Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1883-10-25

THE SLI UG HTI9R At HUE.
How the Annaniites Were Massacred
by the French

New York Herald cablegram.
LONDON, Oct. 19.-Pierre Lote, an
officer of the French expeditionary force
in Tonquin, sends to the Paris Figaro the
following description of the fall OF Hue:
The bea'en Anrtmi.es were cooped up
in the burning village. The only road of
escape from the flames lay under the
guns of the fort, which was filled with
sailors armed with Krapotchak repeating
rifles with sights carefully adjusted to
the distance. Magazines of rifles were
duly loaded.
The men looked on waiting until
flank movement OF the other troops and
the firing OF the bamboo huts should
drive the human quarry out before them.
We saw them halting at the end of the
village with singed hair and garments.
Then, after a few moments' hesitation,
tucking up their flowing robes as high as
they could and trying to protect their
heads with planks against the impsnd-
ing shower OF bullets, they rushed OH.
A great butcherv then commenced. Two
volleys were then fired. 1t was quite
treat (c'etait un plaisir) to see these fan
like streams OF bullets sweeping down
upon the fugitives. They were poured
in twice in one minute at the word of
command, and in a sure, ,methodicsl man
ner. 1t was like jet from huge water
ing pot, which moved them down ly
dozens.
In cloud of dust and gravel we could
see soms who seemed to be driven mad,
picking themselves up, limping now one
way now another, like wounded animals
Gathering up their robes in comical
manner, their long hair unfsstened and
streaming down their backs, made them
look like women, Others tried to escape
by swimming lagoon to try to reach the
junks. These were killed in the water.
Some good divers remained a long lime
| uEder water.
Our men continued to kill them all the
same when they came up to breathe like
sesls. The men then amused themselves
| counting the desd-50 to the left so to
the right. In the village wer4 small
b 'aps With those killed in the south.
rrn forts, about 500 or q 1000 must have
tesn disposed Of The sailors made bets
| as to the pumb bers destroyed. About 8 in
tie mo ming all was over, and the rout
f tine Annsmites was complete.
TIE heat was intense and the sailors,
Inaddened by the sun and the noise, and
| quivering with excitement, rushed out of
| the fort after the wounded. Some were
orouching in holes, others were feigning
death, while others at the last gasp were
stretching out their hands pleading for
mercy and shouting, "Hsn, Han l'' in
heart-rending accents. Our men slaugh
tered them with bayonets or brsired
them with the butt ends of their musk, II.
The Annamite servants, dimirutive, ei-
Terminate lads, who had followed the in-
fantry from Saigon, were hunted out.
When one of the fugitives was unesrthed
the sailors would call out, .'Here's
another. Come give him 'le'ang
l,'apg.'"
These sailors were quite unreoogniza-
BILE. 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 Annamites are savages.
They carried the head OF Captain Riviere
on the top OF the pole, and if they car
ried the day they would cut the French
to pieces or saw them within two plsnks. ;"
There was no reply possible to this-it
was true, and so they were left to their
grim work.