The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-07-31
SharpshooterS Won at
Tien-Tsln.
COMMERCIAL MANS TALE
Yankee Drummer Gives Credit for
Safety to Defenders of
The Town.

A wcll-known commercial traveller
speaking on the Boxers at the Hawaiian
Hotel to an interested circle of listeners.
told the following story of his experiences
in China:
Several months ago l went to Hong.
kong with the idea of doing big bust
ness in the Celestial Empire for my Chi
cago house. We carry all kinds of agrl-
cultural implements, as well as many
other modern labor-saving machines
"Of course. passed through Honolulu
but only spent a few hours ashore. After
soaring up a fair amount of trade In
Hcngkong, Canton and Shanghai, start
ed for Picking but was detained for some
time at Tien-Tsin on special business. l.
was about this time that the trouble
with the Boxers was getting particularly
terrifying to people who would be likely
to suffer by their brutal actions. Fortu-
nately, l gave up my plan of going on to
Picking and stayed at Tien-Tsin. Fortu-
nately? Well, l don't know. From what
saw of the trouble in Tien-Tsn / don't
think there was much choice between
that place and Picking.
Il Will never forget the awful days
from the middle of June until July 5th
when | left for Taku and thence fled to
Hongkong and so to Honolulu, and from
ltic " SH.tdSo L NOPE. 1Ou dll
know the story of the struggle In Tien-
Tsin. But perhaps some of the details
Will be of interest to you, For example.
after the people of the settlement outside
of the city OF Tien-Tsin proper had sent
loo men to see what had become of Ad-
miral Seymour, we assembled to the top
of a tower in the settlement to see II we
could see any sign of the Picking relief
force. To the north of the city where
the great Hsi Gu, a large fort full OF
arms and ammunition doomed, we saw
smoke-the smoke of battle, and we could
also hear the report of guns. We imme-
dlately jumped to the conclusion that Ad-
miral Seymour was on his way back to
Tien-Tsin and that the Chinese in the
Hsi Gu were firing upon them We were
greatly and agreeably surprised later
when Admiral Seymour and the relief
force arrived, bearing the wounded, and
the fact of their having taken
the HIS! Gu and that 1t was their own
force that was peppering the Boxers from
the fort.
1T seems that Admiral Seymour and
his company We're winding down the river
many of them in boats, when they came
upon this large fort quite unexpectedly
There were many Chinese In the fort and
several shots We're fired as the first boat
was coming around a bend, at the men
In the boat. Immediately a big American
marine jumped out of the foremost boat
onto the bank and showed the boat back
around the bend out of range of the fire
from the fort. consultation was held
and resulted in sudden attack upon the
fort; the fort was taken In grand style
and We're not the gallant fighters joyous
when they found the Hsi Gu Just packed
with the latest improved weapons-Lee
Metford rifles, Calling guns, swords and
ammunition, and rice also. They would
a - II-s1
had 1t not been for the great number of
wounded that the force was carrying
along with it. But the men brought with |
them all the arms from the fort that they
could carry.
"There were many brave deeds done al
Tien-Ts!n. The Russians did fine work IN |
holding the railroad station and the Eng
fish bluejackets did wonders with over |
numbers of Boxers, and the |
Amercans-well everybody knows what
he American soldier or marine will do |
hey work miracles. / tell you what, you |
nay talk about tho power OF prayer saw |
ng Tien-Tsin all you like. but l was Their, |
IN the ground and had hold of a CUR |
myself, and l want to remind you gentle |
men that we were blessed with a few !
stationed In the towers
who certainly made few hundred of the
Boxers say Now ! lay me- during the
title trouble there. There was that fell
ow Watts, for instance from Australia
know for fact that he picked off al
he rate of twenty or thirty Chinese gun
lers day for many days.
Give credit to the sharpshooters and
he gunners and the brave men who
ought as only desperate men defending
heir women and children can fight.
"China Is ruled by secret societies, and
Is my opinion that Japan has wonder
III influence with these societies. | think
title Japan can do perhaps more than
my other nation in bringing the present
var to a close OF course the story of
seymour shooting his wounded men Is a