The evening times., 1900-09-29
HORRORS OF THE Siege
3 Woman Writes of Her Expert
ences in Pekin.
Tventy~seSen Days Under Shot and
Food-NearIy All the Adults Be
came IIi-Discouraging Conditions.


Reduced to HorseHesh and Rice for
Food-NearIy All the Adults Be
came IIi-DiscouraEing Conditions.
BOSTON. Mass, Sept 29--The hrst let
ter to reach this city from Pekin since
the capture by the allied troops on August
l. has just arrived. It is from Mrs. Grace
Elwood Tewksbury. wife of Rev. Elwood
G. Tewksbury, and was received by her
fatherinlaw, Edward Gardner Tewks-
bury of Someryille Mass. Mrs. Tewks-
bury is missionary of the American
Board.
Mrs Tewksbury's letter is dated at the
English Legation, Pekin, August and Is.
reached Tientsin August % and Shanghai
September l. Extracts from it follow:
An those twenty seven days, when
We were under fire of shot and
shell, we did but little outside Of
making sandhags, praying and reading
our Bibles. Under fire all day and
night. without any cessation, nearly
every night having from one TO three at
tacks, when We couldn't tell whether We
were going TO be entirely overwhelmed by
the enemy or not. For several days we
We're under IRE of cannon from ali points
OF the compass. What could We do but
pray TO God, who only by miraculous in
teryention could save US
I'VE have been prisoners within the
four walls of this British Legation. pro-
tected by less than zoe marines, and sur
rounded by many thousands of hostile SOL
diers- If the Chinese had been clever they
could have exterminated US in TWEEN
ty-four hours They intended TO. as
was evident for weeks, and mani
testify in special cases, when they
road, only to massacre US as they had
killed the japanese Chancellor and the
German Minister They suggested first
that We leave 10 go to Tientsin; again to
go to the Tsung- -Li-Yamen for protection;
again to go to Tientsin under escort of
Iung Lu, who has been the general of the
army. trying all these weeks to extermI-
nate US.
over $500 she'll and shot from the
guns mounted on all sides of US came
into our compound: 500 in one day. but
not one person was ever hit. The balls
came in over peoples beds or dining
tables within but few feet of persons,
once and again, but stopped just short
OF them. There have been perfect show
ers OF bullets from rifles falling all about
US. hitting the roofs Of all our buildings.
or slaneing in through the windows,
three coming into our chapel here, but
no one was injured Several officers have
been killed and about fifty marines or
civilians wounded, but only one of our
| missionary body wounded I was hit
IN the night, on the hip. but not in
| jured
When fires so terrible ragged all about
US one night at I O'Clock. as we went to
bed, veritable wall of fire. it seemed
as though our buildings must catch. but
| the wind changed as in the twinkliug OF
an eye, and we were saved Yes, .hey
tried 10 wipe US out by fire.
When it seemed sure that certain
kinds of food would give out. or even
had already gone. the soldiers would ad-
| vance their lines. seize new houses or
| shops, and in would pour sugar, -four,
| rice. etc to relieve our need
| We appointed three ladies, one from
| each mission, as permanent committee
| and they have had general care of ali
| meals, giving out all the stores to the
! cooks and making out the bill Of fare,
/ etc Ladies from the three missions
| have general oversight of the meals. ons
! taking her turn a day about At first
| we lived pretty we'll. but as time went
| on stores decreased, the hope for de-
| lyeranee became less, and it seemed
| likely this state of things might continue
| for weeks. We had to go on ratfons, till
| AoH 1uA oplii6 time since, all mllk, WhlCe
| rice, butter white flour, etc, have been
cut off. We are limited to four cubes
| of sugar day, and our food is horse
or mule meat, musty husky rice of
which the smell was always enough, and
! Chinese -four bread. Our diet has but
little variety, perhaps a few Chinese
green beans OR crackers, with little
| jelly for desert
There has been much sickness. Two
of our missionary children have died. one
is now very low, another nearly died and
nearly all the grown people have been
down sick for a few days. There are ten
cases of dysentery in the hospital and
three Of typhoid fever. There Will doubt
less be many more. l was sick for ten
days with dysentery, three days in BED
! The question of diet for the sick and ba-
bjes grows each day more and more a
problem Some have a little white -four
and few tins of milk remain fo. them.
Zone of the hard things has been that
so many of the families have been sep
| arated one from another. Some husbands
were here and their wives in America
wives in some other place. but in the dis
turbed condition of things they knew not
whether they were yet alive
"Wednesday, Aug. 15.-JuSt eight weeks
today since we came to this legation, and
yesterday our deliyerance came. After a
SeInl-State OF peace for three weeks and
more, they began firing. and Sunday and
Monday nights the attacks were simply
fearful. We thought another night might
prove fatal We knew our troops had sew
eral days before reached the halfway
place; but, o, joyi
About 2;30 in the morning of Tuesday
August Ia, we heard the distant boom oi
cannon and machine guns and knew the
troops were near.
| 80! must leave the rest until the next
| time. You can imagine our Ioyi It was
! Heaven. They came in, the Bengal Lane.
! ers first, in the compound, about p. m
| 1t started up a lively attack from the
! enemy, for our cheering they could not
| comprehend. But they have already, il
| twenty hours, found out, to theil
! sorrow. Three gates in the wall and three
/ gates of the Imperial City are already
| taken
| Worthless Now.