The Portland daily press., 1900-07-04
Foreigners Making Last Stand at
British Legation.


London, July 4,4.S0 q. m.-Couriers who |
are arriving at the seats of government
of the southern viceroys whom their agents
IN Pekin, sent out give vivid, but rag
mentary pictures of what is being enacted
in the capital. These eouriers seemingly
left Pekin a day or two later than the
messenger Of Sir Robert Hart, the inspec-
tor general Of customs, who started on
the night of June a. They report that
the heads of some of the legation guards
were being borne in the streets at the
top Of spears followed by zealots chanting
''Tapi Yang Kuei tie; Tapi, Tapi," (Kin
the foreign devils; kill, kll.)
The city's millions have been reused to
patriotic fervor breaking out into the
widest exoesses, while over half the city
could be heard fighting around the Iega-
tions. Sir Robert Hart s runner who was
interviewed by the correspondent of the
Express at Shanghai supplements the
tragic sentences of the dispatch he bore
by a narrative of some things he saw. He
says the foreigners were making a last
stand in the extensive buildings and en-
closures of the British legation. They
had many dead and wounded. Among
them were some women and children
All were short Of food and even of the
commonest necessities. The women were
starving as they gave q part of their
small allowance to the children. The for
eigners, nevertheless, were holding out
under a terrific fire, upheld by the hourly
expectation of relief.
They knew they would not be aban-
dened and that the armies of their gov
ernments were ad ancing, Sometimes
they thought they could hear artillery be-
yond the wall. They were unable to re-
turn the fire of the Chinese, except at
moments when an assault seemed immi
nent. Then the machine guns and repeat
ing rifles tore the sto11ning party to
pieces. .The messenger expressed the belief
that it would be impossible for the for
eigners to resist much longer as the
Chinese were preparing to batter down
the walls of the court yard and their ann
munition was running low.
Orders were given by Prince Tuan, the
messenger says, that since some had been
killed, not one other foreigner should be
left alive. The Chinese soldiers are ex-
horted to sacrifice their lives without
hesitation if by so doing they could help
exterminate the Wang Kuei TIE (Wang
Qui tse).
Extreme precautions have been taken
to prevent the foreigners from conmunl-
eating with anyone outside the city and
number of runners who had been sent out
were killed by the Chinese. This mes
senger succeeded in getting through by
smearing himself with blood and joining
in the outcries against the Devils y
He passed the remains of foreigners of
Admiral Seymour's force, who had been
killed near Lang Fang and Lo Fo. Their
bodies had been cut to pieces and their
heads We're carried at the end of bamboos.
A large army of Manchu Chinese I'm
perial troops with 20 guns is said to be
advancing in the direction of Tien Tsin.
Reliance is placed in Shanghai on most
Of the statements of the messenger as he
is knownto be faithful to the foreigners.
The consular body at Shanghai is of the
opinion that the food and ammunition
of the besieged legation forces at Pekin
having become exhausted, they must be |
dead or imprisoned and that 1t would be
futile to make a desperate effort for
their relief with an inadequate force, Tt
is regarded at Shanghai as appalling
that nothing is being done for the relief
of the besieged foreigners and that they
should be abandoned to horrible fate.
The inability of 1900 men-the latest
~ 4
vance, is explained by the statement that
the Chinese army between Tien Tsin
and Pelin has been heavily reinforced,
that 1t has abundant artillery and nu-
merous cavalry, giving it large advan
tages over the allies. Accommodating |