The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1905-01-03
STORY OF
THE FALL,
Defense Incredibly Heroic
Besiegers Suffer Unheard
of Losses.

Port Arthur has surrendered Ex-
hausted by months of almost constant
fighting, decimated by disease and cas-.
ualties and hopelessly sealed in it's
rocky fortress, the gallant garrison
has yielded to it's gallant besiegers and
the end is now written of the most
dramatic war incident of modern
times.
At 8 o'clock Sunday night General
NOgi, commanding the Japanese army
of investment, received from General
Stoessel, commander at Port Arthur,
note saying that he found further
resistance useless and asking for g
meeting to arrange terms Of capitula.
t1on. The note was simple and direct
and the Japanese general Immediately
named commissioners to confer with
representatives of the Russian COM
mander. They met at noon Monday
and arranged the conditions to surren-
der
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 General
StOeSSel has rendered cOmmendable
service to his country in the midst of
difficulties" and that it is his wish
that military honOrs be shown him.
a dispatch from Toxic quotes military
opinion as believing that the entire
garrison will be allowed to march out
under arms and may be sent to Russia
on parole. Late dispatches from Japan
have shown that the gallant defense
OF otoessel and his men has nowhere
been given finer appreciation than
in the land Of his foes and it is more
than likely that Japan will embrace
the opportunity to show her magma.
nimlty and admiration Of the gallantry
OF Port Arthur'S defenders by allow
ing them all the honors which war
permits a victorious army to bestoW
upon the vanQuished.
STORY OF OPERATIONS ONE
OF REPEATED FIGHTING.
The siege and the defense Of Rus
sia's stronghold in the Far East have
been marked by bravery, gallantry and
desperation uneQualled in modern War-
fare and hardly eXcelled in military
history. The story Of the operations
around Port Arthur is one of repeated
fighting, both by land and sea, Of the
most desperate and thrilling character.
Isolated instances Of herOism that
would have set the world ringing un-
der less overwhelming circumstances
have been dWarfed by the generally
magnificent conduct OF both forces.
ny sea there have been torpedo boat
dashes Of superb recklessness and big
Ships have ploughed through mine
fields with heroic disregard to give
battle or in wild efforts to escape.
BY land 5he Japanese have hurled
themselves against positions declared
to be impregnable. They have faced
and scaled rocky heights crowned
with batteries and crowded with de
tenders, suffering losses that military
experts say would have appalled, any
European army.
In the doomed fortress it's people
have lived under a vast rain OF shells
and shrapnel. Scanty rations, be
sieged on every side, knowing that
hope OF success or escape was vain,
the garrison has fought with stub.
bornness that has evoked the admira.
tion of the world. They met the untir.
ing assaults of the Japanese with a
grim valor that gained every praise Of
their foe and the fighting has been
waged with a relentlessness that often
refused truces to bury the dead and
collect the wounded. Over corpse.
filled trenches men have fought hand
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 human
life and in money no estimate of even
approximate correctness can be- made.
The losses have been appalling. 1t has
been reported that in some engage.
ments leading up to the recent capture
of 202-Meter hill the attacking force
lost as high as 40 per cent of the force
engaged, while the garrison's losses, OF