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

one of the most eminent Of the mis-
sionaries on board the Coptic was Rev.
Franklin Chaplin. OF the American
Board Of Foreign Missions. who has
spent twenty years in Shantung prov
ince. and was in Peking during the en-
tire siege. At the Central Union
Church last evening DIR. Chaplin spoke
TO a large congregation on the terrible
weeks OF the siege. telling in graphic
style of the sufferings endured by the
foreigners who We're prisoners I'm the
legations.
1T was only BY chance that 1 hap
pened 10 be in Picking at the outbreak
OF trouble" he said, for l had gone
there to attend the regular conference,
and before 1 could get away the out
break occurred and no one was able to
leave.
First Of all I want 10 contradict
some statements which have appeared
In the dispatches about the relief OF
Picking. We We're relieved at exactly
300 o'clock on the afternoon OF August
"a. not August -, as has been publish
ed. The giving Of that date was
scheme on the part Of the Russians to
claim that they were first IA Peking.
As a matter Of fact. the night before
Ns =
the allies that the march was to b.
made In the early morning. The Rus
SLAMS and French sent word that they
were not prepared to move, and then,
that night they tried 10 steal a march
on the rest of the forces and get into
Peking first. But the japanese spies
had been watching the russians and
they knew as soon as the Russians and
French moved, and let the English and
Americans know. The Russians and
French made their attack on the north
81 the city; the Japanese came by the
great stone road. and the Americans
and English from the South. SO that
/ happened that the Russians attacked
the Russians attacked the walls first
and the Chinese defenders were largely
drawn away from the south of the city
TO repel them, so when the English and
Americans came into touch with the
enemy they We're practically unopposed.
I The English smashed I'm a gate, but the
Americans did not stop for that, but
swarmed in a body over the walls. the
American flag was planted on its sum-
NIT, and the Americans were first inside
the city.
II was on duty with a squad of coolies
strengthening the walls around the le-
cation compound on that afternoon,
when I heard a great shouting and
cheering. and soon the word came back
mat We were saved, and that the allies
had come TO relieve us. The legation
compound was soon filed with Sikhs
and Punjaub troops and Bengalese
English troops, so they were first to get
into the legation compound.
J AT that time we were in pretty fail
shape as far as defenses were concern.
ed, for we had been busily at work
preparing always for the worst. anc
we had on the north side Of the com.
pound a fifteen foot ditch and a wal
that would have been difficult for any
cannon to pierce. I think that even Eu
ropean troops would have hard worl
TO make n way over or through tina
wall. We had done this with almost NJ
tools at all. you know. We had to tink
er up things with makeshift tools, foI
we did not have half enough Of tina
sort Of thing 10 go around among tn
defenders.
Everybody helped and worked as IA
as they wee able during all the siege
never knew the time when a dolla
counted for as little. 1t was brains an
energy and capacity that counted there
know two men. well known they are
/ too, all over the world. 1 Will not Civ
, their names. but they are eminent mer
! and through all that terrible time the
, were Idle. and they were useless IN tn
, way OF defense. At some times eve
the women and children worked. On