Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-29
GERMANS ARE SEVERE
Cinnamon Have Little Show of Mercy
From Them.
PEKIN POLICED BY THE POWERS
Rights Are Respected in the Ameri-
can District.
RU SSIAN ATROC ITI E S
r Z S S SIAN TROCI E S
special Correspondence Of The Evening Star

PEKIN. October 2. 1900
Never has the world seen such police
system now exists here In the capital
of the Chinese empire. Up to few weeks
ago the Chinese never had. in a true sense
of the word. a police force Of any kind.
Now they have all kinds at once.
And the Chinese do not like police"
The great city is divided into districts,
and each district is policed by the troops
of some particular nation. This might,
therefore. be described as a truly cosmo-
politan city. The Americans are policing
the southern city in conjunction with the
Germans. 1t is quite needless to say that
Baron Won Kettelers avengers do not in
cline especially to extreme mercy. Every
Chinaman who falls into their hands I'M
der circumstances that indicate valid
suspicion that the Chnaman is a Boxer,
a robber or rascal Of any kind is in
hard luck. Daily trials of arrested natives
are held by the German officers. These
trials are secret but from what leaks out
we know that conviction is a foregone con-
cusion IN nearly every case.
Conviction. in nine cases out of ten,
means for the unhappy Chinaman kneel-
ing attitude before firing squad Just
how many of these executions there are
only the German officers are able to tell,
and they won't. Every time that China
iiloin Is brought before d DOdTu Ol IeTIldu
officers for trial they are sure to remember
Won Ketteler. The mental picture of their
hapless ambassador. dragged from his
house and slain with every detail of bru-
horse and slain with every detail of bru-
That being the case. what chance can the
Chinaman hope to have?
Result of Wholesale Executions.
Yet the result of these wholesale exc
cutions is that the German portion Of the
southern city Is becoming rapidly depopu-
lated. The Chinese are afraid to live there,
for not one of Them no matter even If he be
an ardent pro-foreigner feels the least
surety that he will not be arrested and
condemned within the next twenty-four
hours. Yet no Chinese resident dares leave
the German section openly. He is afraid
that flight will be looked upon as full
confession Of guilt and bring him to his
knees before the firing squad. So all sorts
of SubterfugeS are reSorted to. Well-tO-dO
natives disguise themselves as coolies, pre-
tend to be busy or looking for work, and
try to get through the German lines. Once
in the American section of the city they
feel safe.
German patrol parties are constantly
marching through the streets. Non-com
missioned officers prowl about seeking
whom they may accuse. Chinaman who
has a grudge against neighbor has only
to lay information that that neighbor was
one OF the mob that dragged Won ketteler
to the ground and dispatched him. The
chances are all that the accused neighbor
won't figure as a unit In the next census.
Yet no one blames the Germans. They
are writing under the pain of such an out.
rage against nation as the world has sell
dom seen. They are stern people in war.
these big, splendid. capable Germans, and 1t
Is their purpose to strike such terror into the
hearts of the yellow men that hereafter
Teutonic countenance will be a passport
and safe conduct anywhere in China. The
only comment that we in Pekin feel like
making on the German conduct is that their
course Is not in line with the best Judgment.
Our Teutonic friends stirring up hatred
for themselves. If the native government
is established and the people are left to
conduct their own affairs, the Chinese, who
are the most clanniSh people In the world,
will establish quiet, effective boycott on
all German imports German merchants
will then discover that their wares do not
sell in China. While the merchants may
guess at the reason, no amount OF ques-
tinnng will get the truth out of the Chi
nese Aside from the question Of arousing
hatred 1t Is certainly bad judgment to de-
populate a section where trade Is wanted.
The American Plan.
In marked contrast to the German Idea
is the American plan. The Chinese who
live In our section of the southern city are
quiet and seem contented. Once in while
a native Is arrested by a sentry or a pa
troll Sometimes the prisoner Is tried; more
often he isn't. Never are the punlSnfnentS
severe. General Chaffee acts In all matters
with the utmost moderation. The rights of
all natives under our charge are respected.
Lcoting has been all but stopped among
our men. The Chinese In our section are re-
opening their shops. The vendors with the
little corner stands are again doing busi-
ness while the wandering peddlers with
their baskets of edbles, pass along prac-
tically unmolested. once In while some OF
our boys on mischief bent. raid fruit SELL
err advising him to send his bill to Wash
inrton. Chinese are fiocking In here from
Other quarters. If they continue coming
as fast as they have been doing, in another
month there won't be room for our patrols
to get around.
The English sphere is the legation quarter
in the northern city. Whenever Tommie is
in bad humor he vents 1t in kicking the
first yellow rascal who gets in his way.
But these cases are individual. The general
British treatment of the natives In the le-
CATION quarter can be characterized only as
indifferent. The British sentres are not
lax; neither are they severe.
Over in the northeast portion of the
northern city the Japanese are encamped
and exercise police control. There are some
tales to the effect that they resort to
oriental methods of torture for the purpose
Of extorting confessions, but l have found
no one who pretended to have more than
hearsay knowledge of this kind. 1t is not
c. edible that the little brown men from the
land of the rising sun are doing anything
of the sort, for their record all along has
been magnificent. One significant fact is
that their section of Pekin, where business
has never crept in before. is now teeming
with shops Bankers have moved over
there to do business, as the air Of the place
is one of thrift.
French and Russian Atrocities.
But now we come to the darker part Of
| the picture-one which has no exact paral-
lei in the history Of civilized warfare. The
French have their zone north Of the forbid
den city. The Russians control the west
ern part Of the northern city of Pekin, and
also form the guard around the forbidden
city itself AS the Russians also guard the
Summer Palace, 1t will be noticed that
they control all the corner lots Of vantage
out here.
1t is fearful thing to say-but true-that
the French and Russian troops have COM
mitted the most horrible atrocities in their
zones. If their officers desire to prevent It,
they are poweress. Few native women
or girls long continue to escape these SOL
diers. The pursuit is relentless, dastardly
without excuse. Among Chinese women of
respectable life the ethics in which they are
educated leave no choice of fate. After
such misfortune they must destroy them
selves in order that they may no longer be
| a reproach to their relatives and neighbors
Some of the unfortunates are able to Sc
| cure opium and painless death. The