The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-26

PEkIE Dec $3.50 D, m.1.-F'ieid
XfaHshaI Count von wsldersee yesterday
notified the varions commanders Of the
allied forces that a company of French
soldiers. encountered > 58a Chinese IIape-
rial troops on December = at posnt
about thirteen miles east OF Ash9bAsR-
IN . aght which followed. the French
are sail to have captured i've fagg, four
guns. and twenty caissons. Many Impe-
rial troops are said TO have been killed.
The Chinese -retrested toward KuanShin.
and at last accounts The French were
preparing to follow them
In his note. Commander -in-chief wald-
ersee requests the commanders Of the
varieus troops 10 look cut FOR this chI-=
nese force. and. II possible. to destroy
it
This announcement on IT'S face locks Sc
rious. bst there is no doubt that, Ike pre-
vious Official accounts Of fights with the
chinese regular soldiers. the report of
this affair is an exaggeratien. It is no.
;iceable that 10 mention is made Of any
french casualties This has been The case
IN all the battles between the foreign
troops and the Chinese during the past
three months The foreigners always fight
against overwhelming numbers. According
to these reports many Chinese are slaugh-
tered. while the allies do not even have
any men wounded
This latest French battle" is probably
like the one The Italians had IN the same
Hsighoorkood last month. The Italians on
that occasion reported that they mad en-
eountered 2,ee0 Imperial troops and that
ieree battle ensued. As matter Of tact,
the Chinese troops were peaceful and were
endesyering to avoid the foreigners Srno
pursued them and killed as many as they
could catch There IS rot a single case on
record where foreign soldiers have been
attacked by Chinese troops since a menth
after the relief Of Pekin. Blu; there have
been repeated instances where Imperial
troops who we're presumably endsyoring
to restore order, while avoiding foreign
troops. have been attacked by the latter
ana all who were caught killed
The logical result OF this policy is that
the country is overrur by bandits and
o;1frages on foreigners and others are
constantly reported The demand OF Field
MARSHAL Count Won WaIdersee that the
Imperial troops who had the engagement
with the French shall be destroyed looks
bad. in view OF the fact that the peace
negotiations have actually begun, but. IN
dealing with people like the Chinese, it
is probable that the order issEed by the
commander-ip-chief VIII have a tendency
10 hasten the acceptance Of the peace
proposals BY the Chinese Government.
news agency despatch from Pekin
quotes the French officers as asserting
that they recently fought 5000 Chinese
and captured FIVE fSgs and number Of
guns, in6ieting great loss upon the Chi
nese, tbirty-iye miles south OF the Chi
nese capital The report is generally dis
credited.
According to rumor, the French did not
suffer any losses themselves. It is be-
Iieved- however that the French probably
met a roying band, which vas dispersed, a
number of Chinese DeiEg butchered.
Ii Hung Chang says that he is satisfied
that the story is false.
Rev. NJ. Kelly. q Presbyterian mission
ary. has reported 20 Minister Conger the
burning by Boxers of nineteen Catholic
Christians. He says. however. that his
information has been derived entirely
from Chinese sources
The japanese who have jurisdiction over
the territory thirty miles. north, in which.
1t is alleged, the outrage occurred. viii
investigate the report.