The following statement has boon officially given out and gazetted in The articles in the French papers regarding theongagoment of 12th June and the Liaoyang telegrams from Russian correspondents published in the evening papers of Vienna of 27th Juno charge the Japanese troops with having: mal-troated the Russian wounded and killed in the battle of Wafangtion. In -theso papers it is stated that Prince Bourbon
the Russian wounded with their bayonets, himself witnessed the Japanese stabbing and when the Russians had to evacuate Wafangtion Station, the Prince, writing, on the wall in big characters, drew the attention of the Japanese Commanders to what ho had witnessed and desired that such acts should not be repeated.
Our Government referred the accusation to the army at the front. The reply received from the Second Army on 2nd July is as follows 'Tho.articlos in the French papers regarding the action of 12th June.and those in the Austrian papers regarding the engagement at North Wafangtien are pure fabrications or deliberate perversions of facts, and. indicate. the, Russians' cowardly scheme to conceal their own barbarous conduct by calumniating our disciplined forces.
On 12th May (? June) wo.did not fight, neither were there any collisions betwoon the opposing scouts on that date.
In the engagement of 15th May (? June) near Wafangtion, the Russians maltreated our killed'and wounded, but the Japanese inflicted no cruelties on the. Russians. We succoured the wounded Russians, some of whom wept with sincere gratitude for our kind treatment. Wo collected the Russian killed, and prior to interring them submitted their bodies to the inspection of the doctors. No Russian wounded or killed received maltreatment at our hands.
To quote one or two barbarous actions of the Russians; on 15th June four Japanese infantry men, who were on patrol duty on Chengtszeshan, were attacked by some 15 Russians and killed. The enemy than thrust their, bayonets through the eyes and mouths of our soldiers, ripped open their. chests, and made off with their purses and badges of identification. 'The badges were found on a Russian who was taken' prisoner after the battle of that day. Simila barbarous actions were so common with the Russian troops that I did not consider it worth while reporting them and have hitherto omitted all mention of them in my reports.
Again on 27th June a trooper named Kobayashi, while keeping watch on the heights north of Hsiatsaoyii, four kilometres north-east of Hiungyocheng, was attacked by the enemy, and while retreating towards Chengpaichi was shot through the breast and fall dead from his horse. About 20 Russian cavalry gathered around the dead body on which they inflicted terrible but unmentionable cruelties, While thus absorbed in this task, they wore attacked by a body of our cavalry. The Russians precipitately fled, and the terribly mutilated body fell into our hands.
To quote an older incident, on 15th May a trooper named Goto, on scouting duty with an officer's patrol, while ad-vaneing towards Yangkaiyuon was surprised by the enemy's cavalry, and being shot through the right shoulder, fall from his horse. He than drow his sword, which ho drove through his throat, and fell to the ground. "Subsequently the enemy approached him, and snatching the sword from the dying man, cleaved his head in two.
Many similar cases of Russian cruelty might be mentioned, and in future I shall report them whenever they occur.
But the following incident is a glaring instance of Russian cowardice, During the engagement of 15th Juno the enemy's cavalry in the north-west of Tafangshon were pressed on all sides by our forces, so that their retreat was cut off, and they then unfurled the flag of the Rising Sun. Our infantry having relaxed their fire, these Russians made good their retreat, ing as.a portion of our forces. Another body of Russian cavalry who retired from the neighbourhood of Hwahungkeu, displayed white flags, and when our fire abated, they dosconiod into the valley and escaped to the north, It might be expected that Russia, which has allowed hor soldiers, who ought to respect honour, to commit such cowardly actions, should endeavour to conceal hor own misconduct by calumniating others.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.