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Show General Keller a Brave Soldier. Lieutenant General Count Keller, the first man of his rank on either side to be killed in the present war, was in command of the Second Siberian army division. He Was 54 years old and resigned the highly lucrative governorship of Ekaterinosiav in order to go to the front. After the defeat of Lieutenant Lieu-tenant General Zassalitch in the batttlc on the Yalu river. May 1, General Keller was appointed to suc-ceeed suc-ceeed him in command of the Second Siberian division. di-vision. He was of Irish descent, coming from one of the "Wild Geese," who marched out with all the honors ' of war from Limerick and sailed away to Europe when King James II had lost his throne. The exiled ex-iled Irishmen entered the service of France, Austria. Aus-tria. Germany and Russia and won renown on the battlefields of Europe. In France, to which the majority ma-jority went, they formed the famous Irish brigade. Count Keller was only one of many of the descendants descend-ants of these exiles holding high office now. -General Keller took p'.trt in the three campaigns of the Russo-Turkish war. In 16S7 he commanded the Imperial Rifle regiment and later wat director of the Corps of Imperial Fages, in which position he came in contact with the members of the imperial impe-rial family, with whom he was in great favor. His sister, Countess Kleimmichel, is a leader in St. Petersburg Pe-tersburg society. He was considered to be the possessor of cool judgment, and to be a fine strategist, a well as a dashing fighter. Though a-strict disciplinarian, he was a kimTand careful officer and popular with his men. Prince Shirenski, an eyewitness of Lieutenant General Count Keller's death, says it was due to a reckless inspection of the batteries made on foot. During a lull in the fighting about midday July SI, General Keller, though warned by his subordinates that his white uniform made a fine target, laughed and slipped from his horse and walked to the front of the battery just as a shrapnel shell burst. He .died within two minutes after being wounded. The railway carriage in which his body was brought here was profusely decorated with evergreens and wild flowers gathered by his men as a last tribute to their commander. ' |