The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-18
WAYS THAT ARE DARK
TREACHERY, UNTRUTHFULNESS AND
CRUELTY OF THE CHINESE.
"Reminiscences of English and French
Experiences in Their Invasion
of Thfrty-Five Years Ago.
New York Times.

CnlneSe metnOQS or warfare ana Q1pI0-
macy, illustrated in the events of the past
few months, are precisely those with which
the English and French had to contend
thirty-five years ago when expeditionary
force under Sir Hope Grant and General
Montauban took the Taku forts at the
mouth of the Pei-Ho, occupied the city of
Tien-Tsin, and finally seized Picking itself.
While the little army was marching on the
capital the Chinese sued for peace and it
was agreed on both sides that the prelim-
inaries should take place at Tung-Chow.
town about ten miles from Picking. Forty
English officials and as many Frenchmen
were sent forward to that place, escorted
by small number of soldiers Hardly
had they arrived at the town when a
large Chinese army attacked the delegation,
and made prisoners of all except few
who managed to cut their way out of the
trap. Montauban at once led troop of
Sikh cavalry to the rescue, and had no
difficulty in gaining entrance to Tung-Chow.
but when he arrived there the prisoners had
disappeared.
The Chinese officials professed complete
ignorance to their whereabouts but
later 1t was ascertained that the unfortun-
ate Europeans had been bound with green
wthes, tumbled into carts, and taken to
the Summer Palace, where they were viewed
by the Emperor and the ladies of his court.
Later they were sent to Picking, put in
cages for a while, and then tortured, some
of them to death, exactly as were the Jap
anese prisoners at Port Arthur.
While these things were going on, the
d Ghnese D. had i;I,, not ceased to send man,
and had pretended to be arranging terms
OF peace. Their treachery is shown by the
t1aaet t, disc tn,e after the war was over.
Issued manifesto Offering a reward of
f4so for the head of a European embassa-
f<1. hos 1f
important foreign officials
The allies finally attacked, with a force
numbered between $4,000 and $1,000, and
which was posted at a bridge over the
a while the battle was a fierce one The
Tartar cavalry showed considerable brav-
cry, and not little discipline, the Chinese
soldiers a stolid disregard of death. Both
were soon cut to pieces, and, when the day
closed, there was nothing to prevent the
stead of doing so. two weeks were wasted
in talk with faithless and powerless man
delay the inevitable.
Finally the city was seized. English au-
thorities say the French pillaged the Sum-
mer Palace and destroyed it, because of
anger at Chinese cruelty to prisoners. The
French version is that the destruction
airy. AS to which is true does not seem to
make much difference: 1t is certain that
the enormous SpoiS taken from the palace
were divided between the two forces.
LOOTING THE CITY.
A writer in Macmillan's Magazine, in an
interesting article on these events, likens
the doings of the soldiers as they sacked
the palace to bees on summer day, go
ing and coming, yellow with gold
ments and imperial satins. gold watches
hanging to the buttons of their uniforms
their pockets stuffed with splendid en-
broideries and trumpery knick-knacks,
mixed with priceless pearls and precious
q
they danced with excitement upon gorgeous
silks and furs, which strewed the ground as
mere dishclouts, in the mud. At last the
that, firing of the work. they turned to
divert themselves with smashing the vast
mirrors on the walls. 1t was the very de-
lirium of loot.
"A French writer notices the curious
fact that many of his countrymen were
work curiosity than by the richest jewels.
He describes the din and disturbance of the
| following night, when the whole camp rang
| with the drumming of toy rabbits to the
| shrill accompaniment of toy monkeys beat
| ing cymbals. flutes, clarionets, and the
sounds, with the Striking of alarm clocks
and the repertory of a thousand musical
| boxes in every Key were mingled with the
| sonorous laughter of ces gems 81 facies a
amuser.' He may well say of the scene
| that it was a nightmare.
English had no share in all this 1t was
| an act of retaliation in which we took our
nQ,
Gal clearance was over some valuable prizes
| were found. For instance, on asking
friend who had entered with LII, the &c cavalry nt
| est, he leisurely put his hand into his pocket
| and brought out loose handful of pearls,
| OF these. and one or, two other odd things;
| one of the other odd things was a skull,
| supposed to be that of former Emperor,
| lined inside with pure gold, and standing
on a solid tripod of the precious metal.
| lodi Of fbn hal Q 70
! 1t was said to be used on certain festive
| occasions a punch bowl
'Then there was the lucky individual who
| stumbled across large joss, or sacred i'm
age, about three feet and half high.
| on the floor rejected by all Corners as value
| less. But the lucky one had not been
| through the Indian mutiny for nothing;
| touchstone came from his pocket, and the
| golden joss found its way to England
/ where a sum. variously stated at from fl2,-
900 to f15.0oo, rewarded the Intelligent in
| "a pair of chased gold claret jugs of Eu-
ropean make no doubt sent out as ,nt pres te
| hands of an acquaintance for the modest
price of a SOVEREIGN and a bottle Of whisky.
| Comte D'Herisson mentions that his orderly,
an Arab spahi, brought him two handfuls
of pearls. which he refused. but which a
! brandy. True, brandy was expensive. and
| cost 100 francs a bottle, but the pearls sold
| tifully carved Jumps of ivory seem to have
| been the favorite ornaments. strung loosely
| on to the embroidered tabliers or ephods,
| worn in front by the great mandarins. Most
| of the pearls in consequence bored,
| as is usual in the East.
CHINESE CRUELTY.
After the Europeans entered Peking they
| learned, from a few of the Tung-Chow
| prisoners who had escaped the fate of their
4 comrades, the fendsh treatment to which
/ they had been subjected. Gagged like wild
| beasts, they had been starved and tortured
| with savage malignity until of thirty-nine
| men all had died except seventeen.
! When ali the possibilities of Chinese pro-
| crastination had been exhausted treaty
| of peace was finally signed. Then, in
| order to impress upon the common people
| the fact that their rulers had been con-
| quered, what little was left of the Summer
| Palace was burned. This became necessary
from the fact that up to the very close of
| the negotiations, Chinese officials circulated
| proclamations to the effect that the for
| eigners had petitioned and been allowed, as
| favor, to advance and Picking and
| had afterwards received permission to with
| draw, with similar nonsense, which would
| be. and no doubt was. readily believed by
| the country folk.
China was forced to pay indemnity
of 100000 and to give f1,000O00 to the
families of the murdered prisoners. In con-