The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-07

the rapine, looting, burning, and massa-
ores by the cruel and fanatical Tho Chuan,
as the Chinese call the Boxers. 1t was
from Pekin and Tientsin that the most
serious stories of Chinese atrocities came.
| Correspondents writing from the Chinese
capital as late as June 70 said that throngs
| of refugees were flocking into the city
| from all sides of the surrounding country.
| From destroyed Paoting-Fu they had been
coming by cart and foot since the begin
| ming of the month. Ragged and footsore
parties were daily coming in. Boatloads
! came down from the country near Feng-
| tai
From all around they came, whites and
1 natives, dragging many wounded along
| with them and telling of the dead that had
fallen victims of the Chinese attacks on
parties en- route. Legation Street was
thick with fugitives While the refugees
were hurrying into the city to escape from
the Boxers, small bands OF the rebels,
ranging from twenty to thirty in numbers,
were seen pa;roliing the streets. AS they
swung along. not Chinese officer did any
thing to dispense. much less arrest them.
The Boxers affected uniform. The ma
jority wore red caps, white belts, and
scanty vests. The attitude of the officers
apprehension among the foreigners. for 1t
was then evident that they were recog-
nized by the authorities. Daily the rebels
became more threatening. and on the
18th a mob burned the summer houses
of the Ministers and others at Sihshan.
They also destroyed the race course and
foreign cemetery.
When the news of this reached Pekin
the disturbed conditions were greatly in
creased and when the rebels began TO as
semble in thousands outside the city of
Pekin carrying banners. mostly yellow
with a red border. the fugitives who had
arrived, the missionaries and the native
Christians at the various missions, all the
foreigners were thrown into a state of
great CONSERVATION. Terror reigned and
messengers were despatched to the coast
for assistance and then, fearing the ter
rors that were to come the foreigners
were gathered in the legations. The le-
cation guards. which had been brought
up from Tientsin when the railway sta
lions above Pekin were destroyed, barri-
caded the legations on either side Of the
street so well known to the tourist who
has visited Pekin. The customs house and
cathedral were also barricaGed and the
other buildings turned over to the Chin
csc Government which is to say that they
were abandoned The legation buildings
were prepared for siege. although at
that time il was not expected that they
would be abandoned to this fate. The
small guns of the guards were mounted
in the compounds of the British and Amer |
lean legations. where the foreigners were
afterward centralized.
1t was not until June 13 that the rebels |
rose in the Chinese capital. The Boxers |
on that day attacked and captured the |
whole eastern portion of the city. They |
set fire to il and the customs house. ca
thedTal. and foreign residences were de- I
stroyed Hundreds of native Christians
and the servants of the foreigners were
massarred AS the fugitives ran, the |
Boxers slashed them down and brutality
hacked them to death. Others were driven
into the flames of burning buildings The
foreigners gathered in the British and
American Legations expected further riot
ing. They spent their time storing what
food they could and fortifyng their places
where they were waiting and expecting
the relief which never came.
The first victim OF the Boxers from the
legation forces was the Under Secretary
Of the Japanese Legation.
The fullest account of the affair is given
in a Tientsin despatch to the Osaka
Asahai.' From this IL appears that the
unfortunate man, by name Suglyama Hin,
was instructed TO meet the japanese ma
rines on their entry into Pekin from
TieDtsin. He set out apparently alone,
Tor Machoppo, station just outside the
:ity wall, and when he reached the Wind {
ng Gates, one of the seven gates of Pekin,
lie was attacked by some Chinese cavalry
inder Gen Tong Fab Shaoh and murdered. |
When he had been struck down by one
II the horsemen the others rushed on him
md literally cut him to pieces. The body {
vas stripped and was dragged from the
,ate to a neighboring creek. where 1t was
,uried head downward. The body, which {
vas afterwerd recovered. was found to l
ave been 6ecapitated.
In the mean while the district between I