Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-22
constantly on

NAA sss'I.: 1..'. 5,i's..: ,''I. !. |.
constantly on
hand and bloody outragea not yet uncom-
mon. Ny friend, M. Bavier-C Chauffeur,
the Managing Director of the Tongking
Coal Mining Company, most kindly offered
me the use of his launch, the 'Fanny," !"
a powerful and luxurious little vessel of
90 tons; and finally accompanied me
himself, with one of his lieutenants, Mr..
Ivatts,a man of huge build and fierce beard,
much-traYeled and charming companion,
and an intrepid raconteur. The trip was
one of the greatest interest, and it is safe to
| say that no Englishman, except Mr.. james
Hart, who helped to delimit the frontier, has
been near the spot before.
From Hatou. where the coal miners are,
we steamed due north along the coast, enter
ing at once the unique scenery of Along
Bay. For hours here we threaded our way
among rocks as thick as trees in an orchard
enormous, towering hills a thousand feet
high, great bolders hanging over sea-worn
caves, tall, trembling steeples, tiny wooded
rock islets, shimmering grOttos, and an
infinite number of grotesque water-carved
fOrms-the monk, the inkstand, the cap Of
liberty. All the afternoon there was one Of
these within gunshot on each side; on one
of them we shot an eagle, on another big
monkey. This is the pirates haunt, and it
is, indeed, q glorious thing to be a pirate
king when you can run from your pursuer
into Along Bay and disappear instantly at
any point.
By the evening of the second day we
reached the mouth of the river separating
Tonking and China. 1t is long row up
the river to the little frontier town of Mon
kay. This is-or rather was-a Yery pecu-
liar place. 1t was built half on each side of
the little stream that forms the actual from
tier. believe the two halves had different
names, the Tonking one only being called
Monkay, but they were practically one
town. (The reason for using the past tense
will be plain presently The town had no
poor quarter; its streets were mathematically
laid out; its houses were all of brick and
stone, with richly carved and ornamented
lIntels and eayesi their inhabitants were all
rich. In some way or other, this was the
outcome of the alliance Of piracy and snug
Cling.
THE FOREIGN LEGIoN's EXPLOITS.
When the French came they did not in
terfere with the town on their side of the
stream, but on the top OF a sugar-loaf hill
three-quarters of q mile back they began to
build little fort, and under its guns they
laid out "citadeI," inside which to locate
the barracks, officers quarters, magazines,
etc. Among the first to be sent there was
civilian official named Haitce. One day
while out with a small party they were at
tackled BY band of Chinese soldiers. They
fed, some were shot, some escaped, Haitce
only was captured. He was taken back to
house in the principal street of the model
lite town of Monkay, tied down upon a
table, and skinned alive.
Now, at this time the famous Colonel
Dugenne was in command of the Foreign
Legion in Tongking. Everybody knows |
what the Foreign Legion is-almost the |
only force in the world where sound man
is enlisted instantly without q question |
being asked. No matter what your nation |
ality, what your color, what your past, you |
are welcome in the Foreign Legion,
A man may even desert from the regular |
French army and re-enlist unquestioned, in |
y his heterogeneous force. In return for this |
Preliminary indulgence, however, you must
ut up with many inconVeniences-t worst |
eelimates, the hardest work, the front line of |
The attack, the forlorn hope, and the most
iron discipline. Once out of civilized parts,
and there is practically only one punish
ment in the Foreign Legion-the punish
ment that can only be awarded once. To
keep such body of men in order. this is
perhaps necessary, and the officers 10 enforce
it must be hard men-men with bodies of
steel and hearts of stone. And the hard
est of them all was Colonel Dugenne.
Some day I must tell the stories heard of
his methods OF paclfcation in Tongking.
When the authorities heard of the outrage I
have described, they understood that it was
no use to wipe it out with lose-water. So
they sent Colonel Dugenne and his children.
He came and looked at the place. "Buru
it," said be. But it wouldn't burn. being
all brick and stone. "BIow it up." said
Colonel Dugenne. And they did-they blew
the whole town literally to bits. Compared
with Monkay, Pompeii is in good preserva-
ton. You need an alpenstock to get through
the streets. And the house where Haitce
was tortured is now hole in the ground 20
feet deep.
READY FOR A FIGHT.
You are not long in discovering that
Monkay is not like other places. As we
were rowing up, big red pheasant was
sitting in tree not 20 yards away. picked
up my rife to try and shoot its head of, az
we do with partridges in the Maine woods.
"Don't fire here" said Watts, quickly;"the
people at the fort would think there was
trouble, and probably turn out lot of men,"
The Resident, NJ. Rustant, walked down to
meet US and take US to the Residency. This
proved to be an old temple, or pagode as the
French call all native buildings, divided
into rooms by board partitions, and very
provided with modern furniture.
Outside six-ioot moat was dug, and lined
with spikes of bamboo SO thickly that hen
could hardly walk about in it. On |
each side of the moat was
stockade built Of heavy bamboo eight
feet high and sharpened to q spike
1t the top. At each corner a lookout was
built Of sods and bamboo, in which sentry
stood always with loaded rife The front
of the Residency faced the river, where a
little gunboat lays anchor. The back of
It looked toward the frontier, and therefore
.he back entrance, with the kitchen and Of |
ices, was further protected with thick walls
If sods, to guard against the bullets fred ct
It from long range. The Residents guard
consists Of 120 native militia, under two
European officers. But at night as we sat
It dinner in the cold, bare, cob-wehbed, bat
enanted central hall of the former temple,
he door was pushed noisily open and q
Of 13 men and q Sergeant of
be Foreign Legion tramped past our
hairs 70 an ante-rOom and grounded their
rms with crash on the stone floor. Al
We Wero awakened bv the aama | ,