The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-07-19
TWO LETTERS FROM CHINA.
Mrs. RagSdRIe Describes Affairs in
Tientsin on June Ia.


Tientsin on June Ia
SANTA ROSA. Cal. July 1s.-Two letters
were received here yesterday direct from
Tientsin. One was from Mrs. J. ". Rags
dale. wife Of the American Consul. and the
other from Mrs. Lucy Campbell Drum
mond daughter OF Judge John Tyler Camp
bell, Of this city. Judge Campbell was
Consul at Fooehow. under President Cleve-
lands Administration. and it was in that
city that his daughter met and married
Mr. Drummond. a wealthy Englishman.
Her letter brought the news that she was
escaping from Tientsin on the last ar
moree train leaving that city.
Mrs Ragsdale's letter, under date OF
June Il, gives a thrilling account Of the
dangers which beset the American colony
in Tientsin at that time, as well as the
foreigners in general Mrs. Ragsdale
writes:
With such an unsettled state of affairs
on every hand work of any kind is out OF
the question. II is a war in earnest now.
BY the time this reaches you. / presume
this will all be settled. but how? We are
so anxious for the people at Pekin. without
giving ourselves thought-300 foreigners
with 800 guard OF foreign troops. against
100000 Chinese soldiers, as well armed and
drilled as the foreigners are.
Before aid can reach them they must
pass these troops. and two walls fifty feet
high and thirty feet thick. The gates are
ten feet wide and well guarded. How is il
10 be done? The Chinese have foreign
guns mounted on the walls and trained on
the legations The fear is that when our
troops reach there and trouble begins at
the outside wall the Chinese will try TO
Xiii every foreigner that is inside
The railroads have been badly damaged
bridges burned, etc. All this week they
have been trying 70 put them in shape
and are only halfway. The other forty
miles they viii march. starting this even
ing, as the remainder Of the road is so
badly damaged that it would take a long
time 10 fix Il. and such anxious letters come
from Pekin that they must press on. II
the railroad was finished the r-oops could
be rushed up.
Not less than 10 900 should try to force
an entrance and there are less than 3. 900
on the road. They have eleven field guns
but the Chinse have them also. There is a
fort Just east OF Tientsin. on the other
bank Of the river The fort has three can
non trained on the settleme At For three
weeks we have had a housS full
Admiral Kempff. OF the Newark and
Captain McCalla have had their headduar-
tiers here. Just now the admiral Is on
the ship. and the captain is al the head
not only Of the Americans on the way up
10 Pekin. but OF all the forces He Is
particularly fine specimen OF the finest ma
ton on earth II any man can take the
troops there he is the man His wife and
family are in California and Admiral
Hempn claims TO be a Californian. as his
wife was San Francisco woman
We have Just heard that the railway
is being destroyed between here and the
f0-Tl al rFrrks -
engine was sent out and the crew report
ed that bridge was on fire. This is very
bad, as II is the line just repaired. and no
supplies can be sent 10 the front and il
viii MAKE il harder 10 get re-enfOrcements
10 them
We all feel very sad this evening. In
spite OF the music OF a Russian mill. airy
band playing the best music I have heard
since We came TO China. They belong to
the two thousand Russians leaving for Pc
kin tomorrow. Our nearest neighbor is the
richest Russian IN Tientsin. and for the
las; two days he has had the officers with
him day and night so. in spite OF war
they manage to keep up gay time
We have just heard that il is only By
the most persistent efforts on the part OF
few Chinese officials. who are friendly TO
foreigners. that the lives % the foreigners
have been spared so long and they fear
they cannot avert Il much longer Thoss
who know say there has never been such a
bad lot OF men at the head OF affairs. Il
Hung Chang has gone south. Some say he
was sent there TO get nim out Of the way
in view OF bringing about the present state
OF affairs The air is fun OF rumOrs. every
one is restless and asking for the latest
news.
Friday morning. 6 o'clock doa't al
I ways get up quite as early as this. but We
{ teard that all the mission churches in
Z -leutsin, the Chinese city. two blocks
from here, were burned last night Trey
c-id been closed ever since the trouble
Segan and were turr.ed over 10 the Chinese
officials The Chinese Csficials' seal had
{ t5en placed on the doors 10 show that they
were under Chinese protection
1t points 10 a bad state % things ard
proves how pOwerless they are 10 project
anything a mob made one Of the Off al
servants Of the ViCerOy get cut O. hi chair
and walk. while the mob jeered him be-
cause he had been carrying a message 20
foreigners More than a week ago a guard
went from here 20 meet and aid some Bel
gisn refugees trying TO reach Ti-n.sin. At
several villages they were given tea and
things TO eat
The Boxers burned every one OF the
villages and killed every man. woman. and
child they found because they aided for
eigners- All Chinese from the highest to
the lowest mink TIE Boxer a spirit that
can't be killed. II hit by a bullet they
just cough and spit It out. One man. a
graduate OF Yale. even believed II until
the soldiers killed some of them. That's
the reason il IS so hard for the Chinese
officials TO put them down.
The soldiers viii not fight them They
do not have guns but use swords and
pixies. and for mark of the order wear
a red sash and turban. and a small box
with paper charm. is worn around the
neck During a fight when they advance.
they run a few steps and fall down. iunlp
up and run few STEPS and fall This they
repeat over and over to convey the idea
that they have been shot, but can get IN
and run just the same. The mail must
go now, so I VIII close and send. as We
cannot be certain about getting mail out -
Mrs DrummOnd's letter, augmented by
a letter from a Mrs Fearon. the wife Of
an American merchant located there. tells
OF the haste with which the foreign resi-
dents left Tientsin for Shanghai on June
10. They left Tientsin on the last armOr-
ed train which succeeded in leaving The
city. Almost all their possessions were
left behind. the same being the case with
the other foreigners No time was avail
able for packing Every moment counted
few things were thrown together and
they were of. glad to leave the scene of
trouble behind them.
DRYING THE APRICOT CROP