The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-12
Great rials Of History.
rnLAL OF GENERAL sroEssE1.

When General Stoeesei mado his gal
i ient defense OF Port Arthur. in tho
upon him with universal admiration
This admiration was never lesscncd In
spite OF the fact that In the humiiIa-
ton that cUmo to Russia In tho disas-
necessary TO find victims. aud the great
nero was put TO the humiliation OF n
stripped Of all the honors he had won
ana was sentenced TO death.
For many years, sto!essel had cut an
was at its height ho was credited with
ne grim prophecy: Port Arthur viii
been looked upon as glorious had II
occurred before he was put 10 the hu-
initiation o; guaranteeing lie had
fought against terrible odd.. thousands
OF miles from home. with an army In
every way Inadequate TO Withstand tho
Japanese. so ii would be difficult, TO
imagine now any general could haVo
succeeded under such circumstances
When Stocssel was Informed by
company Of soldiers that they could
iu, %o" can f die 1 ;hSn ms s ESn5S
long months he held out, but surren-
der was lnevitablc Iionorably and
tending. he returned wounded and Ill
TO russia TO be judged. What was this
Judgment? seldom has Il nation been
as Russia used Stocsacl. HIS former
associates, IN tho clubs and drawing
rooms did not notice him when tMoy
met. He was no longer consulted on
amy matter relating TO the government
ana troops. !ic vas forced 10 resign
III he Is guilty let him die" said
me EMPEROR. once proud 10 call Stoes-
prove IT." At the Emperor's !nitia-
tive Stoessel handed in his resignation
on September -. 1905. This followed
by the appointment OF commission
70 inquire into the capitulation of tho
Asiatic stronghold on February -.
1907. there was presented a secret re-
The indictment OF Stoessel. II was writ
ten by L!eutenant-Gcncrnl Smirnon.
and incaP2ctty. and finally OF deliberate
reasonable Fastening OF tho surrender
10 save his own life.
1T was not until July IA that this
document was made public and not
until December 10 that tho trial waB
begun NJ ST. Petersburg, It was con
iittlo Interruption. The army officers
of Russia were evenly divided for and
against the charges IA stated.
,SiotsaeIs court-mnrtinl was con-
Guided on February 90. when the YER
dict condemned him to death. The
ducc this sentence TO one OF imprison-
mcnt IN q fortress for ten years, on
tho ground that the forces against him
which led 10 the surrender of the fort
rcss on January 49, 1905, was colossal:
,hat the men in Port Arthur under his
It'tuclSIllD lGpIlScn several attacks, ard
that lac himself had gone through three
campaigns.
Tie trial was received In ST. Poters-
burg with little satisfa elton. for IL
vas felt that nothing had been accom-
plished by his conviction toward estab-
fishing tho real responsibility for tho
fall OF tho fortress. Tho newspapers
expressed sympathy with the general
and declared that the death sentence
would have to be commuted. AZ Cen
cral Nocdcr was reading tho sentence
Stoessel maintained n rigid. soldier
IKE iinpassivity General Smirnoff was
also seemingly unmoved. but thore wcrc
tears In the eyes OF General Reiss
on March 81. 1905. Stoossel began To
serve his ten years sentence In tho
fortress OF 81. Peter and St Paul. Iio
persisted until the very last in hoping
ON May 10. 1909. on tho birthday OF tho
Gar. he took advantage of the annivcr-
sary to extend to the old general his
pardon. AS Stocsscl emerged from
tho prison gates he was warmly con-
graduated by Il largo crowd. Tho hu-
initiation of failure Is graphically illus
tratcd in ;his story. Had the result OF
the war been different tho name OF
Stocssel would no doubt he honored
instead of dishonored in the Russian
nation Hall OF Fame.