The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1900-08-07
FROM ITEM TsIN.
Extracts from a Private Letter from
a Chinese Protestant Missionary
to Friend in Honolulu.
TEN TslN, July l, 1900
Ny DEAR


that all Of you are in good health,
and that the Bubonic Plague in
Honolulu is stepped. 10 regard to
the last letter / sent you few days
ago, it was written in such a hurry
that | could not explain everything
carefully and fully. The Boxers OF
Tientsin are becoming more numer-
Gus every day, they care nothing
about the laws OF the Government
and the Provincial officers dare not
stop them. They have pasted pla-
cards on the walls, stating that on
such date they will kill all the
foreigners in the settlement, and
Southern people, especially Canton
ese, who brought foreigners to Chi
ma (as they say. Such dealing is
favored by the Conservatives, espe-
cially the Empress Dowager. They
say the Boxers are sent from Heaven
to drive out the foreigner whose
presence ia Tientsin is the cause OF
there being no rain. The rumor has
epread all over the country saying
that on such date they will burn
all foreigners houses. This they
have begun to do already. Some OF
the foreign houses have been burnt
aud the foreigners killed In Pso-
ting Flu many foreign missionaries
have been killed and houses burnt,
and all foreigners have fled TO Ten
tsin for refuge. At frat we did not
think very much about the Boxers
because they used swords as ammu-
milton. 4 + GA Sunday after
noon at 3 o'clock the reports OF the
cannon and the Viceroy Yamen
bombarding the foreign settlement,
frightened lis very much. The next
day the armies Of Niep and Tong
joined them. We are very fright
ened because there were only two
thousand foreign soldiers defending
against 20 thousand soldiers who
were surrounding and bombarding
the settlement. We stayed in the
cellar the whole day without taking.
anything. The bullets always came
right over our heads. This sort OF
thing went on about or 8 days be-
cause no reinforcements came. The
reinforcements at last came OF about
10000 lighting men along on their
way with the Chinese soldiers aud
Tientsin is secured. Now the for
eigners have burned every village
and city outside of the foreign set.
Element and killed thousands Of
people. At present there are about
10000 soldiers in Pekin. The for
eigners said they would march to
Pekin and destroy everything in it
when they had 100000 soldiers To
day they are fighting with Yuan
Thin Kai's army and the latter
must get the worst Of it. All
the arsenals OF Tientsin have been
either taken or blown up by the
| foreigners. The Chinese are left
no hand, they are sure to be beaten
1t is fortunate to hear that the for
eign Ministers living in Pekin have
not been killed. 1t is said that only
the German Minister was killed.
There are aome Chinese army lead
ers who know that to protect the
foreign Ministers is better than to
kill them. II all the Ministers had
been killed the Chinese in Pekin
would have been entirely wiped out
and no one left, and not only the
| Chinese in pekin but also those in
Tientsin. We are very miserable
here but better than many more
Chinese. We are considered to b.
first class Chinese now because
many rich man who had many
chops aud properties is now a poor
man taking refuge in the settlement
and living like coolie,
] have heard that the Russian
soldiers had killed every Chinese in
Taku one week before and that all
the warships and forts at Taku had
been taken. The railway frcm Taku