New-York tribune., 1900-07-10
LETTERS FROM PEKING.
MISS GRACE NEWTON GIVES A GRAPHIC
PICTURE OF THE EXCITEMENT PRE-
YAILING THE FIRST OF JUNE

Mrs Edward B Shepard, of East Orange. n. J.,
is feeling great anxiety regarding her sister, Miss
Grace Newton. who is missionary under the
Presbyterian Board at Peking. Miss Newton has
had charge Of girls boarding school in that city.
She was formerly teacher in a private school in
East Orange. In q letter to Mrs. Shepard. written
Nay 81. she stated that. owing TO disturbances in
Pekng she had dismissed her school, the mem
bers Of which We're from various parts of the En-
pire Miss Newton has aimed TO make her school
self-supporting, believing that its patrons would
derive more benefit than If II were conducted on
charity basis. All of her pupils have unbound
their feet.
The following extracts are from the last letters
received by Mrs. Shepard from her:
Last night. instead Of making elaborate prepa-
Iations foT ig2t we decided to 90 ana spend the
wanted Us 10 go over and stay with them at our
other compound. where are Mr.. Whiting Mr and
ana one baby. ana Dr.. Inglis i'll in bed. Adding
four women 10 such party as that didn't seem TO
the Methodist mission, where we had already been
invited. And 50 Went Bessie and !. in spite of
many protestations and entreaties, came back this
morning, promising 10 return this afternoon.
This IS The day OF the fifth month feast, and the
MethOdists We're afraid Of drunkenness and rowdy
Lsle-y peacelll- Last evening Ihree hunQTeu Ior-
elgn troops aTTlved-one hundred more We're
mo e-Tsn MIS- SiiEV amewel te surpTsed s5t me this
morning by saying that the Chinese rarely II
ever, looted places night; that all the mObs she
had ever heard Of did their work in the day. be-
night Mrs GamewelI saws that that is not the
Chinese way Of doing things To get up a crowd
at night would be incOnvenient (their favorite
expression On the contrary, they prefer the early
morning hours afternoon
Mr. and Mrs. ,iamewel were once in dreadful
mob. they escaped with their lives but lost every
thing. The crowd set fire TO their house. and
burned everything they owned. Afterward a few
trlhes that had in some way escaped destruction
were picked up. but nothing OF any consequence.
Is IS now a neck and neck race between the
Boxers and the Government. If the Government
can 2uy Jhis thing down the dynasty win be saved
revolution may be expected. We are between TWO
fTes-lhe Empress's hatred of foreigners is only
exceeded by that OF the Boxers feelings toward
Us. But there is this diffefence-the Empress has
little more sense though I believe more prin-
cple. and probably would never dare offend
Western nations by a deliberate massacre. The
Boxers don't know care anything about for
elgn Powers, and would like nothing better than
10 eXte-nate every foreigner in the city. AS long
as the Boxer movement directed only against
foreigners and Chinese Christians the Empress
never did a thing TO check it, but that she
al last sees their real plans sne is beginning 10
IroH7ulgate severe edicts and send soldiers in all
directions II is pretty good for her 10 be caught
n her own trap. Many Of the better Chinese fairly
nate the old woman
have had so much to do, and have had so
litt-e sleep the last few days that 1 must go and
le down 7 haven't lost sleep through nervous
10 bed
Peknr June /. 1900