The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-23
HIS RIDE
TO TAKU
The Daring Deed of Jim
Watts.
THE SAVING OF T|EN-TS|N
An English Gentleman's Dashing
Accomplishment Never
Before Told.

SHANGHAI, August 5.-Truth. we
are often and earnestly assured. is a
naked lady living at the bottom of
well-therefore. difficult of access. This
may account for the fact that hitherto
there has not been published a true
or even full-account of the gallant
night-ride of Jim Watts from Tientsin
TO Taku, bearing a demand for help
and reinforcements. Jim Watts is
more properly Mr.. James Watts and
his figure Is well-known in racing COL
ors on the Tientsin race-course. He is
one of the best gentlemen-J Jockeys in
the North, and q hard and straight
rider across-country-as he had need
to be. 1t was not without difficulty
that he could be persuaded to tell his
| modest story of a daring and plucky
feat, but what he said resolved itself
into this.
| Tientsin, with it's women, It's children,
and its handful of defenders, was COM
passed about with enemies. The strain
OF attack frightened day by day, and
launches We're sent away to Taku with
the news of how hard-pressed the set
Element was, though none OF these
passed the enemy. Finally on the 10Th
of June, things were getting desperate.
and Jim Watts volunteered to ride
! through and bring back relief. The Of
fer was accepted, and at $50 that even
ing he. mounted on a hardy Cossack
/ pony and armed with revolver and
sword. left the Settlements. With him,
/ for veal or woe. went three Cossacks,
taII ~ l,.,t,
of whom led a second pony for their
leaders use. Darkness had fallen, and
in silence they trotted past the defend
/ ers lines. and left the Tientsin Univer-
sity on the left. Then they struck to-
wards the Race Course, but when half
way there altered their course and
! aimed for the Taku road. This road
runs along the bank of the river which
leads to Tientsin, sometimes breaking
inland for some distance, but always
! close 70 the river. The lines were half
an hours ride behind them when they
came upon the first obstacle-a village
The plan of operations TO be pursued
when this village was reached had pre-
viously been arranged, so that now
they disposed themselves accordingly
The intention was to charge at full
speed through the place, in this order
one Cossack- then Watts, and last 6
rearguard OF the remaining two Cos
sacks. Thus was il done. AS they en-
tered they were fired upon, but withou
result. and they tore through the place
only to be fired upon once again-at the
other end of the village, when the shot!
whistled close. They had won through
however, and were speeding in the oper
country, with behind them the crowC
of Boxers who had been drawn out
and their shrill cries of 'Sal Sal which
signifies kill"
Also Watts could hear his name call
ed in Chinese, with excited demand
that he should be shot. Evidently tn
enemy included ex-mafoos who knew
him.
BY this time they had struck the roa'
: again, however, where half-a-mil
ahead of them was another villag;
Either the hoarse cries of those behind
or previous knowledge of this attempt
had prepared the inmates of this sec
ond village. Their yell. borne on tn
still night air. met the little party fror
ahead. They were, SO TO speak, be
tween the Devil and the Deep Sea
From the second village advanced
body of them, whereupon Watts an
his followers swung off at right angle
to the road, and took to the open cor,
try again. In doing so Natts aimee
! as well as might be in the darkness
for a village known to him, but misse
il and came instead upon one larGz
than any they had yet ENCOUNTERED
There was nothing for it but a Dol
dash. They passed swiftly along
pathway. and burst into mario
passage on the fringe of the villag
once again the order to charge We
given. and they sped swiftly throug
the murky little ways-only to CON
upon a mud wall. There were me
there, armed men, and the riders can