The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-16

I
striking the houses near. yet some kin
influence kept them from coming neare
/ than the corners CT Gordon Hall
| We did not have enough men to sen
out 10 capture the fort that was shell
| ing, nor did We have ammunition a
we could ask Of cur men was 10 defen
Us from those who tried TO enter III
settlement
IN the evening Of that awful day
counsel Of war was held By the officer
Of the allied troops { ptaffaadlanfw
Of the allied troops. Il was decided tina
we must have assistance from the ship
at Taku.
Some one must ride through the Chi
nese lines with a message TO the war
ships Who should it be? An English
man named James Watts volunteered.
How We women cIapped our hand
when We saw him mount MS horse, an,
how we chartered words Of praise an
encouragement and hope. Even the ba
bies crowed as their mothers held then
up 70 see brave James Watts.
He rode forth after nigh,fau, with Z
guard OF three Cossacks. They had :,
fight their way. and he vas wounded. bu
they reached Taku with the message o
entreaty.
That night the civilians and Chimes.
refugees barncaded the streets near n,
hall Last preparations were being mad.
TO sell our lives dearly.
Shells again next day, and az night
despair. II was written in the faces Of
the men with wives and children there
But there was action on foot. new
move was in contemplation. a line a
empty Russian ammunition cars runbled
up 10 the hail What did it mean? We
were to start for Taku.
The cars were for Us women and
children. There was TO be an advance
guard 10 cut through the lines. and q
rear guard to protect US against uur-
suers- Fifty Cossacks were to be Ieft
behind as a blind
But there was something more fmDor-
tant-a guard Of bIuejackets for special
duty" Special duty-what could il be-
The brown-bearded men of the sea
carried rifles. There was something in
their faces beyond the anticipation OF
confiict-something deeper, sadder. more
mysterious. They averted their ewes from
the curious glances of the women and
children.
Only one who had lived in China ar
such time could guess what that
special duty" was These men If II
came to the last. dreadful extremity
were 10 be our last, best friends-our ex-
Their rifles were TO save US from the
horror Of capture by the Box
ers,
But the night passed. and with it the
for leaving Tientsin.
Dawn brought the distant boom Of
cannon. Was It Admiral SEYMOUR Was
II relief from Taku? Was friend nr foe
out there in the distant pIainq
All day we listened and wondered. but
no news came. Thursday and Friday
passed thus There was fighting in the
distance. but more than that we knew
not
Saturday morning found three hundred
Tone nand children. about that number
IF male civilians, and nearly eight hun
lred soldiers in Tientsin. without am
enough for the day and with
10 way for escape.
All the morning stood on the tower
ooking toward Taku. Officers would
'ome up and go down again. All was
ieathltke quet- The enemy was silent.
md not even a breeze stirred
For some time 7 had been resting nv
ching head against one Of the fasstafrs
It the top Of the tower when I heard
ootsteps ar my side An officer had
crambled UP 10 the top Of the baIuster.
ooked across the plain once again with
us glass. and jumped down as If startled
Te turned 10 me and said:
Here, lady. viii you have a look7
ont really know whether 70 report
orce Of Cinnamon advancing or relief
I took the glass and mounted the bal
ster. Away in the dim distance there
ame a moveing object. slowly and surely
oward Us. The officer reported some
hing and then returned.
At 70 o'clock the object became men.
Ut were they friends or foes? At 1870
rom among the foremost columns hostea
Ut our glorious Stars and Stripes /
han God it was our relief at last,
At I o'clock they marched into the 4
sttIemenL Russians. Americans. English /
Austrisns, Italians, and last
" rot least, japanese. accompanied by !
large force IF cavalry.
On, the rush Of emotion as we beheld /
hem. dusty and strong and sinewy: and I
ow our fears fed. and how ve embraced 7
ach other and the children. and how I
2 mingled wit htha rescuers. and bah I
led II our adventeures and ntnisterad 7
} their wants
They tod Us. those fighting man. that
e were the heroines Of "a more Ter
be siege than Ladysnith az which the /
ord has been wondering. because there (
- besieged. Il defeated. would fail into
Il hands If z uerciful Zoe. whereas We
sre threatened with capture by de-
ens.
Some u rs had grown weary ~ our
IDS IN the cellar and now thought that
-obably We might 90 to orr homes. bur
Il officers said that we had better wait
It'll the people from Peking arrived as
had been ascertained that they were
ar. and thsre would probably be an
her battle soon
TIE next day was SUNDAY. June - :
rec q men were sent out from Ter
in to meet our friends from Pskin-.
zfore entering the settlement thav
opPed ~ take an arsenal near by. The
arehed II about noon. carrying their
7un5e5
They we're weary, or thay had t7unEht
: Chinese from the tine they reache5
. extremity - the railroad -1til they
achei TI=ntsln; hungry .to- -hey had
81 living on horse flesh and ~ioe fer
ven DAYS, thirsty. fer IRE natives ha8
iso7e6 The water SD above al f7-
ey rad been fo-ce5 70 retreat. b-t -ot
,hout heavy loss EhiCh ss1s Hsw
avegv ther tried = fui6H thsir uisz-n
e bad failed 70 rescue The people -
king
n J1lr = lt vas c-nz,dereE szfs 70