The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-08-16
1cMlD's STORY Of
| THE T|EhIs|H FIGHT.
Little Miss Ragsdale
Describes the Seige
and Rescue.
SIZE HELPED CARE FOR WOUNDED
SAW A SHELL DESTROY THE
CORNER OF A HOUSE
NEAR HER.
Tells About Jim Watts, the Hero of
Tientsin Who Made the Wonder
full Ride For Rein
forcements.


years old, while bis sister, Effie, is thir
teen years of age. They were in Tien
tsin through all the days when j
seemed probable that no white person
would escape theEefrom with his life
and now they have returned to thi
country, on their way to their home il
Santa Rosa, for safety. They cam,
alone; their fatkeY must remain at hi:
post, and the mother chose TO stay
and share any danger that might come
to him.
The boy, Earl, is a fine, manly fel-
low. unusually large for his age. and
he feels that the latter fact brought
him goor fortune.
Il was in luck" he said; my size
enabled me TO volunteer as nineteen
years old-false pretences, you know
and so l carried gun and did some
shooting with the rest in defense af
the women and children
The girl Effiie, is a brown-haired
bblu-eyed maiden, and loquacious. as
her Sex gives her the right to be- She
talks very graphically of her expert
ences, and tells with manifest pride
now a fragment of shell struck her
tearing her stocking and slightly
scratching her leg.
We have lived in Tien-tsin two and
one-half years." they said. During
all OF that time, but especially since
last November, We were warned bv
the chinese servants, who were friend
iy, that movement was on foot to an
initiate the whites. We thought moth
Ing OF 1t. Everybody said: oh LEI
tnem come on; We will drive them ont
easily enough; but everybody was too
sure
On June 9Th our Chinese servants
said the Boxers would attack the Eu-
ropean concession in town that nieht
and most of the whites sat ND all
nlght. The Boxers did not come then
put the scare was kept up until two
Cninese missions were burned on June
i4th. On the next day our servants
leit u.s. and then everybody believed
mat serious trouble was right at hand
II came that very night. About
hidnignt there was rafting and
banging at our gate, and the marine
VINO was there called to us that We
must go to Gordon Hall-a large stone |
'ulidlng-at once, as the Boxers were |
ipon us. 1t was a terrible sight thai |
We then looked upon from our win |
lows. The French concession was en- |
Ire, and so was the native village |
lcross rom the station. At the latter !
russian troops were fighting the Box
m
We dressed as hurriedIy as We
night and went to the hall, but nobojvd
vas there. and. as the alarm bell hail
lot been rung, the doors were locked. 4
While We were huddled together 81
listening to the sounds Of battle somej
me ran by and shouted: The Boxersj
ne coming over the river on the Gar.5
nan bund.' This was just two strea.sI
rom us, and II ever you saw scared
'eople. they were there. You see, this ]
vas before We got used to being scared.s3
.ater We were so accustomed to it that i
re did not mind 1t SO much. It wa
terrible scene-musketry volleyiax4
lckshaws loaded with household gooie
urrying to the hall, men RUNNING.
Tomen screaming. everybody expecting
D be killed.
AT o'clock the battling ceased for
time, and We went home, but return~eI
d to the hall for the night.
The men were on guard. most of The
omen were crying and all of the hne1I
les werehowling. But the battle w11eN
OF resumed. The next day we wenfI i
ONE for little while, but We did nofI
tay long.
hortly after tifin, when, abouts31
clock. heard the Queerest noise exe94
heard"-Efie is telling the story nu
lit was for all the world as il gr161
ig whistle were flying through the n1f.l
hen the whistlipg stopped. there waf1
crash and / saw the corner Of ~
oase quite near us 60 flying some-&
here. Then my father came and saldl
was a she'll that struck quite ne4rf
5: that we were being fired upon fromH
lie Chinese Vieeroy's fort, and muofI
lrry to Gordon Hail. We didn't stdnl
} get q thing. ran about all ID
ay. [
Shrinking. Mortified and half-sx-8 .
citing that some shell might find thsnJ
this blackness, the women and chi.~f
'en remained in cellar during all OF
70 long. fearful hours while the shellxf :
ere flying about the hall We could3
,ar vague sounds of turmoil abopefl
It all we could do was to wait In ,hA
DOM and hope for the best Thes
telling lasted through much OF twor q
Iys. and we were kept In the dun-s q
on during this time /.
The hero Of Tien-tsin WAS a young :
an named James Watts On June !
tn. while the battle was on and shells a
ere vhistling about us. he, with three y
'ssacks. started to carry a message to h
e Admirals at Taku. The message :
ad: 'Shelled continually. Ammuni-
IN and supplies getting short Send =
Up at once or all lost He was chas-
By the Boxers and narrowly escap- ?
. but finally reached the Admirais. !.
Ter being ON horseback from in the :
ening till in the morning. going u
rough two Chinese camps and several q
liages where he would have been | I
He'd IL he had been seen. When he !.
turned. on June Esd, with 150 Ameri- =
4 soldiers and q COMPANY ofsWelsh 3