Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-11-29
INTERNATIONAL GUN
OF THE PEKIN SIEGE
j. Martin Miller.

q bright young girl who had lived to
welcome the allied relief troops on
August l4th. -...--,
NM replied the officer. ~ have
not; who is she?" ~
"Our Betsy? Why, cur Betsy is the
International gun OF the Pekin SIEGE,
She is the Yellow Dragon, the British
Lion, the Russian Bear, and our own
glorious Stars and Stripes all combined
the emblem of harmony OF nations,
such as you read about "
II don't believe / understand; per-
haps the forced march here in the hot
sun was too much for my poor head,
interrupted her listener. "You must
tell me plainly" ~
- am Just coming to that, but we
all felt SO eloquent on the subject OF
Betsy that we have to give a-what do
know answered the girl, whose
spirits even eight weeks Of siege had
failed to quench.
lyon see, it was this way" she con
tinued; "we were having an awfuly
hard time here, in the British Lega-
ton: We had in the cannon line little
Italian one FOUNDER; and IL could only
be in one place at time, while the
Chinese were attacking us from several
places at time nearly all day and all
night.
wall wanted cannon to knock the
heather Chinese baiIicade down. In
fact, we needed one to break harrioades
10 every direction. for the Chinese had
| formed perfect Gordon Of barricades
around US. Well, Mitchell, our marine
gunner, a brave fellow, conceived the
| idea of making gun or cannon. He
found some old brass piping and
worked upon it for. long time. just
by accident one day the Chinese SER
wants passed him while busy with the
pipe, and they grasped his idea.
Do you want something like that?'
| they asked some one. II you do, We
can get you one.' Now, wasn't that
Chinese like? They had to see US at
work making gun before they thought
OCCUR ed to them that another might be
used. Well, of they ran and returned
with an old chinese cannon. Not an.
other thing but cannon. Now | will
tell you why we call her the lnterna-
tional.
"Oi course you must know Betsy is
only our pet name. The international
is her formal appellation, because her
body was found in an old Chinese junk
shop within our lines. She was
mounted upon an Italian carriage,
loaded with Russian shells, fired by an
American gunner, from the British
Legation walls. Now you sec why We
call her the International, but she IL
our Betsy Just the same"
"Then God bless Betsy, the Interna-
tional," said the old officer, lifting
. his hat.
: This would have made an excellent
conclurion to the conversation, but the
, young American girls tongue was
looseped. Her cheeks grow pink and
Ger eyes bright, it seemed SO coed 10
be talking 10 some one from the outside
J world-an officer at that. She con
] tinued:
, Just as soon as Betsy was finished,
Or mounted, as the soldiers say, Mitchell
and the captain gave her triak They
8 turned her on wall, and didn't she
t give one great rusty, wheezy old roai
/ from her old throat ana gop Then W.
3 ljust went wild.
"And then our boys took her upor
D the wall near Chen Men gate ant
. turned her on the Chinese barricades
q Again she roared and sent the bricks
s flying. Before that our men had uset
= iihos WHY INV wv NhihOoO phth6
8 that we had nothing else. Well, whel
It Betsy struck them they were SO sur
y prised that instead of lodging or lyin,
i down they jumped straight up ant
Y looked over their barricades, and Oh
Z men swept them with rifle volley
j. And that was only the beginning o
# Betsy's good work. She has knocked
l. down barricades, prevented rushes frou
n the enemy, and lots of other thing
ii Just as bad.
4 ''We all just love her. And when il
10 the midst Of all the other bonibardin
10 we heard voice entirely different
= wheezy, throaty, gusty roar, as if tn
n old gun had caught and swallows
u tacks-we all used to pause, aud som
D. one was sure to say, Just listen to gu
Il dear old Betsy.
10 "She is to be given to the Unite
" States, believe, and remain at tn
lie National Museum, Washington, an
B. some of US are going to propose tina
ar the alumni of this siege hold an an
/. nual celebration in her honor. Don
10 you think that coed idea?''
N Indeed | do" replied the old vel
= eran, with patriotic warmth. -Cbrie
C. tian Advocate.