The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-19
BESIHGED AT TIENTSIN
American Boys Diary of Stirring
Times in China.
Young Son of n Mission Attache
TeIis of the Early Excitement in
the City-Very Suspicious of Rus
sia-Describes the Boxers, Their
Arms and Magical Coiored Lights.

NEW YORK. Aug. 1s.-Among the let
ters from China which came on Friday to
Prof Isaac T Headland, the acting Re
cording Secretary OF the Methodist Mis-
sionary Society of New York, was one from
the Rev. J. II. Pyke, who is now in Tien-
tsin. Enclosed was a diary kept by Fred
erick NJ. Pyke, the sixteeri-year-o son of
Mr.. Pyke, describing events in Tientsin
from June 10, when the situation there be-
gan to look perilous. to June %, when suf-
fcient endorsements arrived from Taku
to put the Boxers and the rebellious Chi
nese troops for a time on the defensive.
The diary is an interesting addition to
the history of Tientsin's time of anxiety
prior to the arrival of re-enforcements
from Tsku
One feature of the diary particularly no
ticeable is the strong suspicion entertained
by the young man of the Russians. He
apparently reflects the suspicious of the
American missionaries at Tientsin. He
goes so far as to express the suspicion
the the Russian forces might Join hands
win the Chinese rioters against the other
Europeans.
He begins his diary on Sunday, June 10.
by saying that war seems inevitable, and
that Minister Conger had telegTaphed the
day before that unless troops could reach
Pekin by the folloving Tuesday it would
be too late.
I'm consequence of this and similar teie-
grams to European powers" he writes, "a
thousand men started from Taku this
morning for Pekin. At II o'clock / went
to see the soldiers Off The Chinese SOL
diers, taken as individuals, are very polite
and quiet, but taken as body they are
without exception insulting and threaten
ing. They are armed with the latest Monn-
licher's and Mausers and know how to
handle them. The only serious danger is
that they may join the Boxers ard sweep
down upon US in Overwhelming numbers"
Describing the fighting with the Boxers,
he writes:
"The Boxers we're quite brave coming
within forty yards sometimes of the rifles.
but they were cut to pieces and broken.
They lost between so and 100 killed.
Two marines brought down five wounded,
one of whom died on the way. They all
just begged to have their heads cut off.
The other four are III the Government
hospital
"A good many OF then were armed with
firearms, and some were well mounted.
Some people think these were Chinese sol
diers. We have heard good deal from
reliable Chinese of certain magic red lights
which the Boxers max, go up and down
in the air, not like rockets. but lights
going up to heaven as one of them ex-
pressed it, and slowly coming and going
again and again without going out. The
lights are made to perform by Boxer magic.
Last night Mr. Martin, myself, Mildred,
Agnes and Edith. all climbed up on to the
ridge of the house to see the lights.
was the first to see them. They turned
red and green and jumped around and
danced good deal. One was intensely
red There were five or six of them.
Even the English say that Captain Nc
Gala. the officer in command OF the
Americans. is the best man in the expe-
dition.. In Pekin they have the gates shut
and guns on the wall point at the lega-
uona. The Italians who were standing
gr;ard near the armored train got a great
scare near midnight. The whole party on
guard ran pell-mell for the train and
fairly tumbled into their car, so frightened
were they. 1t afterwa.d proved to be
nothing at all, as no Boxers were in sight"