Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-08-28
CHINESE HORRORS.
Related by Children of j. w. Rags
dale, United States Consul.
RECENTLY RETURNED FROM CHINA.

RECENTLY RETURNED FROM CHINA.
A Nephew and Niece of J. S. Rags
dale, of Birmingham, Had Resided in
Tien Tsin Two and One-haIf Years
Servants Warned Them.
The son and daughter of J. w. Rags
dale, United States Consul at Tien
Tsln, China have arrived in San Fran
CISCO, and graphically tell of the dan
gers that beset them when attacked
by the Chinese. The children are a
niece and nephew of j. S. Ragsdale,
OF Birmingham, Van Buren, county
The boy, Earl, is fifteen years of aSe
and the girl Fife, is thirteen. The
balance of the family with the exccp-
ton of the father and mother are at |
Nagasaki, Japan. Following is he
childrens account of the horrors con-
nected with the outbreak:
Il was in luck" Earl said; my size
enabled me to volunteer as nineteen
y Seii . IdioS plSlSISSS. you hllOW
and so | carried gun and did some
shooting with the rest. in defense of
the women and the children"
The girl, Fife, is brown-haired,
blue-eyed maiden, and loquacious, as
her sex gives her the right to be. She
talks very graphically of her expert
ences, and tells with manifest pride
how fragment of shell struck her,
tearing her stocking and slightly
scratching her leg.
Eve have lived in Tien Tsin two
and one-half years." they said Dur
ing all of that time, but especially
since last November, we were warned
by the Chinese servants, who were
| friendly, that movement was on foot
to annihilate the whites. We thought
nothing of it. Everybody said: oh,
! let them come on; we will drive them
GU; easily enough; but everybody
was too sure.
"On June our Chinese servants
said the Boxers would attack the
European concessions in town that
night, and most of the whites sat up
all night. The Boxers did not come
then, but the scare was kept up until
two Chinese missions were burned on
June IA. On the. next day our serv-
ants left us, and then everybody be-
lieved that serious trouble was right
at hand.
at came that very night About
| midnight there was rafting and
banging at our gate, and the marine
who was there called to us that We
must go to Gordon Hall-a large stone
building-at once, as the Boxers
We're upon us. 1t was a terrible siglt
that we then looked upon from our
i windows. The French concession
was on fire, and so was the native vii
lage across from the station. At tie
latter Russian troops were fighting
the Boxers.
1--WE dressed as hurriedly as we
might and went to the hall, but no.
body was there, and, as the alarm bell
} had not been rung, the doors were
. locked.
while we were huddled together,
listening to the sounds of battle, some
one ran by and shouted: The Boxers
: are coming over the river on the Ger.
} man bund. This was just two streets
| from u.s. and if ever you saw scared
: people, they were there. You see, this
was before you got used to being
, scared. Later we were SO accus
: toned to it that we did not mind il
2 so much. 1t was terrible scene
9 musketry volleying, rickshaws loaded
], with household goods hurrying to the
8 hall, men running, women screaming
q everybody expecting to be killed.
/ cat 9 o'clock the battling ceased TO
t a time, and we went home, but re
g turned to the hall for the night.
"The men were on guard, most 0
u the women were crying, and all of thu
Z babies were bowling. But the battl
y was not resumed. Thee next day W,
+ went home for little while, but W
i did not stay long.
g 1--WE were sitting on the verand
Il shortly after tiffin, when, about
q o'clock, / heard the queerest nois
l. that ever I heard"-Effie is telling TIL
story now-"it was for all the worl
3 as if a great big whistle were fyin
IS thru the air. Then the whistlin
!, stopped, there was a crash and l sa,
u the corner of house quite near us 6
u flying somewhere. Then my fatEe
4. came and said it was shell tina
- struck near us; that we were beiu
~ fired upon from the Chinese Viceroy
- fort, and must hurry to Gordon Hal
:, :, We didn't stop to get thing. l "a
" about all of the way
y. ~ Shrinking, Mortified and half-e'
;: pecting that some shell might fin
u, them in this blackness, the wome
~ and children remained in cellar du
ie ing all of the long, fearful hours Will
" the shells were flying about the hal
~ We could hear vague sounds of tn
70 MOL above, but all we could do Wa
% to wait in the gloom and hope for tin
% best. The Smelling lasted thru niue
of two days, and we were kept in tn
dungeon during this time.
"The hero of Tien Tsin was your
man named James Watts. On Jun
ne 10, while the battle was on and she!
IT. were whistling about us, he, viii
X three Cossacks, started to carry
"a message to the Admirals at TAX,
The message read: 'Shelled contin1
ell ally. Ammunition and supplies gettin
~ short. Send help at once or all lost
to He was chased by the Boxers and ma