PORT ARTHUR. GENERAL STOESSEL'S PUNISHMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 45, 22 February 1908, Page 5

PORT ARTHUR. GENERAL STOESSEL'S PUNISHMENT.

"CONDEMNATION DESBEYED" DID STOESSEL LACK MOKAL COURAGE? Oy Tckgiapli.— Press AssociatiGji,~fcopyrig?ii# '. ST. PETERSBURG, 21st February. • ' The court-martial on the officers concerned in the suiTendcr of Port Arthur condemned General Stoessel to death, but \rithoufc loss of rights or honour, ov.'ing to the her Sic defence made by the Port Arthur garrison and Stoessel's v personal bravery. The court will ask the Tsar to com--mute the sentence to ten year?' imprisonment in a fortress. The court reprimanded General Focf and acquitted Generals Reuss and Smir-' noff. The Times says : "The condemnation is deserved, as General Stoessel conspicuously failed in his d\ity. He lacked the requisite indomitable moral "coinage." EXJKAOKDINARY EVIDENCE.. KUROPATKIX'S WEAKNESS.- • The most important day, so far, oftho Stoessel trial was 18th December,' \>hen tho question of Stoessel having insisted on retaining his command after ICuropatkia had told him thrice in two weeks to leave the fortress, came up for discussion. Kuropatkm (recently wroto The St. Petersburg correspondent of a contemporary) was in; tho witness box throughout almost the whole sitting. His evidence convicts Sloessel of a serious act of ' disobedience, and v.hilo it raises our opinion of Kuropatkin as a far-sighted military man, it proves that the man had nd will of his own, and that his far-sightedness was absolutely useless to him a.nd to hib country. "' / KUROPATKiX AND SiOESSEL. Let us ta!;c Kuropatkin's evidence about his dealings with JStoessel. Kuropatkin and f?cocs3cl had been schoolboys together, so that, when, on "tha occasion of Kuropatkin's visit to Port Arthur, Alcxcie.S" recommended that Stoessel be mado commandant of this second-class fortress, with tho pay appertaining to tho commfiidant of jv tirst-class fortress, Kuropatkin concurred, though all he could "sec good in his old schoolmate- was a knowledge of the local topography and tho local customs. "Aitor iho battle of Kinchau, I began to discover, partly from tho reports of General Stocssel and partly from tho accounts given me by persons coming from Port Arthur, that there was. a aeriou* falL in the spirits of General Stocssel. He found th» situation of Port Arthur dangerous. He begged for strong and immediate help. He declared that an extremely limited quantity of shells . was left, although as a matter of fact not & 's|nglo shot had up to this time been tired • by the landward, batteries, I communicated my suspicions to the Viceroy and begged him to enquire about Sfoosspl's suitabililv from the couiniandor of tho fleet "in Sort Arthur. Th» Viceroy accordingly cs'ctd th<i opinion of Admiral Vii.gcti"»nd Vitgeft's answer was not favourable to Stoessel, whoso authority, it was said, resided entirely in his seniority. STOESSEL TOLD TO LEAVE PORT AUTHUR. On 16th June Kmopatkin therefore wiots to Stoessel telling him ib'^ave the fortress and to join thjj Manchurian ' urmy, where a corps would be given him at the earliest opportunity. . This oi Icler w.\s repeated three times in two weeks. But Stnessol evidently know how iveak was the amiable gentleman with whom he had to do. for he .remained in Port Arthur, sending- by 'way ol reply to his superior's letter, one of tho most extraordinary pnictles ever written by a disobedient "subordinate to ,a coffl-mandcr-in-chicf in the field. "3. received your secret dispatch," ho says, "late yesterday evening whiles standing in the forefront, of our artillery positions, on tho battery of Captain Puzanoff. Hero wo have now contested two days in succession for possession of " tho heights adiyoant, to Kuinsan. To tell you the truth, tho contents of your dispatch thunderstruck me. , , At' the s&lcliers know ma well and trust me the European and especially the Chinese population also know me • well, and though my measures' may apear to thorn severe, they all see that it ia mily by such measures that order can be maintained at such a time. ' My departure wopld produce a general dispondency which would at -this juncture bs extremely dangerous and a fall of spirits which by all possible measures I am trying to keep up. ' A CONFLICT OF AUTHORITY. - Throughout tho rest of 'the letter Stccasel harps again and again on these reasons for no. lcr.ving. Ho had previously asked the Viceroy, he said, to ■ !ct< him leave, but the Viceroy refused, and now -when all depends upon ma, it is impossible to leave . . . now, when after two days' glorious righting 1 have extended the region of my activity"—which is guile false, for 'ho did not drive /back the Japaaeso .during tha nghting at Kuinsan. ICuropatkin'n conduct on receipt of this letter wa'i • worthy of his wavering character. After consulting with tho Viceroy ho decided to let Stoessel remain, "and tha further ; course of events in Part Arthur up to isth December only strengthened me m the opinion that the trust 'vhich the Viceroy and I reposed in Stoessel was merited." When csked why he didnt answer Stoessel, he said, "Because I could not write to Stoessel without cejhng him my opinion of the contents of his reply." He thonU ifc Alcxeiofis business to withdraw Btoesllu'roSkS. Al6Xieff tb ° U^ ife -