The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-04
sTOEssEL's SAD STORY.
Tells of the Horrors of the Siege of
 Port Arthur.

Tells of the Horrors of the Siege of l Port Arthur.
 l St. Petersburg. Jan. 3.-The text of General Stoessers dispatches follow: December 2s the general wrote: The position of the fortress is be- | coming very painful. Our principal enemies is scurvy, which is moving down the men, and 11-inch shells, which no obstacle and again when 1 there is no pain. There only remain a few who have not been attacked by scurvey. We have taken all the pos sible measures, but the disease is spreading. The passive endurance of the enemies bombardment. the 11-inch shells. the impossibility of replying for want of ammunition; the outbreak of scurvey and the loss of a mass of officers-all these cause to diminish daily the capabilities of the defense. The tale of the losses of higher off, cers Is an indication of the enormous losses we have sustained. Often Gen. erals two Kondrateko and Tserpitsky have been killed, Raznatovsky is dead two are wounded, myself and Genna- deire, while Gorbatowsky Is suffering from contusions. Of nine regimental commanders and colonels Prince Matchabeli Naoumenko has been killed Dourire and Glagolew have succumbed to wounds and four others have been wounded. One lieutenant colonel has been killed and two are wounded" On December 29 General Stoessel wrote: At 10 o'clock yesterday morn ing the Japanese blew up part of the parapet of fort No. 3. They after wards opened a severe bombardment along the whole front, but especially on Fort No. 3. At about o'clock in the afternoon, they dashed to the att tack of the parapet from the moat and glaois where they had been held in readiness. Two attacks were repulsed, but the Japanese occupied the funnel shaped opening formed by the explosion and reinforced by their reserves began to run across the moat in groups of about five. They occupied the parapet and at dusk two battalions had entered the inner fort. Our troops fought from the entrenchments which were badly damaged.
 Part of our troops hid themselves in the easements. but the Japanese placed machine guns in front of the exit from the easements thus depriv- ing our men hidden there of all pos sibility of making an attack Three counter-attacks from the outside by our reserves met with no success The fort consequently remained in the pos session of the Japanese. Our losses were considerable especially in officers The surVlVors or the garrison succeed ed in getting out of the fort by the windows. By the occupation of this fort, the Japanese became master of the whole northern front and the fortress can hold out only a few days more. We have almost no ammuni- tion. I will take measures to prevent carnage in the streets.
 "scurvey is sensibly weakening the garrison. have now under arms only 10000 men, the rest being all sick Gen. erals Fock and Nikitina have been veritable heroes and admirable COG laborers.
 An png the other high officers there was an enormous percentage of killed or wounded. Many companies are commanded by ensigns and the com panies only average sixty men strong.
 The Japanese since Dec. Is have re- trained from assaultinR. Yesterday