New-York tribune., 1900-08-30
THE SACK OF TIEN- -TSIN.
THREE DAYS OF LoOTING FOLLOWED
THE CAPTURE OF THE CITY BY
THE ALLIED FORCES

tering with the accumulated rubbish and slops
from population of nearly million, packed
into labyrinth of novels, around the palaces
of Viceroy and petty Taotais, who absorbed
their wealth and gave them not even sewers in
return. Now it is the incarnation OF all the
suffering. horrors and waste of war
The European soldiers when they fought their
way up to the walls. floating in the canals
and bitches outside dozens of Chinese slain by
their own people because they refused to fight.
The bodies were headless. and their hands were
tied behind their backs. The heads were dis
covered afterward. Rows Of them decorated the
outer walls. hung by their pigtails.
Five flags were flying from the high pagodas
on the city walls when the newspaper corre-
spondents entered-the French, japanese. Amer
lean. Russian and British. 1T was hard enough
to get those flags up there" remarked foreign
officer, but the real trouble will be to get them
down The suburbs of the city presented
foretaste Of what insiie. Shells had torn
the huts and ploughed the ground. while the
dead men scattered among dead horses. pigs and
dogs, testified how thoroughly the bullets had
swept the region the day before
CHINESE DEAD WE'RE EVERYWHERE.
The sights inside compelled respect for the
fighting qualities of the Chinese. Their dead
we're everywhere. Dressed in the coarse blue
cooie blouse and trousers. decorated with char
TendsF
TO foreign bullets. they were strewn all along
the top Of the wall wherever they had fallen.
Walking quarter Of a mile along the embank-
ment the bodies averaged one in ten feet and
the wall was nearly ten miles long.
Throughout the city the demolished houses
and hundreds of killed gave evidence OF how
vastly more effective had been the foreign shell
fire within the walls Of the city than the
Chinese bombardment Of the Foreign Settlement
which, lasting for month. had killed only
dozen people The Viceroy had constructed in
the palace yard two comfortable and impene-
tTable bombproofs. excavations guarded by
sandbags but the common people were less
| fortunate. Many women and children were ly
ing dead in the streets, torn terribly by shrap-
mel The living popuIace were utterly Indifferent
to their dead They would not take the trouble
to drag them out Of the streets or even cover
them with mating, as a foreign soldier did
afterward but trampled them under foot with
out bothering to turn aside Before the shoot
ing in the streets was finished thousands o<
Chinese had emerged from their burrows, carry
ing white flags the flags Of foreign nations,
principally the japanese
Most remarka BILE OF all the sights the
Iooting Of the city-the middle OF the place was
like anthilI kicked open. Chinese swarmed
every where, thousands and thousands Of them
diving into the flames of the burning shops.
!
smoke. Most Of them were half-naked. grirny
with smoke and sometimes dripping with blood.
They preyed upon one another A Chinese ap-
pearing with prize must fight his way. for
other Chinese sprang upon him and clutched
his plunder. They rolled among the eorpses.
pulling and tearing while children" being
trampled down cried for help and the mob
poured right along over them. nv -o,7
A CARNIVAL OF Lo0TsvI II
The palaces. the mint. the pawnshops the
stores Of silks, furs and jewelry were the first
objects Of attack Near the middle Of the city
was the most prosperous pawnshop, an insti-
tuition that had probably existed for centuries.
Wealthy Chinese were accustomed to store their
winter clothing there for safe keeping When
the doors were battered down the mob flowed
in like tidal wave. There were British officers.
naval and military, soldiers and sailors with
good spr1nkling Of Sikhs but principally
Chinese In twinkling all was pandemonium.
The Oh nese knew where the best treasure was
to be found. and the soldiers followed them.
Two forces came into collision in the gateway,
a rush line Of Chinese struggling TO enter and
another line lighting to get out with great
PrlIs of loot while an occasional soldier went
through the crowd like Of the Broadway
Squad. Tien-Tsin experienced a sweeping re-
distribution Of wealth, but on the old scheme Of
prizes to the strongest.
The loottng hourished for three days. On the
first day IL entirely UnresLrained. Many
white people accumulated stacks OF goods by
simply standing at the city gates and holding
up the best laden Chinese from the endless pro-
cession that flowed out. Pack horses. carts,
rickshawS coolies loaded with trunks and sacks
piled with loose silks, furs and bronzes, crowded
all the roads leading down to the Settlement.
English officers rode with their horses concealed
under drygoods, and soldiers slung bundles
their bayonets.
On the second day a conference of command
ing officers decided to adopt repressive meas
ures The commanders excepting the French.
empowered the British. who were doing provost
duty. to seize all loot; This order the British
attempted to execute by holding up the looters
as they entered the foreign towns They took
all bundles and reported the names Of claimants
for future inquiry. Naturally this step pro-
voked grumbling particularly among the SOL
diers OF other nationalities. Captain Bailey the
Provost Marshal a bodied. big-voced Eng
nshman. explained that the prohibition was de-
signed 20 restrain civilians from getting the
spoils which should go 70 the men who did the
loot will be sold, the proceeds TO be divided
among the soldiers prize money, but soldiers,
wise through former campaigns, comment scep-
The japanese so far as casual observation
showed did the least looting. because Of the ad-
mira bic discipline under which their soldiers are
held The Americans had all TO themselves one
large arsenal which they occupied entering
the city It contained not only cannon, but
fine store Of small arms swords Of curious and
rich pattern, rifles of various makes, with stands
Of the long two-man guns, which are simply
giant rifles. throwing a bail which from the
report and the whistle the soldiers in the fight
Judged 10 he one-pounders. Munitions Of war
officers had lived there. and in flight had left
stacks Of clothing and other articles OF great
value. All this stuff is 70 be sold or shipped to
Washington as spoils OF var
CHECKING THE PILLAGE.
on the third day of the occupation more
effective method followed by compelling
looters to give up their loads at the city gates
Even this measure did not prevent the loss Of
much gold and silver. Civilians from the con-