Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1900-08-08
CHINESE BADLY DEFEATED
WERE ROUTED BY ALLIES.
Chiefly Japs and Russians Engaged
Fought ON Line between Ticn-
tsin and Pekin-Al1ied Forces Loss
Wns 1900 Killed and Wounded.

receipt of two dispatches from naval oiIi.
GERS at Chefoo repeating unofficial, but
reliable, reports OF active and
extensive hostilities between the allied
forces and the Chinese on the line between
1iontsin and Pekin. The dispatches indi
cate unmistakably that the relief column
has started in earnest and that it is meet
Ing with determined opposition. Al
though neither of the naval dispatches
mentioned the presence of American
troops in the reported engagement. it is
generally assumed at the war department
that al least a part of General Chaiiee's
small army took an active and aggressive
part in the affair. The dispatches are
as follows:
News Reaches Washington.
"Chefoo, Aug. 7.-Bureau Of Nayiga-
ton, Washington: The British Fame re-
ports unoiiicially an engagement at Peit-
sang, ON Sunday morning, from 3 until 10
o'clock. The allied loss in killed and
wounded was ZOO, chiefly Russian and
nt SHihtSC diC
TAUSSIG."
According to the information in posses
sion of the war department, the town OF
reitsang is at the head of tide water on
the Pei Ho river, between 4 and IL miles
by road beyond Tientsin. 1t is village
OF mud huts OF considerable size, but not
walled. The river at this point is not
navigable by anything larger than good
sized steam launch, and it is thought that
the troops probably reached there IN
small boats towed by the naval launches.
The country along the river between Pc
kin and Tientsin is low alluvial plain,
almost impossible for wheeled vehicles i'll
the wet season, and is under quite high
state of cultivation. 1t presents no nat
uIal defensive features, and the war de-
ps;rtment knows OF no strategic reason
why the Chinese should have made Il
stand there rather than any of the other
dozen villages east Of the walled town of
1ung Chow, where is stored AN immense
amount OF provisions, upon which the city
of Pekin would have to depend in case Of
siege.
From the fact that the engagement last
ed seven and half hours it is argued in
the department that either the Chinese
must have been heavily entrenched or
that there was an immense horde Of them
to so stubbOrnly contest the advance Of
the 10000 international troops. II is fig
ured by military experts that loss Of
1900 killed and wounded on the part OF
the allies probably means a loss OF from
three to six times as many by the Chine-e.
The position of the United States dip
lomaticalIy remains unchanged. This
moval of the ministers and foreigners
from Pekin until there is free communi-
cation by the powers with their ministers.
Nor will this government consent to com
municate in plain language alone, but in
sists that cipher messages must pass free
ly between Minister Conger and our state
department. II is emphatically stated
that unless such messages are exchanged
the United States can not know beyond
question that the messages were not gar
bed and both the United States govern
ment and the ministers misled.
There seems TO be no doubt about the
safety of the ministers at Pekin for the
present.
Prince Ii stiII at Shanghai.
London, Aug. 1.-THE anti I foreign
power again has the upper hand at Pekin.
According to the reports emerging from
III Hung Chang's lodgings at Shanghai,
his baggage is packed preparatory to his
departure for Pekin, but it is added, he
has applied to the throne for 20 days sick
leave. Ii Hung Chang claims that his
to the Yang Tse viceroys
and Taotai Sheng will be denounced by
Ii Pink Hong, because they are friendly
to the foreigners.
A dispatch received at the war office in
st. Petersburg from General Grodeof,
dated Khabarvsk, August 4, says two
sqlIadrons reconnotering near Teche, en-
gagged 1000 Chinese with two guns and
250 cavalry. After stubborn fight the
Russians were reinforced by another
squadron with two guns and defeated the
Chinese, killing 200. The Russian loss
was eight men killed and eight wounded.
This dispatch adds that the battle
around Aigun was continued August 3,
the Cossacks losing six men killed and
,5 wounded, and driving back the Chinese
killing 200 and capturing two guns and
two flags. An inscription on one of the
flags read: "The people of the large
fst."
Aigun, when the dispatch was sent,
was burning. Other dispatches report
Russian successes near Port Artheur.
ON the Upper Yang Use Kians.
Paris, Aug. 6.-The French consul at
hung King tklegraphs, unirr date of
August 8, that ithe situatiqh is becoming
more serious q the UPPER Yang Tse
kiang. The English consdl he says, has
eft, with the cdAoms Aonse staff, and
he French consul inte3ds 10 leave with
lis Japanese colleague, The mail service
las been stopped.
Kitchener Surrounds Beers.
London, Aug. 7.--A special dispatch
rom Pretoria says General Lord Kitch.
ner has narrowed the circle around Gen
raj Dewet and Steyn by driving the
pemy out Of the flank position he held.
A Royal Separation.
New York, Aug IA dispatch from
Paris says; A separation is stated to have
alsa. ,.l,na hsf ,xaax tha roval prsneass