Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-03-30

ocAe uodr S8UtOn were Fever safe unless
the utmost vigilance was observed by those
on duty, as floating torpedoes and fire RATS
were continually being launched by the
Chinese. Should one of these have cxplod-
I'd 1t would have destroyed the whole fleet.
1t was during this blockade that the
British ship Niger was made the victim Of
one Of the most dastardly and disgusting
plots in history. Late one very dark night,
the Chinese launched villainous junk Of
strange build that f,oated down onto tie
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 of the junk and filled the air
with the most disgusting material and
scattered it over the Niger from truck to
water line. The Niger was never used
ngain. She WAS taken back to England
and dismantled.
Foreigners who unluckily fell into the
hands of the Chinese We're subjected to the
most cruel and brutal kind of fortunes,
which We're made to last as long as tho
victims had any life left in them, and
when that was about extinct they were
finally sliced to pieces.
One poor French bluejacket, who had
imbibed a little too much "samshoo,"
wandered outside the lines and fell into
the hands of The enemy, and although ev.
cry attempt was made to rescue him, he
was never seen again by his countrymen
It was learned afterward that he had been
gradually chopped to bits by having 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 feet again
appeared Off the Pei-Ho river for the pur-
pose of ratifying the treaty made and sign
cd at Tien-tsin the year before, but this
time to meet with defeat, for upon the
gunboats attempting to enter the river tho
heaviest kind of fire was opened upon
them and three vessels were sunk. OF q
landing party of about 1000 men who at
tempted to storm and take the large fort
on the south bank of the river, 40 men
were killed.
1t was acre that the Chinese again re-
sorted to their peculiar tricks. bitches,
dug in front of tho forts and filed with
slush, were covered over with grass and
| weeds so rs to look like solid ground. Tho
soldiers who attempted to cross them in
stantly sank from eight and suffocated
| Besides this, there were scattered over the
ground bamboo spikes that were capable
of cutting through the strongest boot and
crippling the soldiers. Then there was a
sort of iron frame that held a pointed spear
/ pointed in the direction of the attack. This
was concealed by weeds SO that the 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.
| 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, tho Chi
nese expected the same kind of tactics as
had been employed the year before and
were prepared for them. But the English
and French officers knew that tho forts
were practically iinprcgnabie from the
front, and it was no part Of tho campaign
to make tho attack that way.
All tho cavalry, infantry and artillery
| were landed on both sides of the river,
completely surprising the Chinese, who
had never thought of flank movement
The first fort was captured almost without
resistance, most of the Celestials fleeing tt
tho forts farther up tho river. It was here
that there was heavy fighting that lasted
two days, but ended In the almost com
plete destruction of tho forts Heavy ar
tillery was brought up, and the Smelling
was fearful. On the last day the Chimes,
were driven out through the front Of theil
fort on to the villainous death traps they
had set for the English and French. Her,
they were compelled to take their owl
medicine, crippled on tho bamboo spike.
and impaled on the spears. The Chimes,
had been taught their lesson, and the au
thOrities were only too glad to sign treaties
that opened their ports to tho world.