GENERAL STOESSEL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9047, 24 March 1908, Page 5

GENERAL STOESSEL.

IMPRISONED IN A SMALL CELL. Received March 23, 9.15 a.m. ST. PETERSBURG, March 22. General Stoessel, whose sentence of death in connection with the surrender of Port Arthur was commuted to one of ten years' imprisonment in a fortress, has surrendered to the authorities. He has been placed in a barred cell in the fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Petersburg. The cell is nineteen feet square, and adjoins the cell where Adn-iral NiehogatofF, who was sentenced for his conduct during the Battle of Tsushima, is incarcerated. ""The condemnation of General Stoessel marked the final downfall of an officer who for a short period was the popular hero of his country. Within three years from the time when the plaudits of the Russian nation were his in unstinted measure, Stoessel was under suspicion, and latterly he has lived in dire poverty and disgrace. General Kuropatkin, in giving evidence before the courtmartial, read a letter written during the siege of Port Arthur by General Smyrnoff to Colonel Gurko, stating that General Stoessel was a coward, and apt to lose his head in an assault, and that it might be necessary to place him under arrest to prevent the fall of the fortress. General Kuropatkin explained that hs finally decided not to interfere with General Stoessel because of his unexpected success in holding with about 30,000 men a fortress which theoretically required 130,000 men to defend. Later an order was issued by General Kuropatkin superseding General StoesEel as at Port Arthur, and diluting General SmyrnofT to take command. This order was dated June 18th, 1904. but Stoessel disregarded it, although it was repeated three times. It was alleged that he suppressed the copy of the order sent to General Smyrnoff. During the sittings of the court-martial General Stoessel assumed entire responsibility for the surrender. He declared that Port Arthur could have held out only a few hours, and then at the saci'uke of 20,000 lives.