Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-12-10
Accused OF Surrendering Port
Arthur Before Exhausting All
Resources of Defense.
TWO OTHERS ARE INVOLVED.
Gen. Fook of Conspiring to Surrender
And Cen. Rei~S of Having
Executed the Order.

ST. Petersburg. Dec. 9.--The final stage
of the court-murual OF Lieut-Geu.
stoessel VIII begin IA this city tomor-
row. There have been proUacted de-
lays n taking the testimony in the far
east. but now this material is Boz order
and proceedings VIII ~ ahedd rapidly.
Gen stocssel is accused Of having
surrendered the fortress at Port Arthur
before he had exhausted all the re-
sources OF defense. The punishment for
this. under the Russian code is death.
tie Is ~ b. Tried also ON the charge OF
lacking initiative and with having eN-
Ceeded his powers. Gen FOOk and Gen.
Rclss are c0-defendants with him. The
FIRST is accused Of having Conspired the
surrender OF the fortress and the sec-
ond with having executed the order Of
surrender Gen. SmirnOm. Gen. StOes-
sells most bitter enemy. is 20 De tried
on "a minor count. The court VIII be
composed Of nine generals under the
presidency OF Vice Admiral Douolssoff.
IL VIII include Gems. kurouatkin. Bile
dcrling, Mylon and others. Gen. Gar
sky will be judgc-advocate. Gen. Stocs-
sci will be defended by Deputy Syrt-
lauoff and Col. Neliamoh. The trial is
exciting the most intense interest in
army circles.
Gen. Stoessel IS in a pitiabic state OF
excitement over the final hearing OF
his case and the doctors are aupuc-
hcnsive Of the effect upon the veteran
officer. who has suffered two paralyuc
strokes since the fall Of the fortress.
The general told the representative Of
the Associated Press that he was glad
that the trial. after IT'S many delays,
was at last coming 20 a close. lie ex-
poets TO be fully rehabilitated.
The indictments against Gems StOes-
81 krnI %
of sldelights on the final stages of the
siege Of the fortress and ON the COM
fusion which existed in the direction OF
the defense owing 20 the ambiguous po-
sition OF Gen. Smirnoff. Nomiually,
this general held the chief command
of the fortress, but actually he was sup
planted by Gen. Stoessel. who was
little more than the mouthpiece Of Gen.
Fook.
Before communication with Port Ar
thur was finally cut off. Gen. Kuropat-
kin both telegruphed and wrote tO Gen.
StOesscl instructiug him TO hand over
the command OF the fortress TO Gen.
SmirnOd and rejoIn the Manchurian
army. Gen. St0esscl did not follow
these instructions. on the contrary. be
remained at Port Arthur and arrogated
TO himself the supreme authority
Gen. Fook is considered 20 be respons-
ible for the evacuation Of vitality im-
portant forts between Dec. Is and Jan.
I, and the evidence on this point is
incontrovcrtible. The Indictments give
a terribly graphic description of the
straits 20 which the defending forces
We're reduced by she'll and rifle fire,
mines and hand grcnades The losses
We're enormous. on one position alone
the casualties exceeded 400 in "a single
day. and at another point there were
but 30 survivors from q detachment of
over 300 men. Nevertheless. neither
Gen. GorbatOWsky nor Gen. Smirnon
admitted the possibility OF voluntarily
cVaCuating the defeuses and they both
bitterly upbraided Gen. Fook when they
heard OF his order to DO So. The last
military council before tho capitula-
tion was held at Port Arthur on the
evening OF Dec 29
The council voted 10 TO In favor Of
holding out to the last extremity Gen.
StOessel took no active part ina the dis
cussion, but Gen. Reiss. who rccited a
number of reasons for surrendering
undoubtedly spoke on Stoessers behalf
The most sensational part OF the i'm
dictments relates 20 the immediate cir