The sun., 1900-12-03
THE HORRORS
OF THE GREAT
SIEGE OF PEk|N
Missionary Fem, a Survivor of
the Siege, Delivers an
Interesting Address.
DELIVERED BY PRAYER
Boxers DestrosSafhe Belongings of
the Missionaries. Had TO Sub
sist on Horse and Mule
Flesh, Ninety Animals
Being Eaten.

One of the largest congregations that
has attended West Presbyterian Oh 81
for a long time was present last i III
to hear an interesting address by
ney ii. Fem of Pittston, Pa, q, ,Ns&
subject, "Through the Siege of ]
Mr.. Pittston is granddaughter !,
late Chief Justice strong of the ~
preme Court and is missionary iii ne
Presbyterian church. He, with many
other missionaries We're housed up in
Pekln during the terrible siege of that
city by the Chinese boxers last summer
and it was of his experiences during that
siege TINT Mr.. enn talked.
Mr.. Fem attributed great many of
/, the hair-breath escapes which they pass
ed through during the siege to the provi-
dence Of God. AIr. Fem said: "When
the allied troops reached Pekin on Aug
ust is for our deliverance it was your
prayers which delivered us from the
Dowager Empress" He spoke of the
events of several years back which lead
up to the war. OF the reforms which
the Emperor of China had been making
for some time. reforms which if con-
tinued would have transformed the entire
empire.
| In following up the course of events
in China during the past few years Mr..
| Fem said: '"Ihe boxer movement was
fast coming on. The organization is an
old one and dates back about 200 years.
They had two ideas, to establish the
empire and to exterminate all the for
eigners. The Chinese christians be-
came the first victims of their attack.
Partly because they We're christians but
mostly because they associated with for
| eigners. At the first outbreak of tbeS
boxers it was reported that it was only
Il local affair and would soon die out
When the consus were appealed to they
said the boxers were only loyal patri-
otic order establishing militia to protect
the empire and could not be stopped.
~ ne DowIger Empress took a hand
early III the game for the purpose of
doing that which she knew she could not
do any other way for the destruction of
all foreigners in China. A great many
of the Chinese poincd the Boxers because
they expected to be able to pillage at
will Weeks before the foreigners began
to do anything the Chinese began to
leave pckin.
I'VE however hardly thought at that
time that the boxers would come in the
lefty The people however started COM
ing in from the country relating their
experiences and the time soon came
when we thought we had better do some
thing for ourselves.
I'VE all gathered at the American
mission. The American minister pro-
missed us twenty marines and the Eng
lish minister promised us ten marines.
The marines were not forthcoming but
they did give us ten rifles and we made
every preparation possible for our de-
fense." 4
Mr.. Fem spoke of the 18th of June
when the Boxers entered the city and
burned and destroyed everything that
the foreigners owned. He said: "There
were probably so per cent. of our people
killed on that night and the horror of it
,all was beyond description. We were
then ordered to leave Pekin and go to
Ten Tsn. 1t would take three or four
days 10 get to Tien Tsin and we made
up our minds that it would be suicide
To attempt II SO we then moved to the
British and American legations
Mr.. Fem spoke of the German minis
ter being killed in the streets of Pekin
and in an interesting way described how
the 1900 foreigners and Chinese chris
tians lived ut the legations until the ar
rival of the allied troops. August Is.
They ale ninety horses and mules be-
longing to the legation and the women
made about 10000 sand bags which We're
used for Notifications. He said: "Dur-
ing the seige the Boxers fred 2,0o0. 900
rifle bullets and 5000 three to nine pound
cannon balls at the fortifications. Out
of all this amount OF ammunition there
was but two Killed and two wounded by
. the rifle ba.s and sixty killed by the
cannon balls. When the allied forces
arrived the Americans We're the first to
enter the city and the British the FIRST
TO enter the legation
In conclusion Mr.. Fem spoke of the
great JOY in Pekin on the arrival of the
allied troops.