The St. Louis Republic., 1900-07-18
Not Until the Monocacy Was
Struck Did He Take Part
in Taku Fight.
YAEG-TSE VALLEY AFLAME.
Date Set for Massacre of All Fer
eigners-The Steamer COptic
Brings the News From
the Orient.

San Francisco. Cal. July iI-Iieutenant
Commander g 5. Richmond returned to-
day on the Coptic after an extended cruise
on the Asiatic Station. He left Taku where
the allied feet is now lying on June 10.
1T was Admiral Kempfrs original inter-
tioE.' said Richmond in speaking OF tho
Chinese situation. ito remain neutral.
Troops Were landed first merely to protect
the legation. but. when the Chinese put 4
shell through the Monocacy. that was fir
Ing upon the American flag. and Il became
necessary TO resent it.
I'm the harbor of Taku there are fifty
foreign men-of-war prepared TO act in con-
cert against the Chinese. With torpedo
boats signal line is maintained that keeps
all the vessels cognizant of the movements
ashore. The wires In the interior. however.
are all down. and IL IS as difficult 10 get
news there It is here
In YanE-tSe Valley.
The Reverend =. /. Woodbridge. a Pres
byterian missionary. who has been at Chin
Kiang on the Yang-tse River for the past
fifteen years. arrived on the Coptic from
Shanghai with his wife and children, on a
furiouSh. He expects to return to Chin
Kiang when the present troubles are over.
The whole city. as well as all other cities
and towns along the Yang-tse. was greatly
excited and on the verge Of an uprising
when Woodbridge left Chin-Kiang on Jure
IL. In fact, a day had been fixed for the
destruction OF all property owned by the
foreigners. and the murder Of the foreign
ers themselves. and Woodbridge believes
that by this time terrible fate has met
those foreigners who failed to heed his
warning ard fly from the impending mas
sacre.
1T would be difficult. to estimate the num-
Der OF foreigners along the Yang-tse Riv-
err said Woodbridge. There are literally
thousands of missionaries In the great val
ley. and beyond. further In the interior.
Nearly every one Of them has family
and;I hope the missionaries have at least
sent their families TO Shanghai. Just before
l left thin-kiang telegraphed to 200 Pres
byterian missionaries to wait 10 longer bun
get down 10 Shanghai quickly as pos
sible.
Depends on the viceroys.
The fate of all the Yang-tse country
hangs on the words OF two viceroys. One
OF them Is Chen Chi Tunr. at Hankow. the
other is Diu Kun Yih. at Nanking. IL these
men waver an uprising of terrible proper
tions will result among the millions in that
th;ckly populated portion of the Empire.
Doctor Worth. grandson of Governor
Worth OF North Carolina had house and
hcspita! at Kiang-Yin and was ordered by =!
the natives to leave. as his property was to |
be burned. II he remained he was 10 be |
murdered.
american Consul Martin telegraphed for |
n gunboat just before j left Chin-Kiang
but 1t is not likely that one could be sent |
to him. as all the vessels had gone on TO |
Taku. This leaves the situation very bad |
at Chin-kiang. 1t is very important place |
"a central point. where fifty million people |
pass every year"
Fled From Tien-Tstn
-Four other persons have arrived here on |
the Coptic, who come direct from Tien-
Tsin. where they were Obliged to flee for |
their lives. They were the Reverend Rob- |
ert Coltman. Presbyterian minister, and |
his wife OF Denver. ana W. l.. ireland and |!
a. Mathez. mining engineers. Mr.. Coltman |
left behind him In Pekin. to share the aw- |
ful fate OF foreigners a son and his wife.
with their six children.
The aged couple left Pekin Nav s. Min
ister Ccnger dined with them and their son
the night before they left. They were al Il
the night Of the first raid by the
Boxers. They left by a train with scarcely
twenty minutes to get ready. This was one
of the last trains TO leave the besieged city.
The couple had with them their daughter
Jennie. and her five weeks old child The
party reached a Chinese merchant steamer |
which was TO bear them to Shanghai and
an hour later they learned that the forts |
AZ Tdku were to be bombarded that night
Their steamer was just behind the foreign |
yunbcats separated from them by a narrow !
heck OF land and right In the line of the
ire cf the Taku forts.
All night they remained thus with shells
bursting over their heads. They We're GER
ain that any moment one would land In |
hsir boat. For five hours this was kept up.
rhey saw the Monocacy struck and wit
iessed the termination of the bombardrnent
n the blowing up OF the forts, bringing
leath to thousands Of Chinese
They made their way TO Shanghai with
'ut further interruption. there bade fare
veil to their daughter. reaching here 20
ind their worst fears confirmed regarding |
ne situation in Pekin. Mr. Coltman's son
vas formerly the private physician to Ii
lung Chang. and he has a daughter mar
fed TO Professor Clifford of the Imperial
at Tien-Tsin.