Evening star., 1900-10-09
A Little Heroine.

admiration of every soul within the lega-
ton compound for his bravery"
Little Heroine.
Little Ruth Ingram, daughter of Dr. and
Mrs. ]. II. Ingram, Congregationalist mis-
sicnarias stationed at Tung Chou. twelve
miles from Pekin, and who escaped to the
British legation. told an interesting story.
She said to an Examiner reporter:
I'VE fled from the mission at Tung Chou
on Wednesday night, June S. The Boxers
were all around US and we had been shut
in the mission for two weeks Some one
told papa We would be killed, so he got us
together and hurried toward Pekin in
the dark. There twenty-five grown
people and nine children in our party. We
reached Pekin in the morning and were
sent to the chapel, where We remained
until the soldiers drove the Boxers away.
When we went into the capital we ex-
pected Capt McCalla would rescue us in a
few days, but we heard he had got half
way from Tien Tsn and was driven back.
Then our sufferings commenced.
'The day the German minister was killed
all people thought would be muir
dered. We were all in the British legation
and there were only 400 marines to defend
us. / put away my doll which | had car
ried from the mission, and tried to help
mamma. The men brought in silks and
made bags, sometimes using four or five
thicknesses to make them strong enough TO
hold the sand. Every piece of cloth the
ladies made sacks of their extra dresses
The yard in front of the British secretary's
house was all dug out to fill the bags
When we left there was high path, like n
bridge. to the secretary's house, and on
each side were great deep holes.
Many Awful Weeks.
For many weeks, while we were con-
fired in the chapel of the British legation
at Pekin, We had nothing to eat but moldy
rice and horse meat. And all the little
babies were sick, and many of them
died right there in the little room where we
We're imprisoned.
"At first 1 was frightened but my
mamma and the other ladies tried to teach
us not to be afraid. All night long the
bursting shells and the dreadful cannonad-
Ing kept the children awake. and we hardly
had any sleep at all. Every day, even on
Sunday, the women and the girls who could
sew strongly had to work making sacks.
which the men would fill with earth and
place on the barTicades at night.
Then. when the larger girls got tired
out sewing and their fingers were sore, we
would take care of the babies There were
thirteen children in the chapel where we
We're and most of them were babies.
THE food we had to eat made us all sick
1t was moldy rice most Of the time, and
then we had horse meat. The rice had been
stored by the Chinese for several years
and the men found it. We also had some
wheat, which was ground in an old Chinese
mill made of two big stones. One of the
men would pour the wheat into a hole in
the upper stone, which was turned like a
merry gO-round. by a mule.
"One night our mothers thought we
wculd all be killed. A shell struck the roof
of the chapel and pieces of the ceiling fell
That was the only time our building was
hit.
"Our men who were wounded bv the Rox
ers bullets would come to the chapel for
bandages, and some who We're badly hurt
were brought in where the women and
children were compounded.
when the soldiers came to relieve uS
the ladies in the chapel cried and hugged
their babies. Then we all knelt and said
prayer.
What did you do after the Boxers were
driven away?'
''Oh. just sat down after little while
and played with my Chinese dolly"
And the little heroine took her dolly
from her bag of toys and proudly exhib-
tied it.
THAT'S my dolly: I brought it with me
and l am going to keep 1t forever
Master Squiers Carried a Rifle.
There was young hero of the siege, too,
Master William F. Squires. son of H. G.
Squires. first secretary of the American
legation at Pekin. He is only sixteen, but
he carried a rifle and helped In the defense.
Relating his experience, the young SOL
dier said:
THE day the German minister was killed
we were just waiting to start out for Tien
Tsin. When he was killed, though. that
started the fighting, and after that we did
nothing else but fight. Everybody went to
the British legation for safety. Barricades
were put in Place and rice was brought
from the nearest stores and put away in
case We should need it. 1 helped wheel the
rice.
when the Chinese made their first night
attack l took part. l out until In
the morning and was soaked with the rain,
for the attack was made during thunder
storm. Everybody was afraid the Boxers
would get over the berricades and 1t was
hard to go to sleep. But then 1 got so
tired l slept quite soundly. After that
night l always carried a rifle.
Il happened to be the wall the day
the runner came in with the news that the
relief soldiers were coming. / saw the
Chinese come running in, all covered with
dirt. He had three messages and they
were all sewed in his big straw hat. Every
body came out and shouted then, for we
knew we were safe. IT was about time,
too, for the Chinese who were with us had
only leaves from the trees and some dog
meat to live on. But when we knew we
were safe everybody had al he wanted.
ION the afternoon of August IA, about
o'clock, a man came running down from
the wall and said the relief column was in
sight. Two or three hours after that Gen.
Chaffee came in. The Russians and the
Japanese came in next day. The Russians
are wild lot CT men. After that day the
Russians and Japanese and Americans and
English ana all of looted the Chinese
buildings
In the Police Court today, by direction of
Judge kimball, John Coleman paid SO for
assaulting Charles Weeks.