Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-12-10
RUSS|AMC0URT
MARTIAL FOR
STOESSEL
HERO OF PORT ARTHUR
ACCUSED or C0WARDlCE
Charge That He Surrendered
Fortress While Means Were
Still Left to Defend It--Kuno-
patkin One of Judges.

81. Petersburg. Dee. s-The nnal
stage Of the court martial 81 Lieu
tenan General stoessel will begin Ia
this city tomorrow. There have been
p%rotraeted delays IN taking the iestl-
mons IN the f8r east. but now the
dossier II IN order and proceedings
VIII 90 ahead rapidly.
General stoessel Is accused OF hat-
ing surrendered the fortr-s al Port
Arthur before h. had exhausted ali
the resources Of defense The pun
ishment for this, under the Russian
code. n death. lie Is TO be tried also
On the charge OF lacking initiative
and with having exceeded his power.
General Fock and General Reiss
are co-defendants with him Tha
first is accused OF having consplred
the surrender Of the fortress and
the second with having executed the
order Of surrender. General smirnOff.
General Stoessel's most butter enemy.
~ 80 be tried On a minor count. The
court viii be composed OF nine gen
erals under the presidency OF Vice
Admiral Doubasson. II will include
General Kuropatkin. Aiytor and 9TH
crs. General Garsky sill be judge
advocate. General StOessel will be de-
tended by Deputy syrtlanon and COL
onel Veliamon. The trial Is exciting
the most Intense nterest IN army cir
vlcs.
General Stoessel Is in a pitlable
state Of excitement over the nnal
hearing Of his case. and the doctors
arc apprchensive OF the effect upon
the veteran officer, who has suffered
4 Nsf - NhnFNH atF.Haa aNnma HLm FaUH
Of the fortress.
The general told the Representative
af the Associated Press today that
ne was glad that the trial. after It's
many delays Ras at last coming t.
= eiose. He expects 10 BE- fully re-
ha biiitated
The indictments against Generals
stoessel. Reiss, Fock and Smyrnoffl
are full Of sideiights on the unal
stages Of the Siege of the fortress and
az the confusion which existed In the
direction Of the defense owing 10
the ambiguous position of General
SmsrnOn. NOminally this general
held the chief command Of the fort
ress. but actually he was supplanted
by General St0essei who was little
more han the mouth piece 81 Gen
raj Fock.
Before communication with Port
Arthur was finally a on. General
k~uropatkin both teiegrnphed ant
wrote to Gencray Stoessei instructing
him to hand over the command Of the
fortress 10 General Smyrnon and re-
Join the Manchurlan army General
Stoesscl did not follow these instruct
ions on the contrary. he remained
az Port Arthur and a%rrogated to him
self the supreme authority.
General F0ck ~ considered "a be
responsible for the evacuation of Vie
tally important forts between Deem
Der Is and January I and the evil
donce ON this point Is lncontroVertible.
The indictments give a terrible graph
" description Of the straits the de-
Tending forces were reduced 10 By
shell and rifle IRE. mines ana hand
grenades The losses We're enormous
one position alone the casualties
exceeded four hundred in a single
DAY and at another point there were
hut thttry survived from a detachment
~ over three hundred men. Never
theless. neither General CorbatoWsky
nor General Smyrnou admitted the
possibility of voluntarily e~Nacuating the
lcfcnsrs u the 10Th bitterly up
General Fook when they
heard u his order 10 do 80. The last
council before the capltula-
ton vas held az Port Arthur on the
evening OF December 90.
The council voted ~ % 3 In favor !,
N holding GU 10 the lal extremity.
Stocssel tool mo- active part In
he discussion but General Rciss. who
a number ~ reasons for sur
undoubtedly spoke in Stocs-
,cl's behalf
ADMIRAL Wren denounced General
iteiss a. e traitor. The same time
General Stocssol sent his much
commented on telegram Co the empe-
Tor. beginning with the words Great! I
sovereign. forgive US We have done
everything Within human Hmifr
us but Judge uH me|rcifulN.
vas given null power hy Cen
erat stoesse' in The final negotiations
Siuesscl did not bid farewell fa lie
when they marrhes out uf the
after the surrender He roe
.uined Tor hI- uUr use ttu of Che
eighteen carts placed bs the t~itt1r.
N the disposal uf the Russian uum-
1u in PORT Arthur His uuI, -afi.I-
.uae Witnesses have affirmed. WAS faf
oNn baggage
II wiil he thc IufR of fnr .uurt
martial to determine whether fb.
pifulauun 81 Port Arthur ON Ian-
iaff Q vas Justified according 90 Rus
lan mlIlLrL gedes and ethics. There