The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-12


British ship Niger was made tho victim Of
one of the most d&stardly and disgusting
plots in history. Late u very dark night,
the Chinese launched a yillainous junk OF
strange build that iloatcd down onto the
British vessel. An attempt was made to
tow it clear, but before this could be done
there was an explosion that ripped the up
per decks off the junk and filed the air
with the most disgusting material and
scattered it over the Niger from truck to
water line. The Niger was never used
again. She was taken back to England
and dismantled.
Foreigners who unluckily foil into the
hands of the Chinese weressubiectsS to the
most cruel and brutal kind of tA~tures,
which were made to last %. lens~ as tho
victims had any life left ii them, and
when that was about extinct they wer5
lnally sliced to pieces.
One poor French bluejncket, who had
imbibcl a little too much sssamshoo,"
wandered outside tho lines and fell into
the hands of the enemy, and although ey-
cry attempt was made to rescue him, he
was never seen again by his countrymen.
1t was learned afterward that be had been
gradually chopped to bits By having a fin
ger, toe, ear or some other portion of his
body amputated every day, this gradual
execution lasting several weeks.
In the summer the British fleet again
appeared off the Pei-Ho river for the pur-
pose OF ratifying tho treaty made and sign
ed at Tien-tsin tho year before, but this
time to meet with defeat, for upon tho
g~unboats attempting to enter the river the
heaviest kind of a fire was opened upon
them and three vessels were sunk. OF a
landing party of about 1000 men who at
tempted to storm and take the largo fort
on the south bank of the river, 40 men
were killed.
1t was here that the Chinese again re-
sorted ia their peculiar tricks. bitches,
dug in front of tho forts and filled with
slush, were covered over with grass and
weeds so as to look like solid ground. The
soldiers who attempted to cross them in
stantly san from sight and suifocated.
Besides this, there were scattered over the
ground bamboo spikes that we2 capable
of cutting through the strongest boot and
crippling the soldiers. Then there was a
sort of iron frame that held q pointed spear
pointed in tho direction of the attack. This
was concealed by weeds SO that tho soldier
who ran against it with any force was i'm
paled and hung until death relieved him
Of his miseries. Noisome stuff was scatter
ed everywhere. Z
The news Of this disaster spread great
CONSERVATION among civilized nations.
The European nations began to dread that
the Chinese dragon had at last been
reused. Great Britain and Franco lost no
time in meeting the threatened emergency.
They set about actively preparing fleets
sufficiently powerful to capture the whole
coast of China if necessary.
When hostilitics were resumed, the Chi
nese expected the Same kind of tactics as
had been employed tho year before and
were prepared for them. But the English
and French officers knew that tho forts
were practically imprcgnable from the
front, and it was no part of the campaign
to make tho attack that way.
All the cavalry, infantry and artillery
were landed on both sides Of tho river,
completely surprising the Chinese, who
had never thought of q flank movement.
The first fort was captured almost without
resistance, most Of the Celestials fleeing to
the forts farther up the river. 1t was'here
that there was heavy fighting that lasted
two days, but ended in tho almost COM
plete destruction of the forts. Heavy ar
tillery was brought UP. and the Smelling
was fearful. On the last day the Chinese
were driven out through the front of their
fort on to tie villainous death traps thoy
had set for the English and French. Here
they were compelled to take their own
medicine, crippled on the bamboo spikes
and impalcd on the spears. The Chinese
had been taught their lesson, and the au-
thorities were only too glad to sign treaties