The Washington herald., 1908-02-21
Mertz and Mertz Co.. 600 F Street
STOESSEL GUILTY;
OBTAINS CLEMENCY
Continued from Page one.

Continued from Page One.
do not think. realize the conditions.
Certainly they do not consider the facts.
With the fall Of DOB Meter Hnr' and the
establishment there Of the heavy Jap
anese siege guns, Port Arthur was in
eYitably doomed.
If proof of this is needed one has only
to remember that from the crest OF this
hill. overlooking the harbor of Fort
Arthur and the city Itself. the japanese
gunners were able TO sink. and did sink.
every battle ship that lay al anchor with
in that land-locked harbor. sheltered as
it is from the sea by Tigers Tail and
Golden Hill.
This was the work Of two days II was
simply question OF when. from their
now impregnable position. the victors Of
''33 Meter Hill' should train their guns
on the town, on the forts on Tigers Tail
and those remaining on Golden Hill
The tight had been fought. And 70 the
japanese enormous credit belongs. Stoes-
el lost-the rest was death. or surrender
That Is simply my opinion.
The court in st. Petersburg has decreed
otherwise What advantage would have
been gained by the death Of the Russian
soldiers who remained. and who fought
quite as CALAMITY as their forbears
fought az Inkerman and Sebastopol. II
Is hard 70 see.
realize now that Gen. StoesseI is a
disgraced and a discredited man. and
doomed to suffer further.
Meeting with StOesseI.
AS I read the news OF his condemnation.
look back. over time intervening. 10 a
night-June Il, 1So4-when I was taken. a
prisoner. 10 his house, on the sloping
hill that overlooked the harbor Of Port
Arthur and which was more than once
struck. even in those early days OF the
siege. by japanese shells I remember
him as he came into the room
The Russian Officer who held me in
charge. brilliant in uniform. stood up and
saluted. He almost pulled me Of my
chair in his esgerness to have me salute.
too.
I should have saluted in any case. For
the man who came into the room that
night. tired and with a haggard look. i'm
pressed me with the fact that he was all
man.
Slightly above middle height. he was
general His white blouse was unbut-
toned. His left hand. wounded in the
japanese bombardment Of a few DAYS
previous. was carried in a sling. wrapped
in bandages.
Stories OF Internal Strife.
It was on this man the fate OF Port
Arthur depended.
had just come from Chefoo. There
stories were rife OF division Of authority
In the belesguered fortress: Of how the
admiral in charge OF the Russian feet
insisted his was a separate command. and
how he would not obey the orders Of the
commandant, so that unity Of effort was
not possible.
One could read. 1 thought, something
OF this worry and tremendous response
bihty in his face-a face with its closely
trimmed beard. its square. close-set Jaw.
and steely blue eyes, that reminded me
Of the portraits I had seen OF Gen. Grant.
I thought al the time that II Gen. StOes-
sci was in supreme command the fort
ress was in slight danger.
Like that Of most brave men. the voice
Of Gen Stoessel was low. His manner
was most courteous. He might have been
receiving a guest rather than a man
charged with being a spy.
One Of the first things he did was 10
reach inside his blouse with h-his right
his uninjured-hand. and bring out a
cigarette case. and pass IL around When
the cigarettes were lighted and questions
were in order. his manner was stin cour-
teous and kind.
he insisted however. that he wanted
no guests during the siege and that his
unwelcome visitor would have TO get
away in a Chinese junk. He acted as II
the refusal he had 10 voice was as un-
pleasant 70 himself as 10 his prisoner
Impressed by Defenders Men.
The conversation lasted half an hour.
Then the weary general bowed and ex-
cused himself The prisoner was led over
the dark hills back to his cell.
But the picture Of Gen. StoesseI. as
saw him then has remained-of a man
essentially brave and strong. bearing
upon his shoulders the weight Of q tre-
mendous responsibility.
Isolated from his home government.
doomed to rely upon himself dissenslons
in his own fortress. and ignorant Of what
north; ignorant even that the japanese
had cut the Russian forces in two. and
that there was no chance Of relief for the
fortress coming down from the north
that is the memory I have Of the man
who fought with might and main. with
poor tools and no support, against a
brave. indomitable enemy.
The japanese. whom he had defed so
long and on whom his stubborn defense
had inflicted the loss Of thousands OF
lives. saluted him in defeat His own
country condemns him. II remains for
history to render the true verdict;