The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-12-10
RUSSIAN GENERAL WHO sURREN.
DERED PORT ARTHUR FACES
POSSIBLE DEATH PENALTY.
is MUCH AFRAID
Russian Prosecutor, Before Court
Martial, Asserts That stoessel Gave
Up Without Half Fighting-other
Generals Also on Trial for Their
Connection With Surrender.

st. Petersburg, Dec. 9.-The final
stage of the court martial OF Lieuten-
ant General Stoessel will begin in this
city tomorrow. General Stoessel is
accused Of having surrendered the
fortress at Port Arthur before he had
exhausted all the resources of de-
fense.
The punishment for this, under the
Russian code, is death. He is to be
tried also on the charge of lacking
initiative and with having exceeded
his powers. General Fook and Gener-
al Reiss are co-defendants with him
The first is accused of having con-
spired in the surrender Of the for
tress and the second with having ex-
planned the order of surrender. Gen
eral Smirnoff, General Stoessels most
bitter enemy, is to be tried on minor
charge. The court will be composed
of nine generals under the presidency
of Vice Admiral Doubassoff. It will
include Generals Kuropatkin, Bilder-
ling, Myloff and others.
General Stoessel is in a pitiable
state of excitement over the final
hearing Of his case and the doctors
are apprehensive Of the effect upon
the veteran officer, who has suffered
two paralytic strokes since the fall Of
the fortress. The general expects to
be fully rehabilitated.
sideIights to Trial.
The indictments against Generals
Stoessel, Reiss, Fook and Smirnoff are
full OF sidelights on the final stages
Of the siege Of the fortress and on
the confusion which existed in the di-
rection Of the defense owing to the
ambiguous position of General smir-
noff. Nominally, this general neld
the chief command of the fortress,
but actually he was supplanted by
General Stoessel, who was little more
than the mouthpiece Of General Fook.
Before communication with Port
Arthur was finally cut off, General Ku-
ropatlsin both telegraphed and wrote
to General Stoessel, instructing him
to hand over the command of the for
tress to General Smirnoff and rejoin
the Manchurian admiralty. General
Stoessel did not follow these instruc-
tions. On the contrary, he remained
at Port Arthur and arrogated to him
self the supreme authority.
General Fook is considered to be
responsible for the evacuation Of vi
tally important forts between Decem-
Der 1S and January 1.
Story of Surrender.
The indictments give terrible and
graphic account of the straits to
which the defending forces were re-
duced by shell and rifle fires and mines
and hand grenades. The losses were
enormous. The last military council
before the capitulation was held at
Port Arthur on the evening of Decem-
Der 29. The council voted 19 to 3 in
holding out to the last extremity.
General Stoessel took no active part
in the discussion but General Reiss,
who recited number Of reasons for
surrendering, undoubtedly spoke on
Stoessels behalf.
The most sensational part of the
indictments relate to immediate cir
aet, NP 4,,1a on
January 1, after the evacuation of the
Eagles Nest and other points. Gen
era1 Stoessel sent a letter to General
Nogi, proposing to enter into negotia-
tions for the surrender of the fortress.
Generals Reiss and Fook appear to
have been the only superior officers
cognizant of General Stoessel's inten-
tion to capitu1ate.
At the Time of Surrender.
It will be the duty of the court mar
tial to determine whether the capitu-
lation of Port Arthur on January l
was justified according to Russian
military codes and ethics. There were
plOOdply ooAAS Ld,VVO 9ASutAA5 L1SA1 ASA1
at the time OF the surrender. The
sick and wounded numbered about
$4,000. There is evidence to prove
that in the matter Of provisions Port
Arthur could easily have held out an
other month and the reserves Of am
munition. both artillery and rifle,
would have suh1ced for even longer
than this The garrisin had 800 ef-
fective guns when the fortress was
surrendered.
The standpoint taken by Generals
Stoessel, Reiss and Fook Is that the
fate OF Port Arthur was sealed with
the capture of the Eagles Nest and
two other positions by the Japanese.
that every. point remaining In the
hanaa OF the Russians was exposed to