Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1900-06-22


| Her Guns Fired on the Vessels of tho
| Powcrs--situation Growing More Serious.
London-China declared war against
the world when the Taku forts opened
fire on the international fleets. The
accounts of what took place are still
unsatisfactory, the best semi official
information being that tho dispatcn re-
ceived at Berlin from Che Foo.
The unofficial narratives coming by
way of Shanghai vary widely and bear
internal evidence Of supplementiLg the
main facts with guess work. One dis
patch says that the Yorktown partici.
pated in the bombardment. Another
asserts that American marines formed
part of the storming force of two thou
sand. An Associated Press dispatch
from Che Foo dated Monday afternoon
says:
The forts on both sides of Taku
are now occupied. The Chinese opened
fire unexpectedly. The casualties to
the mixed force were as follows:
"Killed-British one; German three !;
Russian one; French one.
"Wounded-BrItsh four; German
seven; Russian forty five; French one.
"Chiness torpedo boats were seized. I"
The Shanghai correspondent of the
Daily Mail, telegraphing Monday says:
"The forts began firing in observ-
ance Of orders from Pekin, conveyed
in personal edict Of the empress dow
ager, by advice Of Kang VI, president
of the ministry of war. Several war
ships were struck by shells from H.
inch guns Of the forts
1.-THE heavy Russian losses we're due
to the blowing up OF tho magazine at
Mandshur.
-Four hundred Chinese are reported
to have been killed. The Chinese,
when retreatlng, fell into the hands of
the Russian land forcs."
The Daily News has the following
from Che Foo:
"Two of the forts were blown up.
The foreign warships at Taku aggre-
gated 22O, 900 tons and carried more
than 500 guns
The failure OF Admiral Seymour's
column and its retreat to Tien Tsin,
increases, it is presumed, the peril of
the legations in Pekin, which are iso.
lated, although rumors from Chinese
sources say the legations were attacked
and moved down and the occupants
massacred.
The British consul at Ku Kwan hAs
ordered all foreigners to leave Ku
Liang and Nau Kiaps Chang.
The powers are taking prompt ac-
tion. Four thousand German troops
have been ordered to China, 10000
French troops ars waiting to embark
at Saigon, capitol of French Cochin,
China. and from 5000 to 5000 more
Russians have been ordered from Port
Arthur to Taku The Brussels cores
pondent of the Standard in dispatch
dated Monday says:
"RussIa has massed 10000 men
with seven batteries at Kiachita, with
orders to proceed to Maimatpan, Chi
nese town contiguous to .Kiachita and
then to advance along the telegraph
route to the Mongol town of Urga, 400
miles south of Kiachita and seventy
five miles northwest of Pekin.
The Shanghai correspondent of the
Times gives the following:
son the afternoon of June 18 in
view of the large bodies of Chinese
troops assembling at the forts and OF
the fact that sstorpedoes had been laid
in the river and that all communica-
tions were interrupted, the naval
commanders held council and decided
to send an ultimatum calling for the
disbsndment of the troops and an
nouncing il this demand were not
complied with befors Q O'Clock a. M,
on the following day the united
squadron would destroy the forts.
''Shortly after midnight the forts
opsned fire. The British, French, Ger
man and Japanese warships replied.
Two of the forts were blown up and
the rest we're carried by assault.
"Two British, ons American and
five Chinese warships are in Che Foo
harbor.
The morning papers consider that a
state of war practically exists and that
the Issue is between eastern and west
err civilization.
Tho Timeu sava that tho lateat uewa