The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-22
THE FRANKS FURY.
How the Anamites were MOVED
Down at Hue.
Graphic Description OF the Capture
OF the Town. Driven by Flames
20 Death by Bullet--Inhuman
slaughter OF wounded.

HbNpoN, Oct. 2o.-Pierre Iote, an officer
of the French expeditionary force in Tom
quin, sends to The Paris Figaro the following |
description of the fall of Hue: The beaten |
Anamites were cooped up in the burning |
village The only load of escape from the |
flames lay under the guns of the fort, which |
was filed with sailors armed with
Krapotehak repeating rifles, with sights |
carefully adjusted to the distance
Magazines of rifles were duly loaded. The |
men looked on waiting until flank move |
ment ofsthe other troops and the firing OF the
bamboo huts should drive the human quarry
out before them. We saw them hating at
the end of the village. with singed hair and
garments. Then, after few moments hest
tation, tucking up their flowing robes as high
IS they could and trying 10 protect
their heads with planks against the impend-
ing shower of bullets, they rushed on. A
great butchery then commenced Two vol
leys were fired. 1t was quite a treat (cetai
un plaisf) to see these fan-like streams or
bullets sweeping down upon the fugltves.
They were poured in twice in one minute at
the word of command, and in a sure, method
ical manner 1t was like jet from
a huge watering pot, which moved
them down by dozens, In cloud
of dust and gravel we could see some,
who seemed to be driven mad, picking them
selves up, limping now one way, now au-
other, like wounded animals, gathering up
their robes in eomical manner. Their long
hair unfasted and streaing down their backs
made them look like women. Others tried to
escape by swimming a lagoon to try
to reach the jqnks. These were killed
in the water. Some good divers re-
manned a long time under water. Our
men continued to kill them all the samewhen
they came up to breathe like seals The men
then amused themselves by counting the dead
fifty ON the left, eighty to the right. In the
village were small heaps. With those killed
in the southern forts, about eight hundred or
athousand must have been disposed of. The
| sailors made bets as to the number destroyed.
| About 9 in the morning all was over, and
| the rout Of the Anamites was complete The
heat was intense, and the sailors, maddened
| by the sun and the noise, and quivering with
| excitement rushed out of the fort after the
| wounded Some were 'erouching in holes,
| Others were feigning death, while Others
at the last gasp were stretching out their
! hands pleading for mercy and shouting.
''Hanl Hanl" IN heartranding accents. Our
men slaughtered them with bayonets, or
! Drained them with the butt ends of their mus
/ kets. The Anamite servants, dinlinutiYe,
effeminate lads, who had followed the infan-
| try from Saigon, were hunted out. When
one of the fugitives was uneafthed the sailors
would call out: Here's another. Come,
give him le'ang, leangm The sailors
were quite unrecognizable. They were
! absolutely madmen, The officers attempted
to restrain them, and said to them: ''You
ought to be ashamed of such cowardly, dirty
work" They replied: ''The Anamites are
savages. They carried the head of Capt
Riviere on the top ola pole, and if they car
ried the day they would cut the French to
j pieces or saw them within two planks. There
was no reply to this. It was true, and so
they were left to their grim work