzki. A. Rigey, S. Tirtoff, P.
Wesselken, ]. Dennisoff and d. Kova-
levski.
The naval officers had no criticism
or Gen. Stoessel or the conduct of the
defense of Port Arthur, beyond the
fact that the Russian fleet was under
manned and had not a sufficient sup
ply or ammunition when the war began.
Port Arthur, they said, would have
fallen the latter part of August had it
not been for the strengthening of the
land forces with guns and men from the
fleet.
Lauds Gen. StoesseI
Gen. Stoessel," said Capt. Won Es-
sen, lis brave soldier, great general
and true patriot. He held to the last
minute. He had plenty of ammunition
certainly, but / never heard of any
army which could live on ammunition.
Lack of food was the main reason for
the surrender. There were not more
than 10000 able-bodied soldiers in the
garrison when 1t was surrendered"
According to statements of the of
ficers, but little food was carried
through the blockade by junks.
The Russian officers will leave for
New York in a few days, from which
place they will report to the Russian
ambassador at Washington. They
speak in the highest terms of the treat
ment accorded them by the Japanese
None would express any opinion of
the Russian domestic conditions. but
they were hopeful that the war would
have a successful ending.
Tell Different Story
VICTORIA, B. c., Feb. 1s.-Aboard
the steamer Tartar. which arrived to-
day, were Lieuts. Below and Bondy,
officers of the Russian cruiser Sevas-
topol, captured at the fall of Port Ar
thur. They were released by the Jap
anese after giving their parole.
Lieut. Below characterizes Gen.
Stoessel as a coward. 1.-The world will
know Stoessel as he is" said Below.
He is coward. Stoessel was bur-
rowed great deal of the time in a
cave. The real heroine was Nine. Zou-
honeli, who. when her husband was
Killed, took command of a battery of
three eleven -inn6 OF Do;,
manding the water supply and held
them until she was also killed The
garrison was deceived by false reports
OF the approach of Kuropatkin's army
and the Baltic fleet"
A number of outbreaks have been
started recently by Russian prisoners
at Matsuyama.
Special Reports Made
ST. PETERSBURG. Feb. 2O.-Ac-
cording to dispatch from Mukden spe-
cial reports have been received at that
place stating the surrender of Port Ar
thur occurred against the wishes of
most of the officers of the garrison. The
dispatch says that at general council
held after Gen. Kondratenko's death
only two officers, Gen. Reiss, chief of
staff to Gen. Stoessel, and Col. Khvost-
off, agreed with Gen. Stoessel that
further resistance was useless, the
others joining in Lieut.. Gen. Smirnoff's
view that there should be no surrender
until the stores were exhausted. At
that time, according to the Mukden re-
port, stores for month remained, after
serving out $500 pounds of flour to
each company of the garrison, other
provisions for the hospitals and a large
amount of horse meat. flour and canned
meats. s. There were no vegetables.
which was responsible for many cases
of scurvy.
According TO the Mukden report the
japanese were amazed when the Rus
slams accepted the conditions. The
correspondent adds details of the sur
render, and describes the thin ranks of
the Japanese regiments participating
in the entry parade on Jan. z. Many
of these regiments mustered only a few
hundred, in spite of fresh drafts, show
Ing how dearly Japan had paid for the
fortress.