Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-02-15

AIa over HI GASftS ASI sway,
Who's boss o this stanty, anyway
My better hall!
SAN Francisco Call. [
CHINESE GokDoN's STICK.
A
"A "Reminiscences OF the Campaign in
China by On Old arsilleryman%
From the New York B!ibune.
although I~actua.ly served under
Cn.leoe c,.IvA," So: So ~: .,.c cccst::- cs .
National Line steamer to Tribune
Scse:.~ "vet the truth is I never ex.
changed words with him but once, anu
that was when I went TO him for com.
mission in the imperial service. That
was in 1868 or 1864, I forget which. ]
was chief officer on vessel that came
into Shanghai, and left her determined
to Join Gordon. All the young fellows
at that time were crazy to join Gordon,
So went to General Gamble at Shang
hal. He was in reality only captain in
Her Msjestv's forces, but was acting I'M
der Gordon as Quartermaster Gen.
eral. He gave me q chit, or letter OF
Recommendation to the great man, and
I went up the river in sail-bo at. ma
tive craft, to Quin.San. where he had HE
headquarters. / had learned that all
Europeans who had any knowledge OF
guAnery were appointed lieutenants
with pay of $l4O q month
to say nothing of the chances OF
"loot.' picking up things you know. in a
captured town. When got to Quin.San
] found where his place was. 1t was a
large Chinese house, with courtyard
round it. There was an orderly outside
tt door, who asked what l wanted.
said that wished to see General Cor
don. He went into the room and COM
ing back, told me to go ir. The famous
man was in white shirt and white
trousers, and his red sash lay upon bit
of carpet on the floor. He was at desk
studying over map. / stood in front
of the desk waiting. Presently he stood
up and fixed pair OF gray eyes full ON
me, and said:
"What do you want?
"'An appointment
"Where have you been? What do
You know? Are you acquainted with
gunnery?'
9 II told him as briefly as possible,
showed him my credentials from the
Royal Naval Reserve, aud my warrant
as a chief officer Of the mercantile ma
rine. He nodded, and said: Very
good and then wrote note to the chief
officer commanding the Fifth Regiment,
'Ning-pos we used to call them. went
off about the town and anchored myself
for the night in sort of military hotel.
Iva 1Nf n MI nj
G0rdon's force, some military, some
naval, and there was a good deal of
chatting about the two arms of the SER
vice. l. being sailor, naturally sided
with the sailors. and said my say. no.
ticed that the captain OF
ONE OF GoRDoNs GUNDoArs
was attentive to my remarks. Present.
ly he asked me some questions about
what was going to do, and told him.
He mounted his pony and rode off at a
hand-gailop. In half an hour he came
back I'd handed me a commission as
lieutenant of his gun boat, 'he FREELY.
So went on board next morning, and
remained Oh her for five months, W hen
I left Gordon's force, and returned to
the commercial marine.
''And was that all you ever saw OF
Gordon?"
"Oh. no. But that was all ever had
to say to him, or he to me: If | had
Joined the Ning-pos, no doubt I should
have been brought often ia contact with
him. I often saw him at the head of his
queer to see him marching in front oil
lis men, twirling in the fingers of his
right hand short black stick. There
we're Queer yarns in the force about
that stick. 1t was said to have extra.
ordinary powers. He has been known
to creep to the palisades of stockade,
put one end of the stick to his ear and
the other to the bottom of the poles
He would listen intently, and then he
would come back and detail captain,
two lieutenants, and hundred men to
be at certain part Of the stockade atsss
certain hour. A couple OF guns drawn
by Chinese soldlers, but manned by
European artillerists, lieutenants every
man Of them, would be Of the pedi
ton. He would suddenly announce to
them that the guns ct that particu
lar part had been withdrawn to another
part of the ,stockade, and that if a breach
were briskly made, it could he stormeo
with little loss. As soon|as the guns hae
made hole the infantry would 90 at It
.-- GORDON AHEAD OF EVERYBODY,
az likely as not without his sword, bu
with revolver and his little black stick
He was very humane, and was mos
careful in taking precautions to lose al
few lives as possible. He seemed t.
realize that his Europeans were worth
everything to-, him. When one wa!
killed, he always felt it and showed
that ha did !" =, 81 +. y - e.,
WAS there anything particular about
Ane st,ck?" = T. 8, <
s'Not that I know of. Shortly after We
took Soo-Chow, where he led his troops
as aallantly as ever, with the stick twirl
ng between his fingers, there was q ru.
NOR ihatit was lost. There was q procla.
mation Offering a large reward for it,and
it was re .overed. Some men stole
it, probably, for the hope OF
getting a reward. / re-
,membe there was great deal of talk
alb, ut it. Captain Curtis, who command
ed our boat, the FREELY was an Amer
lean, and be thought it was hollow, and
loaded with some che micalarrangement
that made il remit sounds with singular
deIicacy. Others thought it was flied
with quicksilver, and others had still
stranger notions, But it had its effect,
and most of C;or,ion's officers had snort
black sticks. There was one Major
Ning-pos no had five gold rings on his
stick, which made 1t quite fancy arti-
Gle. I'm sorry, Mr.. Trlb une, that i GILL
not tell you amy thing more about him,
but truth is the truth, aud I have given
you straig BIT var !"
The Mexican COVE rnment has made q
contract with Oscar A. Droege TO plant
e,0au, 600 rrees in the valley Of Mexico
81 thu, u four years. .Che contractor
pledges himself to 80, coo, ash, 81, D0a
willows, 10, ,tbE, ct,lars. 6s, O0I encalyn n
tus trees, loo sroe noajap ones, so SOC