The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-04
Gold Lace and Color, Music
and Glittering Coin.
TIENTSIN Is GORGEOUS AND GAY
Troops of the Allied Nations i'm Briilian;
Uniforms Having n Coed Time and n
RouBd Of social EveBts-AciuRi Warfare
Seems to Have Disappeared Altogether
Fearful Campaign Waged Against Harm
less yilIages-Captared By n Dozen Men.


gets the tragic side OF recent events, the
murder OF missionaries and the death OF
| brave men In battle, the present situa-
ton IN China borders dangerously close
on the ludricous. Up at Pekin the minis
tCrs meet and confer TO no end. They
are waiting for court, the visible, tangi-
bic part Of the Chinese government to
come cheerfUlly back to its capital and
have a few noble gentlemen executed just
10 show there is no bad feelings. And the
court, with the hereditary cunning OF
more thousands of years than one cares
to figure out, Is playing ducks and drakts
with the diplomats of the powers. Here in
Tientsin, the great camp. the Allied Chi
nese Expeditionary Force-C. L. F. the
orders read-is matching armies and play
ing at real war-making believe, as the
children say.
Unfortunately, war cannot be conduct
ed, according to rule, without an enemy,
and apparently there is none in China just
now. We go out on expeditions with
| sounding brasses, siege guns. field guns,
cavalry, infantry sappers and miners, al
nicely invOiced maps of the country and
carefully complied estimates Of the num-
ber of the enemy at the objective point,
and the enemy has evaporated. There is no
other word for 1.-THE does not retreat-he
simply does the mysterious disappear
anee act absolutely without the aid of
any mechanical appliances" as the Vaudc'
VILE bills say.
Even the most obtuse military saturated
continental officers are beginning TO see
the comic opera side of the thing, and TO
realize that all this display, all these men
and guns are nullified by cunning Oriental
passiveness and absolute submission to
the existing order of things.
A sample Expedition.
Up the Grand Canal. some thirty miles
from Tientsin, is a city designated on the
maps as Tului. Ii Is. or rather was, quite
a populous town, with two very large
and well stocked pawnshops, which are
mentioned incidentally. In the same town
with these pawn shops the allies were in
formed there were many Boxers who were
feeling very cOcky, and had had some
very good signs from the gods presaging
evil to the foreign devils. So Gen. Dor
ward. then the commander of the line of
communications. since relieved by a very
young looking brigadier, LOrne-C Campbell
by name, organized an allied expedition
Of some 5000 men. beautifully equipped to
capture and destroy Tului In three col
umns we trudged up the banks of the
Grand Canal. dragged siege guns through
mucky fields with fourteen horses to the
piece, and early in the morning came 10
the first of the villages which were DOOM
ed. Instead of sweeping in and doing
up fierce enemy a delegation of nice
and benevolent-looking old gentlemen met
the general outside Of the village and
made him and his troops presents of luc-
ious grapes, pears. apples, eggs, and
fowls They gave earnest assurances that
NO Boxer man In village. Boxer man
bad, and he go Tului bimeby" One can't
Kill man who treats one in such hos
pitable style, so the column moved on TO
more villages, more grapes, more chick
ems, and fresh eggs, while coolies trotted
along behind voluntarily carrying the
white soldiers impedimenta
The first nights camp was made In a
large village, where some more benevolent
old parties in silk gowns and very impress
slVe spectacles conferred with Gen. Dor
ward. In ten seconds after the halt the citi-
zens were working like beavers, fetching
water and firew God. meat and drink. Piles
OF melons appeared magicaily: heaping
baskets of grapes and pears, and there
was chicken for every man in camp. All
night a coolie gang worked at a Junk
bridge, and when day broke the allies
grimly set their faces toward Tului and
the enemy. Some unthinking inhabitant
cut the dixie of the Grand Canal during
the early morning and the column hiked
through six inches of water over a foot
OF rich mud for a few hours. Such rude
ness was not anticipated and every ona
was in a bad humOr that boded i'll for
Tului when once the picked and allied
soldiers of eight great nations got to work
Three miles out of the city the center
column deboucned into the other bank of
the canal and the two marched abreast
10 the attack.
As We neared the city word was passed
down the line that il had been taken by a
sub-lieutenant and eight men of the Ben
gal Laneers. So Tului fell. 1t was burn
ed the next day, but every cartridge that
was taken out was brought back, besides
the contents OF the pawnshops and few
carloads of souvenirs, as they call loot
now. Reclining in the home Of a tOpside
merchant eating fried chicken, Maj. Rob
ertsOn. of the Fifteenth Infantry, who
commanded the American contingent,
quoted Shermans famous remark about
. war.
! Chinese Are Whipped Badly.
Tului is only a sample instance. There
was practically no resistance from the
Pehtans forts, near Taku, the forts at Lu
Thai quit without firing single shot from
their splendid guns, and Shan Hal Kwan
yielded gracefully to a MILDLY and a boat
crew from a British gunbOat But the
great fleet of the allies lies at anchor OIL
Taku bar, the transports cume in Storm
beaten and rusty from their voyage over
three oceans and disgorge more fighting
! men-and most people over here are won
dering why. Clear-headed men. who know
China from long residence, say the Chi
. nese are whipped and whipped bad. and
there is no more fight in them. There are
others who cry wolf from the house
tops, and between breaths demand more
troops. They are persons Of all nationall-
ties and each calls TO his own for the pro-
, lection of flag and property, but when
; close inquiry is made IL is not hard to see
that many bank accounts are growing fat
In North China these days. GOdoWns and
warehouses, residences, in fact any
thing with a roof over il, is u gold mine
Residences which, d few months ago,
rented for thirty taels the month, are now
leased at i2l Little retail merchants of
four months ago have blossomed cut into
wholesalers only. and truly the European
and American trader and business man in
the East is reaping the harvest while war
shines.
And then Tientsin is not half bad these
days, with hundreds OF dashing oficers
from all over the world spending money
: lavishly. paying a hundred gold dollars
without quibble for a little China pony
hose normal price is twenty taels. who
buy forage and everything else with the
same prodigality. over in the Victoria
gardens the German headquarters band
plays each afternoon from 20 ) O'Clock
and the giittering uniforms Of the worlds
armies stroll up and down the walks
Sabres elank 10 the music. gold lace and
dazzling aecoutrements shine In the clear
autumn sunlight. and war is present in all
, its horrors. Across the Victoria road
facing the gardens. are hundreds more OF
these gallant gentlemen IN brave array on
the terrace OF the AstOr House hotel, and
the musical cllnk of glasses and popping