The evening times., 1900-07-26
CHINA'S REIGN OF TERROR.
F0rmer SirEinian Writes of the
Boxer DD-fsf0E

Boxer Uprising.
ROANOKE. Va. July ga letter has
been received by Mrs. James Bowman, of
this city, from William Kay, her brother.
dated Shanghai. China, June 30. Mr.. Kay
has been in China for nearly twenty years
and is civil engineer by profession, but
is at present superintendent OF steamers
at the port OF Shanghai The letter is as
follows:
You will have seen from your papers
that We are in perfect reign of terre-
here ir China There was an uprising
three or four weeks ago OF a secret society
called the Boxers. or Big Knife Society,
the object being to exterminate the for
eigners in China They started in the in
land places of the Province of Chill.
where Pekin is located, and where the So
ciety Is strong
Hundreds Of native Christians. with
their families, have been killed their prop
erty destroyed AMI their churches burned.
Foreign missiOnGT es have also been killed
The Government headed by the Empress
Dowager, issued edicts favorable TO the
Boxers. They took courage from this fact
| and have become now unmanageable.
Foreign men-of-war were ordered TO
at present there are forty OF them there
British Admiral Seymour left Taku With
500 men to go to Pekin by train TO relieve
the foreigners there. who had taken refuge
in the legations and the American church.
their own houses ali having been burned.
This was twelve days ago The railway.
which is Chinese. was destroyed by them
half way TO Pekin and the British force
surrounded The telegraph. which. too, is
mi nd II i u q
get news from those penned up there
For a few days after they had taken
refuge courieFs had brought letters through
10 Tientsin, and We were then informed
that the legation and church had been at
| tackled and had Tepulsed the Chinese. but
| the suspense is al present dreadful There
are several hundred OF British, American.
| German, and French missionaries, mer-
chants, diplomats and others. there
There is a foreign guard. but not very
strong-nOt over SEQ. II so numerous In
| Pekin alone there are 0.000 foreign drill
ed native troops and hundreds Of thou
sands of others ready 10 hight against the
| foreigners
The absence of news from Pekin Is Sc
rious. and no reliable infOI nation Eas come
70 hand OF Admiral Seymour having a.
rived there with his relief column. All
the men-of-wsr 81 Taku are underman1t d.
as all their available men have been sent
/ TO Tientsin-
The very latest We have heard Is that
| Tientsin Is IN flames The lire Is cut ce-
/ tween that place and Shanghai. ard mCs-
| ssges have 10 90 by steamer 20 ChefOo aad
! from Chefoo 10 Shanghai Disturbances are
/ taking place in all the provinces Steam
| ers coming here from di1eTelt potts b-.ns
I bad news constantly
The forts here are being repaired by
the Chinese. and eight Chinese Iaen-O:-War
arrived here today.
| There is only one small British gunboat
/ one japanese ard one United States gun
! boat in all about :. Geo tons. One Chinese
cruiser alone is S.CO0 tons She is newsy
out from Armstrong; The ships az TEku
| cannot return for they are undermined.
having sent the most OF their Een TO the
relief OF Tientsin and Pekin- Regular
troops. as well as the Boxers. are bomb I'd
! ig Tieutsin. so il is a very grave state OF
affairs We are anxious for news from the
north. and vet We are dTeading what 1t vii
/ be II is dreadful 10 think OF women and
I children being al the mercy OF a Chi-e5e
| mob, who, If opportunity Is presented 10
| them. wiz commit all kinds OF evil
| China viii have 10 pay for this. but IL
may yet be through seas Of blood TIE
I China Merchant Company has laid Up
| nearly all their steamers Their principal
/ trade being that between Shanghai and
/ Tientsin, several Of the steamers had 10
| bring back their cargO-CO men 10 wO-k It
I All ships are being looted OF their con
/ tents and q perfect mob rule exists u a. /
/ places where the foreign element IS DCt
/ strong enough 70 assert ITSELF