Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1894-08-31
DECLARES IT is MURDER
/ French Oi1ceP Describes the Sinking
Of the KoV ShlnS.
OYER 1000 LIVES WERE SACRIFICED
The Chinese and japanese Are Not Sea
Fighters, But COVardly Butchers.
A Thrilling Narrative.

VICTORIA, Il. u, Aug. "a "A letter Just
received by friend in this city from
Gustav Leianu, one of the officers of the
French cruiser Lion, serving for some
time past ON the China station, contains
an interesting account of the story and
incidents of the Japanese war, which had
but fairly opened when it Was dispatched
The Lion, 1t will be remern bered, WAS
the gunboat Instrumental III terminating
the operations of the Chiuese pirates, and
she WAS also the only neutral witness OF
the sinking OF the British steamer Kow
Shing, carrying Chinese troops, by the
japanese cruiser Naniwa This latter in
cident OF the campaign NJ. l.eIanu refers
to at some length in HE letter He says:
IL do not think much OF the Japanese
or Chinese as sea fighters. It seems a
shame to give goo ships and m odef n
arms to such set Of cowsrdly bntchers
Take the kow Shing si!air. 1t Was moth
ing put cold bloo,;ed murder. We fell
in with the Naniwa July % She WAS
under full steam and making great speed
80 We naturally inferred THAI she had
business Of. foot and hailed her IT, see
what it was. She ovefhaued HE Row
Shing and two smaller crafts, the Nao
and Too Man, just outside OF Shopa
island early in the morning OF thu 10Th
The Kow Shing was flying her British
coors and 90 was the Too Man. The \ ao
showed no colors at all, and for come rea-
eon the Too Man hauled down as the
NaniwR came along The japanese gtin-
boat dropped her anchors when she
reached signaling distance and ~e did
the same. Two boats were lowered for
the Naniwa and her officers spent several
hours on the Kow Shing, sending boats
back and forth in the meantime We
were anxiously awaiting developments,
but did not expect to see powder burned,
as much on account OF the defens less
condition of the Kow Shing as owing 10
her flying the English colprs Of course
we knew as we'll as the Nsniwa that che
had Chinese troops ON board. Finally
the boats returned to the Naniwa aud
the Kow Shing went to the lee of the
island and anchored there by order Of
the Japanese, as We afterwards learned.
The next we knew, two hours later, the
trading steamer Was under SLOW steam
and the Nauiwl WAS standing out for the
open sea, cleared for action. There WAS
not even half or a quarter of a mile be-
tween the two, nevertheless the big crui
ser tried some OF her heaviest metal on
the captive. Then she got her toroedoes
working and In few minutes he floating
wreckage WAS all that WAS lef. of the
well known steamer. We lowered orr
boats, picking up twenty-three men who
were swimming-two Germans, one En-
glishman and twenty Chinese. The jap
anese were shooting the swimmers in
the water with rifles and Gatliugs when
we came up, but suspended firing aud
lowered boats, too, though We did not see
them pick anyone up. They taid the
transport was trying to escape. The En-
glishman we picked up told us she Was
merely shifting anchorage so as to be
safe from wreck at the turn of the tide
and was not 80 foolish az to try to re,
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