Evening star., 1900-10-20

ances of great thrift. The houses were
large with newly matched roofs Temples
and shrines were numerous. Large stacks
OF straw betokened at once abundant har-
vests the previous year, and the frusa
habits Of the people. Numerous dogs and
pigs and an occasional flock of geese, look
ed forlorn enough they wandered about
homeless amid the ruins. The houses ha
been nearly burned away from the street
through which our only practicable road
lay, but flames were leaping from several
large buildings nearby and cinders were
flying in every direction. Besides, h.t.e
way ahead of us the way was encumbered
by burning timberS and a small wooden cul-
vert was beginning to baze. our on
hope was to get safely through this narrow
passage as soon as possible.
a Race Through Fire.
The burning timbers were removed and
the culvert found to be yet safe. The
horses attached to the taranIaSs on which
| was sitting We're steadier than the 9TH
ers, though driven by a boy. 1t was re-
soived, therehre, that We should lead the
way. Our team dashed past the others and
unuer the sumuius of much eXhortatlon
ana free use OF the whip We maze the
charge through the narrow passage, lne
otneIs following in close succession. The
nea.ed AL Was stlnInS. The c.nuers rained
lihe nan, but th.S uangerwaS saieIy passed
ana sNe brea heu freely for uItIe mhIie,
oiiiy TO learn mat anolner similar saunttet
"ds before us on the other sue OF tne
SlftdLl bul tHtn, lnS street,
enough LONGER Vas BROADER, ana the burn
ing houses nearest the Rad were blazing
IN the rear. with onIy occasional tongues
ot name darung out from The sloe
next TO the road. This danger passed, We
iIad no further trouble. 1ne banhs oI The
Leya river were reached late IN the after
noon and We iounu a small steamer en-
gagged IN transferring soioiels from one SIDE
20 the other, wnlcn gave us passage 10 the
city. The anxiety to get news from us was
oniy eqLaieu by ours to learn what was
happening there. We We're the first 10 come
from uown the river In Two Gays and there
fore the IiISL who couId tell wnat the smoke
oI the burning villages meant, ana give
assurance OF the sarety of the RUSSIAN Set
.IemenIS beyond.
Firing BlaEovestchensk.
Blagovestchensk is city of something
| over $1,000 inhabitants spread out Win
broad streets over an extensive delta ter
race between the Zeya and the Amoor
rivers. The street through which we drove
to reach the Amoor front was fuzzy three
miles long, and lined on both sides by pref
ty low log houses set We'll apart from one
another But could nelp oDServ-
Ing mat the Diinds were All ctoSed ana mat
The street had a deserted look. our dr.V-
ers aIso seemed to uelignt In back stress
and alleyS as We approached the hotei anu
landed US | a Sue door. " ME our luS-
sase was peing unioaded, we ven1urned M
10 the main street to tane looh. we heard
frequent rltte reports but thought 1t was
so4ulers piactic.ng. And so IL was, but
They were Chinese SUIulerS on the other
slue of The river praCuclng on US, for we
soon heard the ping, ping of their
buuets as they whlzZeu by our heads. We
nolIced that everybody else stood
around corner of tne cross street
These discoveries led us to JON me 'sleet
lea eIs around The corner as quickly as
We could. We found that the city nad been
in sIale of siege for nve Gays, that the
{ blnGS,i 1h nNn
nunUer OF troops on lne opposite side OF
the river, that the city was detenued by
oniy 2,UoO hastily recruited troops, Wiin
no cannon and scanty supply OF small
arms.
AL first the people Were panic stricken,
but trenches were speedily uLg along the
whole front, ana occasional vuIleys were
fired by the WroIe line To warn the enemy
that the city was not without defenders.
AT the same time the troops were expected
to come GOWN the river. All tbs had the
desired effect, and the Chinese dId not
attempt to cross the river. Moreover, their
ma rhsmanship was poor that their mr.
ing was ineffective. No buildings were set
on fire ana onIy few persons were hliled
by bursting snells. Several bullets, how
ever, hit 1he hOtel Wine we were IN II,
though it on the second street back
from the river front and the river is about
1000 feet wide Oniy yesleruay sneA
burst a few rods away, Killed one man
and wounded another.
The appalling thing of all was the fate Of
the Chinese on the Russian side of the
river, though we were prepared for it oy
what we had seen of the burning villages
on the way. No sooner We're hostiiiues
begun than a war of determination was
declared against the Chinese. AS near as
we could iearn, between 5000 and 1000 nv
ing in the city or lis Immediate vicinity
We're forced to abandon their homes ana
told that unless they were out OF RUSSIAN
territory within a set tlme-far too short
for adequate preparalon-their lives woulu
be forfeited. Then began a great and
hldeous rush for the few boats on the river.
Men, women ana chnuren scrambled ano
shrugged for the clumsy craft, and as each
one put out fearfu.ly overloaded, snrieklns
refugees c.ung to the gunwa.es only 10 be
bealen back by those inside. Brief was the
and sank, the shrieks Of the drowning
mInglng with the howlS of those who nau
been LETT behind.
Still the banks were lined with the Chi
nese. There was but one thing to be done,
build RATS. Materials were hastily col
lecled and jumbled together. Men roughl
for the boaras and logs which were to pe
the means of lie. 1t was mad scene oil
terror and Intellectual effort. haft atteI
raft put out, as overcrowued as the boats
had been, and disintegrated before the eyes
OF those on shore.
Hut Few Escaped.
To add to the horrors of the situation the
Chinese from the forts on the opposite SIDE
opened fire on the miserable wretches, prob.
ably thinking them Russian invaders In
disguise. How many escaped out of that
double slaughter no one knows; they must
have been terribly few. The bodies of the
dead fairly blackened the stream. Even
when we arrived we could easily count one
hundred bodies IN the water from slng.e
point.
Such war upon non-combatants probably
is not countenanced by those high in au.
thority, but is due to the fact that the
Cossacks are temporarily thrown off then
ba.ance from the rage and fear natura.iy
arising from the situation. Every China.
man IS regarded as an enemy. The co.ol
of his skin, the slant of his eyes and the
cut of his hair is evidence enough and so,
as with our frontiersmen in their dealings
with the Indians, The Cossacks act on the
theory that there is no good Chinaman
but a dead Chinaman." This is the more
startling from the fact that heretofore the
Russians and the Chinese have lived TO-
gether in great peace and cordiaiity Blu,
now this mas SUDDENLY changed. The evil
results can scarcely be overestimated
These two peop.es, thrown so c.ose toeethe,
by the extension of Russian co.onies along