Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-11-10
PEKIN.

Mr.. William II. Whestley, secretary
OF the Baltimore chamber OF commerce
has received an interesting letter from
his son, William II. Wheatley, jr., wto
is with the United States army in Chins
and connected at the present time
with headquarters at Pekin. His CON-
msnt on tnat CITY is particularly inter.
esllng.
"Pekin, the Pekin 1 have read
about" be says, "is shattered idol.
The roads are something horrible and
the majority of the houses are built of
mud and straw. Some of them, OF
course, whicl may perhaps have bt
l)ngeo to mandarins and princes, are
magnIfceDlly finished inside and out
The frame work of the houses is 10
many cases covered srst aud then iu-
laid with gold, silver, ivory or vsri-col-
ored paints, while the draperies and
furnishings are silk, worked with gold
thread, etc. The people are the
lowest | have ever heard OF
and the more you see of them, the more
are you struck by the utter lack of NOR
atty or vrue o any kind. The
Boxers fight Tor a few moments only,
aud by the time the troops charge the N
10 a village, their arms are concealed
and they kneel and cry for mercy.
III you could hear aud see the fright.
ful cruetes prsctised by these self.
same Boxers on innocent Chinese ard
white Christians, you may easily i'm
agine how much mercy they get. We
take no prisoners; in fact, haven't seen
a Boxer prisoner for some weeks,
though tho stock OF flags, banners ano
trophies is rapidly accommodating.
1--WE are having all manner oil
trouole with the German, Russian and
French troops. The last two will not
fight if they have clear running field,
md the first named bombald a fifty
they send in an advance. Yet these
three are taking everything iu sight
and are claiming The whole OF China,
aud, from the way things are going,
believe they will get all they claim.
The French, 1000 men and twelve
guns, openly deserted the allies
about thirty-five or forty miles from
Pekin after the PIetsang fight, and,
saying their men were tired, went into
permanent camp, while, az matter OF
iact, their men were all fresh and in
far better condition than ours, who
we're sick with the fighting and ex-
posure incident to the capture of Tienr
sin, on July 13 and IA. The Germans
never moved, and, in fact, were moi
mere, until after Pekin was ours.
dispatches, understand, give the
credit OF the relief of Pekin to Russia.
They were never able to get pasI
the outer walls until the Four
teenth Infantry had gone ahead.
The Fourteenth captured four gates
Of the city before Russian had seen
the inside of the walls, and every gate
was through a different wall, nearer
and nearer TO the far-iame ! Sacred City.
1--WE are, to cay the least, unpopular
nere. but IL is case of hands oh with
all of them save the English, with whom
we are on excellent terms.
Everything here has reached pro-
hibtive price. Butter is 50 pounO
with rybody fighting for it. even al
that price. A can of condensed milk
easily brings so cents, and bread have
seen sell for IL 90 loaf or ten small soda
biscuits at the same price,"
The letter concludes with this note :
"News today-Li Hung Chang hat
started for Pekin under Russian escort
He refused ours, which prompts the be-
lief that the Russians have him in their
power in some way"