The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-02
Attempted tn Stab the Soldiers and
Showed No Mercy to Any of
the Foreigners.
ORDERS GIVEN TO KILL THEM
ALLIED TROOPS FORCED TO BAYO-
NET EVERY HEATHEN.
Women and Old Men Behcaded by the
Chincse-Details of the Siege
of Tien-Tsin.

VICTORIA, B. c., Aug. 1.-Lieutenant
Won Krohn, German officer, who arrived
at Yokohama in company with 800 wounded
and incapacitated Germans and others on
the steamer Korn, chartered by the Ger
man government, in an interview given at
Yokohama just before the Glenogle sailed,
says of his experiences with Admiral Sey-
mour:
Everything went pretty well until the
column reached TungFang, where the
railroad was found destroyed. They then
had to leave the cars, and the wounded
were placed junks in the river, and the
march backward along the river began.
Up to then they had only been opposed by
Boxers, but soon regulars, armed with the
latest patent rifles, opposed them. On ac-
count of the wounded they had to march
along the river and storm every village in
their path. One day seven were taken, the
next six, working and fighting from a. m.
to 9 y. m. The Chinese used smokeless
powder and their positions could not be
found. The villages were finally taken and
burned down.
Asked what the Chinese did with their
women and old men. Lieutenant Won Krohn
said they ernigrated with all speed, but if
this was not possible, as I'm the case of one
village taken by the allies. they cut off the
heads of the women and children and threw
them into the river. On the allies went un-
til they reached Sin-Kow arsenal, across
the river. Here a thousand halted for the
others behind. They tried to parley but
the Chinese fired big guns. followed by
rapid fire. The gunners fought WELL many
he;n + ienta ant
Krohn. Finally the order was given to
storm the arsenal. The British tried TO
take it, but failed. Reinforced by the Ger
mans they charged again and took it. I'M
mense numbers of guns and munitions OF
war found. Sixty Chinese had held
| the fort
The allies garrisoned the forts and pre-
| pared to make stand there until relief
arrived, but after a stay of four days Ad-
| miral Seymour, having come to the conclu-
sion that in case larger force attacked
| them they would not be able to hold it, they
decided to destroy il and move on Conse-
| ouently as they were unable to take any
| of the guns along, the engineers prepared
| an explosive charge. and the next day. at
| . o'clock, they 1t burn and explode.
| Shortly afterward they were relieved by
| forces from Tien-Tsin.
1--WE did not take prisoners said Lieut.
| tenant Krohn. "As far as the capture of
| prisoners is concerned, this i'm
| possibility, as the Chinese are not civilized
| enough for that kind of warfare.
Lieutenant Won Krohn was asked about
| the statement of a German that the Rus
| slams had dispatched the wounded with the
| butts of their rifles. The lieutenant said
| it was not quite bad that, but under
/ the circumstances of the present war In
| China they had been and probably would
| in the future be compelled TO XIII the
| wounded with the bayonet. In the begin
| ming they had even sent the wounded to
| the hospitals in Tien-Tsin, but they soon
| found out that as long a man was able
| to raise a hand he would try and stab the
| foreigners, and as, moreover, they found
| the prisoners very refractory and had all
| they could do TO attend TO themselves,
| they had been compelled to kill all wound
ed with bayonets, and generally speaking,
| to accept no prisoners, but kill everybody
| who stood up against them. Frequently
| they found Boxers who had taken their red
| badges and clothes off in the hope of try
ing the amigo" trick on them, and, while
| the trick worked at first, the allies soon
| gave orders to kill every Chinese who
| would stand.
| The Chinese in turn decapitate and mutt
late every foreigner who may be wounded
| or killed and who is unfortunate enough
TO fall into their hands. On one occasion
large number of Boxers succeeded In en-
| circling an Italian officer with eight men.
and while four of the men cut their way
| through. the other four and the officer were
simply overwhelmed by the numbers and
literally hacked TO pieces with the long
| knives of the Boxers. When Lieutenant
Won Krohn afterward saw the body of the
| Italian officer his head was slit into four
pieces and his entire body cut up.
BOMBARDMENT OF TIEN-TsIN.