The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-09
CHINESE GORDON PUR SUES Ii HUNG CHANG.

ago. Let US go a good deal further
/ back than that-tO the time when a
i formidable rebellion threatened the
I very existence of the reigning Manchu
I dynasty, and we find that on one occa-
sion, for three long days and nights,
( the great Ii was engaged IN lodging
/ in s. most undignified manner an
1 avenging nemesis in the person of
/ Chinese Gordon. Ii was a COMPARE
| tive young man in those days and pre-
sum ably a good sprtnter, and it is to
this circumstance that he probably
owed his salvation, for Gordon had
swosn to riddle HIM with bullets ON
sight.
How all this came about, I will en-
deavor to explain briefly, as follows:
In the year 1850 there broke out in the
south of China a formidable insurTec-
ton against imperial authority, headed
by q schoolmaster, named Hung-tsue-
| Schuen, of TAPPING. This ind vidual de-
clared himself to be an emissary from
| the gods, sent to remove the Manchu
dynasty and to occupy the throne of
China. He styled himself the Heaven
Iy King" gathered around his banners
many thousands of followers and by a
bold dash captured the important and
poEulous city of Marking. With this
place as a base of operations, he or
gaBized a systematic campaign against
the government forces, and being uni
forgnly victorious, began in 1860 to
threaten Shanghai and the other ports.
1t was at this juncture that the Chinese
aInthorirhS bSthOught themselves OF
! tuf ming to the Europeans for aid, and
two American adventures, named
Ward and Burgevine, were commits
stoned by the governor of Shanghai to
raise troops for the defense of the city.
Wards first military operation-an
was a failure, half his men, American
and foreign sailors, being killed and the
rest driven off. A second attack how
ever supported by several thousand
well-drilled imperiaEsts, resulted in the
capture of the place and the comforting
ON Wards forces of the bombasltic title
of the Ever Victorious Army" For
time fortune continued to smile on the
impeTialist cause, Ward leading his
men from victory TO victory. Then sud-
denly the tide turned. The Ta1pings re-
ceiVed large reinforcements from the
interior, swept all opposition before
them, bottled Wards army up in
Sung-Kiang and advanced rapidly on
Shanghai.
It was a critical moment, and but for
the energetic intercessi0n of the foreign
naval forces in the harbor, the town
woald doubtless have fallen prey to
desperate conflict on August is. 1860,
outs de of the city walls, the Taipings
suffered a first defeat. On the follow
ing day they were routed with great
car mage and driven back to Soochow,
thesr starting point
The aggressiveness of the rebels was
but temporarily curbed, however. Two
yea.cs later the Heavenly King" made
a. fresh move on Shanghai, only to be
defeated once more. In September of
the same year, in the heat of the cam
paif,1r, the interchangeable Ward received
his death wound and the command of
the imperial army devolved upon his
second, Burgevine. The latter proved
unequal to the task. and besides this,
was caught differing the Chinese treas
ury at Shanghai. Accordingly, i'm jan
uary, 1868, he received his walking pa
pers and the Chinese government made
a formal application to the English for
the loan of an experienced officer from
the ranks of her majesty's army. And
thus it came to pass that Charles Cor
don. an officer of the Royal Engineers,
received the appol ntmeut as command
er cf the imperial forces in the cam
pai9h against the Taipings-
TIE strong pers 0aality of this re-
markaible man is familiar to the gen.
eral reader, combining as it did the