The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-29
STORY OF THE FIGHTING,
was Taken From the Diary of
High Chinese Oficial.

HiSh Chinese Official.
San Francisco Cal, Aug. 2S-From the
diary of a high Chinese official in Pekiu.
published in the North China Daily News,
the following extracts are taken:
''On the Attn of June the Boxer outlaws
had begun to tear up and destroy the rail-
way between Pekin and Tien Tsin, and
from that day, also, began to enter the
city walls of Pekin, crowdlng in at the
rate OF over thousand day. AT this
Time, also. these outlaws began the whole
SAFE slaughter Of Christians and burning
OF churches outside OF Pekin, until none
OF the latter have been left standing. As
many as could escape among the Chris
tians then poured into the capital, taking
refuge In the legations. This state of al
ialrs, may say, existed in the capital
during the firsr days of June.
Thirteenth of June, 1903. About dusk
while IL the University of Pekin, l saw
four places on lire, whe.eupon l imme-
clately return 10 my houss, subsequent
~ learning that all the churches and
mission property inside the Eastern City
had been set on fire and entirely des-
troyed.
Tonight there was a huge commo-
ton and riot!ng, mostly in the eastern
ana western thoroughtares, after which
a great tusi AIDE of rihe firing succeeded.
This was que to those places being near
the Ausnian legation, The inmates of
Which, hearing great commotion
amongst the Boxers in the great THOR
oushtares and seeing them approach close
to the legation, began to shoot them. the
boxers returned the tre, the lighting last
ipg till 80 p. m.
Sixteenth OF June-To-day the fire and
smoke rising from building set on fire in
the great street leading from the south
gate of the palace were awful. So dense
was the smoke that throughout the day
1t was a pail over the capital, making
the sun a pa.e yellow. 1t seems that the
Boxers had set fire to the old Lao Tung
drug shop. and there being at the time II
strong southwest wind blowing, the con-
Migration had destroyed several hundred
shops
Nineteenth of June-At noon to-day 5
the German minister and his interpreter
were riding in sedan chairs together TO
the Tsung- Yamen, aud had goJ just
north OF the single imperial arch sudden
" there was heard a shot in the sedan
chair of the minister, due to the revolver
which he carried as personal protection
going off accidentally. The soldiers on
guard az the Belgian legation, suspect
ing that the shot had been fired by our
government troops, Immediately opened
their gates and began firing on passers
by. The Belgian legation is just next
the Tehsing Tang house. Thereupon our
government troops returned the fire.
During the mutual fusilades there, in
the sedan chair, the German minister was
fatally hit. This was the beginning OF
actual hostilties. The government IN
der the circumstances, the matter having
got beyond recall, accordingly decided.
for the first time, to order out the Kansu
Corps to attack the various legations.
Twentieth of June-At 4 p. m. to-day
Kansu troops began firing on the Austrian
legation from the Princes palace. The
firing lasted all night.
Twenty first of June-At 1:90 p. m, the
Austrian legation was captured by the
Kansu troops and at about p. m, they
began setting fire to the buildings nearby.
AS night fell, the buildings just east of
the Austrian legation, namely, the Impe-
rial Chinese Bank and the Dollar Mint, got
on fire.
Twenty of June-As morning
broke we could see that the confagratiou
was spreading and burning more tiercely
than ever The SOLDIERS belong ng to Jung
I,u $ own personal command came on the
scene to restore order and to preserve
the peace, but instead of doing this, they
actually joined the Kansu men in getting
loot. Eventually it was found that Jung
LUIS army were the greatest sinners in
this respect
Twenty fourth of June. Commencing
from to-day the sound of rifle firing has
never ceased, springing up on all sides,
that in the direction of the bridge over
the imperial canal being most severe.
Twenty of June To-day the
British legation was taken, and the for
eign troops took refuge in a lane. The
houses in CHA Ming street had by this
time all been burned down to the ground,
scarcely any being left standing"
Here che diary ends. A letter from an
unnamed refugee also published in the
North China Daily News, confirms many
of these statements.