Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-01-03
LAST FIVE DAYS TERRIBLE
Handful of Men Loft to Defend Fort
Wore Worn and Starved and Abso-
IuteIy Incapable Of Making Any Fur
Their Resistance-stooss Indomit-
able Spirit Broken.

enter Port Arthur TUESDAY. IIc NUS
slams Sunday blew up two of their own
forts near the railway and completed
the destrl ction of the cruiser Bayan.
Port Arthur is described by later ar
rivals as 4 living hell Hhe hospitals
ire reported to be neatly all Destroy
ed.
Commander KartZow of the Russian
torepdo b Dat destroyer, Vlastni, In an
interview with the Associated Press
correspondent last night. said: Port
Arthur III Is of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
not only OF ammunition, but of men.
1.-THE remnant of the garrison left
had done the work of heroes, but Sun
day they reached the limit of human
endurance.
In the classmates of the forts one
saw everywhere faces black with star
walton, exhaustion, and nerve strain.
You spoke to them, but they did not
give answer, only staring dumbly.
1.-The lack OF ammunition alone
would not have sugges ell tie seeking
of terms. Scant ammunition had long
been common in the fortress and dur
ing the past month many of the forts
had nothing with which to return the
fire Of the enemy.
The Russians sat in the casemates
firing not more than cnce to the 200
shots sem by the Japa, ese. When the
assault came they iepuised the enemy
with bayonets. But the men them
selves. having existed for three months
on reduced rations. were so Worn that
1t Is marvellous they stood the final
strain so long.
StoesseI Game to the End.
yesterday General .stoessel would
still fight. His wound. which was re-
ceived early in the siege had been
bothering him, but his determination
to fight while one man stood had not
been diminished.
"'But we can't fight said his gem
erals, Our men, cannot move. They
sleep standing. They can not see the
bayonets at their breasts. We can Or
der. but they cannot ooey.
Then you generals fight said
Stoessel. clenching his fists.
"He seemed fanatical on the subject
but finally he was brought to see
reason by his officers.
II am sure Port Arthur would have
sought terms a month ago had 1T not
been for General Stoessel, who with
bull dog tenacity steadily refused to
permit such action to be taken. He
had told his emperor that he would
never surrender and he meant to keep
his word
THE greatest loss suffered by Port
Arthur occurred a. fortnight ago, when
Major General kondraienko, was kill
ed Officers and men alike regarded
him as the brightest star in Port Ar
thurs armament. When his death
became known the fall in the spirits
of the soldiers was plainly seen.
How kondratenkt Perished.
General kondratenlio was seated in
the casemate of Il certain fort discuss
ing with seven other officers the best
way of countermining the Japanese
when an eleven inch shell burst killing
everybody in the casemate.
General Nogi has taken Port Ar
thur with his artillery and his tunnels.
His rifle bullets were seldom found to
be of any use.
1--WE constantly endured lombard
ment fiercer than any in history. The
Japanese periodically assaulted, and
then. if repulsed. they calmly resumed
the commandments.
I'VE who came here today do not
know the terms of surrender suggest
ed by General Stoessel to General Nogi,
nor the answer to them, having left
Port Arthur even before the messenger
had been dispa tched.
The general impression, however.
is that Stoessel has proposed that the
army shall go free ard that he alone
be made prisoner. Even that con-
cession seemed to wrench out the
sturdy old mans heart
whether or not he negotiations
in an agreement on terms
Of surrender it is certain that Port
Arthur is doomed, as you say the AS
ISOLATED Press predicted two months
ago.
I'VE still have some ammunition and
is not adar ted for the best
defense from the Landslide, and the
Japanese would find its capture easier
than the other tasks they have attemp-
ted. Tigers Tail peninsula has to be
viewed, and Golden Hill has
been without ammunition for three
months.
Since reaching Oh sfoo 1 have seen
that attempts have been made to make
1t appear that Stoessel alone wished to
the other generals desiring
to continue the fight. This is lie, and
it is based solely on personal dislike
Of Stoessel.
Held the Fort by Bayonets.
'It is simple story. Had the ann
munition held out tie fortress would
have held out indefinitely. Fer months
we held Port Arthur by bayonets alone
until flesh and blood could do no more.
When a nan fell there was none to
replace him. Thus the garrison was
gradually worn down. Two hundred
and three Meter hill alone cost US five
thousand men. The capture of that
hill was the beginning of the end.
1.-The JapaneSe art llery was excel
|ently served. They had four hundred
guns bearing on 2oS Meter hill. They
advanced Their trenches while the ar
tillery was Smelling he Russians out
with a shower o. metal. and then oc-
cupied the Russian positions.
"In personal combat, the japanese
were greatly inferior to the Musco-
vites. one Russian could take care of
three japanese in tayonet fight, and
some of our soldiers have records
vastly brighter than that. The japanese