The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-09-24

IN PORT
The Arrival of Peking
Missionaries.
STORIES OF DIRE PERIL
Some Prevalent Misconceptions as to the
Relief Of the Legations
Corrected.

'N'f WIZ tuuuAht 70 nave Leen massd-
cred In Picking by the Boxers. are now on
their way home on board the steamship /
Coptc. which sails for san Francisco ear \
" this morning. having arrived from the 4
Orient yesterday afternoon
There are n number OF missionaries and /
others aboard who were at the legations 4
when they we're being. besleged by the
Chinese. who were intent upon the lives
Of the foreigners and native Christians
sheltered within their walls
For eight weeks. save one day, these
people hardly expected at the close OF one
day 20 see the beginning OF the morrow.
They lived upon horse meat and bread
made Of wheat crushed by their own
hands and they ate their humble fare
while bullets whistled uncomfortably
close and the shells OF the enemy hurtIed
overhead.
Mrs. NJ. =. Woodward and Miss lone
Woodward Of Chicago were guests Of
Minister Conger and his wife during the
Siege. "a was also Miss Cecle Payne.
These ladies' are aboard the Coptic. 9th
ers, who are on the same vessel and who
we're In Peking all through the siege, are
Miss NJ. ~. Andrews. Miss Brown, r NJ.
Chaplin. wife and two children, Miss
DOW. Miss Dudgoon, G. ". Fem. wife
and two children. Miss Gowans, Dr. J.
| ~. Ingram. wife and two children, G. II.
oliver. Master j. oliver. Master L. oliver,
Miss Rutherford and Dr. Chas. $. Terrill
and wife.
STARS AND STRIPES FIRST.
"Tho American flag was the first to be
hoisted on the walls OF Picking" said DIR.
~. ~. Ingram 20 an Advertiser reporter on
bcs ard the Coptic yesterday afternoon as
4 that vessel was coming into the harbor.
I pr. Ingram. with his wife and two little
children was In the Imperial City during
the terrible Siege which lasted fifty-five
days. YES" he went on 20 say. re
ports 20 the contrary Notwithstanding. the
\ American forces were the first TO enter
PekinR and plant upon its walls the Stars
land stripes The Russians were engaged
the American and British troops were
nearest 90 possible entrance into the
lefty. The Americans entered first.
| Another mistake which has been made
IN the reports OF the relief OF Picking IL
the assertion that The legations were re-
Heved ON August. 18th. That Is not the
fact Relief came at 2:30 o'clock IN the
!. afternoon OF August 18th.
AFTER we were relieved the Chinese
opened up with n fresh attack on the le-
. cations with their guns. Everybody was
greatly surprised at this. but II seemed
that the Chinese were so Infatuated at the
arrival % the allied forces that they
! wanted 90 make a last attempt 20 annihi-
1 late us all. I staid Indoors that after
neon with my family. I didn't see any
sense IN getting killed after help had ar
rived.
!, Il was In charge Of mission about
twelve miles east Of Picking. Tun Chau
: was the name OF the place. We left there
!, on the Sth ~ June ana fed TO Picking for
Iepfstv The imperial troops IN TunR
hf ~ n
= great state % excitement and hatred FOR
all foreigners I think " we had staid IN
Ting Chau two or three more DAYS that
we would have been massacred. We were
Iduartered at tho British legation In Pc
king. whore n large number OF mlssionar-
les and merchants were collected. We
had about 1000 native Christians with US
and there were about so foreigners there
Ihcs'1es including 40 marines. Most oil
: Itho foreigners were sheltered al the Brit
70 lsh lerntlon the other legations protect
Il ira. for the most part only those wh'
% Iv ere connected with those legations.
)" well the siege lasted nfty-nvc dav
10 ard during that time the Chinese hre,
|, 'ruourh shots ~ as and threw encugi
- Shells in our direction to have annih'iat
|e1 one hundred times our force N the
n Bad only known better how 90 handi
a their Guns az had used more knack d
their aiming.
eve lost slxty-nve men IN al durini
4 me siege. sixty-one of these were marine
! and four were civilians acting as sol
|fisrs The marines were of oil national
tiles. belonging 20 tho different force 81
tho allied powers Besides those h'llo
There we're several wounded. Or. GU @
Reid was shot through the leg wtila POI
ID, was looking after the needs OF ne nat'
n Christians
le 'srhero was considerable sic;Suts s anon
10 the people m the British legation durini
\ the siege. Seven children died among IN
/: foreigners from various complaints OF IN
Z, bowels. while smallpox. scarlet feVer
measles and other diseases existed anon
Z, the native Christians. Most Of the mis-
slotariea who had fed 20 Peting froi
g. outlying districts had gone without an
o. their belongings and were In sa
state % restitution. had only one sui
Iof clothes % my name when reached Fe
r. King. later managed TO get khaki sui
from the American commissary.
Eve all suffered 10 great extent o
a account Of the food supply. We lived chiei
i. iv on horse meat We found from sixt
~ eighty tons OF wheat within our wall
- but had 20 grind 70 ourselves and IN
= bread made therefrom was naturally Yer
y inferior although we were thankft
? ercugh % have a. assure you. We Ia
100 horses at the beginning Of the siege
we ate eighty-ive.
"Tbs forclrnsrs. outside OF tho marine
- and civilian guards. were divided INTO va
rtcus committees. We had committed
on Fertilization, sanitation. food supply
fire laundry. water. coal. milling. IN
a hospital and so forth. It was my duty
=, look after the health OF the native Chris
tlans. We held prayer meetings ever
morning. when all whose duties did nc
otherwise occupy them were present. tn
wCmen behaved most courageously dun
ing that awful time; they were "a 5ray
A. the men: I don't think heard a sing
feminine shrek during the whole 81 th
Siege. About scventy-1ve persons wei
atartercd In the chapel OF the British L
IL cation: that r.. that number ate theI
a. although only forty CT thereabouts slel
"a there. Now and then n Chinese she
~ would chip en- a piece Of the chapel TO,
or dlsiodgo few OF the bricks, and ou
lets would now and then pass over G.
: heads. No one In the chapel was injure
however and very little damage vi
done 20 the structure.
when. on August 18th. we were iiaal
relieved. there was the greatest der'oi
" stration imaginable. People went almo
I'm Wild with delight and excitement. Durir
n tho nfteen or twenty minutes OF firing
the part OF the Chinese. rs we were beir
relieved. the Dutch Minister was shot
!. THE leg. a French lady received bull