The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-09-05
A MODERN SAMPSON.
Japanese Soldier Blew up the wall
ut Eien Tsin.
Atlanta Journal.

Atlanta Journal.
The most realistic description OF the
horrors attending the battle of Tic
Isin, and the only account so far pub.
ltshed OF the heroism OF the Japanese
soldier who blow up the wall of the
city and blew himself up at the same
time, comes In a letter from Corporal
John E. White, OF the Ninth United
States infantry, written from Tien
Isin on July 10Th, when he was acting
sergeant major OF the Third battalion.
After the awful experiences OF TIC
battle in which Colonel Liscum and
Captain Austin Davis were killed, this
regiment moved on Pekin with Cen
eral Chailee and participated in the
brilliant forced march through ex-
treme heat and the subsequent storm
Ing OF the gate and reduction OF the
city on the l4th, 18th, 10th and 18th OF
this month.
Corporal White is doubtless in Pekin
today, helping to paci'y the city or
protect the legations.
His letter WAS written TO his brother,
MIR. Lewis White, OF Atlanta by whose
courtesy The Journal prints It. The
Letter follows;
TEN TSIN, China, July 20, 1900.
Mr.. Lewis White, Atlanta, Ga:
Dear Brother-I wrote you about the
18th OF May from Conception, p. |.
Since then great many things have
transpired that have been verv inter-
csting and exciting to me. My regi-
ment received an order about June 10Th
to proceed TO China. We went to Ma
Mia and from there to Naga6aki ia
pan, and reached China July 10th.
| lien Tsin is u large city, million and
a half population. 1t is divided into
several parts, according to the creed
OF the inhabitants. The foreign pcpu.
lation have a concession and live
apart from the Cinnamon. There are
some magnificent buildings in this part
OF the city.
The main part Of Tien Tsir has u
hugo wall around it, 30 feet thick and
80 feet high. This wall is built in tho
form OF Is square, and is about two
miles long on each side. Quite wall,
isn't it?
The Chinese bombarded the foreign
part OF the city from these walls, and
most Of the fine buildings are in ruins
The big battle occurred on the 18th,
and it did look silly to run infantry up
against those walls, but itw done an /
at frightful cost
The British used their 45-pound
Lydditc gun with terrible effect. In
! fact, | don't think we could ever have
run them out Of there without that
gun.
The Japs were next to us, and they
fight like demons and can Outdrill any
troops | ever SAW. There is not two
inches difference in the height OF any
OF them. They lost heavily and stood
it braYely. One Of them volunteered
to blow up a part Of tho wall with gun
cotton, and blow himself up with the
wall ut could not be done otherwise, }
and he was allowed to try it, so that
his troops could get into the city. How
he ever got to the wall nobody knows,
| but u few minutes after he left an 9w.
ful explosion occurred, big part OF
the wall was down and the brave little
Jap went with it. How is that for he
rOism ?
The Russians also lost heavily, and
they are q class OF .nen who have my
deepest sympathy. Some Of them
could speak German, and ~ we have d
good many Germans in our regim mt,
we learned great deal about them.
Their salary amounts to about 30 cents
in our money per month, uud it was
disgusting Us we'll as pitiIul 70 sec so,-
dicrs OF great nation like Russia
| walking around picking up little scraps
OF hardtack that we had thrown away
We fed quite q lot OF them, and a more
grateful SET Of men you never saw.
Now, | don't mean by this that they
had no ratiOns. oh, no But you
should see thcir bread. 1t is cooked in
large, round lOavcs, looks like burnt
| ginger bread aud cannot be broken in
your hand And just think of tive
were the first to tell them Of the Span
ish- American war and the Filipino m
surrcction, as they were just from
Siberia, where no newspapers or any
thing to read is allowed.
We went into the walled city on the
14th, and the sights there were sickcn.
ing. Without teXaggeratlng, there mus t
have been anywhere from ten to fifteen
thousand dead Cinnamon over the city.
Most of the place is in ruins from the
bOmbarding and is on fire and thou
sands OF bodies are burned.
The Cinnamon never touched their
dead and wounded, and no matter
where you look, it is nothing but dead
bodies in al stages OF decomposition
and common occurrence to see q dog
chewing on one. 1t was awful Hor-
| rible . Wo had to stay in there two
days, and had charge OF u fatigue de-
tail WHO were forcing Cinnamon a. the
point Of the bayonet to bury their dead.
| had two severe vomiting spells byfOr G
| got through with that job.
| helped pick up eleven OF our own
men the day before who had lain on
the field all night. Oar regiment got
into tight place, had to lie there all
day and wait for night to escape, as
the inst .nt you raised your gun you
would get the stock shot II or the gun
shot out OF your hand before you could
raise yourself up to fire This may
sound like an Arabian Nights story.
but it is an honest one, and will De
sworn to by most any American soldier
here, and there are plenty OF guns to
show for it that have bullets iu the
stock. | was right het~ee two men
that got shot in the ritle,' and the
splinters from one OF them stuck me.
The Cinnamon are certainly dead
shots, and there were fully 100, 900 of
them making targets OF us, but we
were too well entrcnchcd for them.
Our loss in the regiment was 80 men
and eight eli scrs, killed and wounded.
You could tell Lydditc victim as soon
as you saw him, and there were thou
sands OF them. They were black lin
the face and splotches OF green were
on their bodies, with long strips OF
| Il