The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-10-03
fACTS..0F THE
sEIGE OF PICKING
Confined from Page ~

IN defiance OF orders. the footing bv The
allies was UNIVERSAL IL Is curious to note
that the Chinese were more frightened OF
the dusky faces OF the Indian troops than
they were OF their bullets.
Upon entering the Imperial City the al
hec forces found In the carriage nary mr.
scnal many thousand stands of arms. al
so ammunition, cannon. etc. all of which
mere new. All were OF German make
II now transpires that the Dowarer En-
press dld not leave tho city before the
first OF the allies had actually penetrated
irto the heart OF the Chinese city. No one
knows her actual whereabouts. even up 10
this date. some even expressed an idea
that she was stili In the city In disguise
our informant left Picking on Thurs
day. August =. at ~ .. m. and arrived In
ITien-tsin on the following Tuesday afte-
havirE suffered great hardships on the
way. Owing 10 the bad state OF the road.
he and his wife lost all their belonoins,,'
tlcnkets. etc. through the cart Overture
Ing twice. This was the plight OF MANY
Others, but they were all thankful To get
away even at this sacrifice.
BACK FROM PEK1xc.
I Tho revenue cruiser Kaipan. SAYS tn,
Ncrth China Daily News, has brought
down 10 Shanghai some OF those brave
men and women who have gone through
the sixty days Siege OF the Legations M
lIeking They are Mr. and Mrs Piry and
four children. Mr.. y. Won Rautenfeld. MIR
u o. Iuca. and Mr ". bismarck. all OF
Ill., NJ customs. The details we have
CLEANED N the sixty days siege are from
the stories they have told.
/ " - enthusiastically evident-that the
preFuant anxiety which has been, Eel. IN
shan ghaL IN China generally and all over
ithe civilized woria, a. to the fate of the
DEFENDERS or the Legations, has not been
shared In any such degree by those dc-
terders themselves. The late George
Stevens. wriOng from beieaR,iered LADY,
smith. whinsically conceived OF a bonn
hardment which would 20 on so long that.
should II end. those who had been bonn
harded would die Of hamilton \, D..
king they must have got used to IL. he
sices which the intense dramatic interest
81 the siege must be hidden largely from
the participotors. No doubt the men.
whose duties Of wttching-the unendinr
alertness which IL most wearing Of ALL
AZ vel az lighting. bore GENEROUSLY upon
them. bad bad time. But such letters
AZ fhey have written are bright and
CHEEKY. touched hardly at all with the
gic om one would have expected had our
grave Tears OF their sufrerings and priva-
tons been Justified by actual facts For
the women. the anxiety and fun knowI-
edge OF the danger has doubtless been
frinimixed-as witness the letter OF ths.
young lady who would not have missed
V Tor worlds" what could De more sig
nlfcantf
/ First and foremost. principal among the
facts which have come TO light. seems 10
BE- that Baron won Ketteler's death was
the salvation OF his fellows The depart
ure of the foreigners had been urged Of
heiaily BY the Chinese onicials-or gov
Iernment-and n safe escort had been
promised them. on the 10Th Of June. how
over. the German Minister went out TO
confer with the TsunRli Yamen, was muir
derousiy assaulted and killed. The inter-
prefer. Mr.. Cordes. escaped with wounds
This lamcntable occurrence threw a lurid
lght on the value OF the Chinese prom
les Or escort and protection. and was
ths reason for the subsequent refusal by
the foreigners OF all similar offers. There
II also the fact that subsequently the
missing Of the flag Of truce was invariably
followed by yet heavier firing than usual
Baron Won Ketteler's body must have
been carelessiy left by his murderers on
the ground. and only given the covering
- a conn after some days. When the
relieving force arrived. this coffin was
found, and u was only by the clothes
that Identification was possible. An ex-
traordinary thing IL mentioned by one
gsrtleran. He states that In n London
newspaper OF the 18th OF June he saw the
statement thst Baron Won Ketteier had
been murdered. whereas the deed was not
committed until two days later. II will
he remembered that his death was ru-
rlcred In Shanghai some days before the
9th
This murder was the signal for the
vithdrawal OF the foreigners 20 their Ie-
gations. They did not neglect one pre-
"a ution. however. They looted-with no
Provost Marshal TO say them nay-the
contents OF rice shops. and stored the
proceeds as food. IL was not long before
hey had the storm upon them. Shot and
she'll marked the hurryfng minutes. and
~ first the defenders occupied themselves
-. -. - -
~ ammunition and life. They lost ter
fighting men IN one day. and this rude
lesson showed them that such tactics
{ would not pay. The total number OF
lighting men was i50-at that rate SUN
Client 90 last A. days-and orders wer,
; ltsued that the defenders were not q
IRE unless there was reasonable chance
~ hitting n man. How well these orders
were carried out may be judged from th'
: computation that during the siege they
. killed 400 Chinese.
Then came the work Of terrifying ant
, generally strengthening the defences. W,
, have already heard how strongly and Fl
Z fCctively this was done, and how the Ia
I dies worked with their silk brocades. am
other stuffs. at the making OF bags which
nlled with sand. afterwards formed bar
= rls AIDES for the defenders. 10 II an indca
Z ton OF how near was the danger to sal
q hat ~ one point the barbados OF Tn
attacking Chinese from which they snip
n pee nj the defenders. were but few
(, yards from theirs. Through loopholes IN
+ foreigners potted the enemy. once 10 wa
found that n Chinese officer was shooting
2 very WE'LL and Mr.. Bismarck. n good shot
% va pittcd against him. lie ran walk
e ir R-stick through the loophole opposit
that Of Chinese. and shifted his POSI-
l. ton 20 another az n short distance. From
this point he succeeded IN disposing for
- ever ~ the officer. This last. by the way
j. vas the officer referred 10 In the com
d plant OF the Tsungii Yamen. mentione
In our telegram Of two days ago.
/. This barricading and entrenching di
no. extend quite far enough TO avert a
u aW fui and imminent danger. however.
certain space was left. and at this spac
s tho Chinese commenced mining. They ha
b. succeeded so well with their work tina
j. had the relieving force been day late
;. the legation and It's defenders would :
All probability have been blown TO atoms
a Throughout the siege and during IN
. arduous work Of barricading and en-
10 trenchlnr. Sir Robert Hart was notabl
, figure. Tie sank his position as Inspecto
n General entirely. holding himself as
n plain Engiishman and no more. He wors