The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-11
Great Confict Between the Allied
Powers and the CeIestiaIs Brewing
in All Parts of the Empire.
BOXERS DRILLING NIGHTLY
PICKING STANDING OVER A POWDER
NINE, FIGURATIvELY SPEAKING.
Waldersee's Punitive Expeditions
Have Merely Intensified Feeling
Against "Foreign DEVILS"
Corre.pondence Of the journal.

armlng Tor the great struggle Wnlcn all
Cinnamon are certain is yet to come. The
war of the powers with China is not over
very far from it. on the contrary. What
was before a struggle with a few thousands
of the Chinese now seems certain TO devel-
op into a war in which practically all of
the empire will take part.
What has brought about this change,
you ask? There isn't any change. The
Chinese have all along expected a great
war with the world. When Picking fell and
the court fed, optimists in other parts
of the world felt certain that the crisis
was over. AS a matter Of u~ndoubted fact
the crisis hasn't yet appeared. This state
of affairs is due to the secretiveness of
the Chinese. They can hatch a plot among
themselves of which hardly a breath gets
outside. While our diplomats have been
arguing with Ii Hung Chang and Prince
Ching, and all the world has hoped for
peace, the whole yellow nation mas known
that war must come unless the powers
gave up about all the claims for which
they are now c~ontending.
Picking stands over a vast powder key
-fguratively speaking. For that matter.
lAClt II u5lJ uiflO dllOdl IidN Dlllt
have been dug under this very city by
the willy Boxers. and that all that is want
ing is the signal.
Take the mandarins as an indication.
There were many more of these MINOR Of
fcials in Picking a month ago than there
are to-day. To what does this point? A
few at a time they have quilted the cap
ital. giving any kind of a reason that
A,,-l -,,H a Al a. g. 49,
allies. Many of the capitals wealthy men
bankers. big merchants and the like who
were here a while ago have disappeared.
These men know that the secret orders
have gone forth for new trouble. and they
are prudently getting out of the way be-
fore the danger arises of their being held
as hostages or used as sacrifices to West
ern vengeance.
There are Boxer spies all through Pc
king. Even the military commanders adj
init this. The spies, of course. are gain
ing Information for military use when the
lighting breaks out afresh. Blu there are
other Boxers here. These come in the
guise of jinriksha pullers, donkey-men and
their countrymen here, whispering the new
Boxer propaganda. They are recruiting ac-
lively, and informing their dupes that the
Western barbarians have been allowed to
get into Peking that they may be the more
effectively cut off. trapped and destroyed
here. And the dupes believe it, enlist in
the Boxer ranks, and go secretly 10 Boxer
drills.
BOXERS DRILLING.
Even here in the southern city. almost
under the noses of the commanders, night
ly drills of the Boxers are going on. These
drills are only for squads of four or five
men, and absolutely defy detection, for,
in the case OF a sudden military descent
upon one of the little houses where such
a drill is taking place, the soldiers find
only a few frightened Chinamen apparently
just aroused out of a sound sleep.
Out on the plains, in the little villages
distant only a few miles from here, Boxers
and much larger armed horde than before
when the secret order goes suddenly forth.
There are about fifteen thousand of the
allied troops at the important city of Tien-
Tsin. Yet almost within rifle shot of these
camps nightly drills of considerable bodies
of Boxers are taking place. Sometimes the
military hear of these goings-on, snort in
credulously, and send a body of light-horse
scurrying TO the scene. OF course, the
warning precedes them, no Boxers are
back to report that ii was merely another
instance of scare"
How has all this become known? In the
simplest way in the world. There are
Chinese here who are willing to sell their
country for 4 price. They have learned
what is going on, have themselves attended
Boxer drills, n have gone to the mill
tary commanders with news of what thew
have heard and seen. Investigation fol-
lows, fruitlessly, and the military authori-
ties promptly set these spies down as mer-
cenary fellows who are inventing news to
sell at high prices.
And, were this the only source of infor-
nation, there might be no reason for alarm.
But there is one class of men here who
have unquestionable sources of informa-
ton. / refer to the missionaries. Their sway
over the best OF their converts is wonder-
full. These native converts will risk their
lives a dozen times over i'm order TO be of
service to the missionaries. Converts who
may be believed have informed the mis-
sionaries that China is secretly preparing
for a fight ten times as big and twenty
times as desperate as before. The mission
aries, after sitting this Information. go to
the military commanders with the results.
Instead of being thanked. the missionaries
are ~pooh-poohed at General So-and so con-
temptuoGsly tells the reverend caller that
he has already heard such tales from his
own spies, and. upon Investigation, has
found the yarns of a new uprising TO be
without foundation.
Let it be borne in the mind that the mis-
sionaries, early last winter, learned what
was being planned in China; that they
went to the diplomats and laid the informa-
tion before them. The missionaries were
laughed at then, and told TO go and dream
again. Had the missionaries been believed
at that time, the worst horrors of Tien-
Tsin and Picking could nave been avoided.
If our missionaries could get a serious
hearing now. the bloody war TO which
China is rapidly drifting might be met with
much better preparation on the part OF the
civilized world.
A C~hinaman, whom / nave found reliable,
and from whom ! have, in the recent past.
obtained many bits of information that /
have subsequently found to be true. made
an astonishing proposition to me to-day.
by tens of thousands and that rifles and
offered, If / would undertake the risk. to
take me to a night rendezvous of the Box
ers, and that at only a few miles distance
from Peking. The plan he proposed was
simple enough. He would provide a pack
ing case. large enough for me 10 hide my
self inside. The sides of the case would be
punctured with tiny holes through which
/ could see- He and another C~hinaman,
whom he regards as wholly reliable
would then sling the case from "A pole and
thus carry me to the scene of what is TAX
ing place.
PROOF OF SINCERITY.
/ am to pay the two Cinnamon a sum which
seems TO them enormous enough to war
rant them taking the risk.
But what IL we are caught at that Boxer
drill?" / asked.
The Chinaman held up three fingers.
80 many die" he declared. blandly.
Then what about the money!" / per-
sisted.
mot need IT, was the stolid answer.
AS a proof of his Siucerify. and also of