Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-07-05
CHINESE 0uTRAcES.
Boxers Guilty Of Horrible Cruelty
to the Wounded and Captured.
TRAILS OF RAPINE, FIRE and BLOOD.


Of the allies in Tien Tsin inform the
correspondents that it would be sui
eide to attempt to reach Pekin with
the troops now available, in the face
Of the colossal force Of imperial troops
and Boxers occupying the country be-
tween Tien Tsin and Pekin. So far
from taking the offensive, the 10000
international troops at Tien Tsin and
the 5000 others at Taku and interme-
date points can barely keep up com
munications, fighting necessarily with
overwhelming numbers, using far
more numerous artilleries than the al
lies.
This telegram has been received:
Shanghai, July 4.-Tien Tsin city fell
between seven and eight o'clock on
the morning of June 3d." II Is un-
derstood that Shanghai undoubtedly
referred to the native city Of Tien
Tsin, from which the Chinese have
been bombarding the foreign quarter,
and the dispatch is taken to mean
that the allies are more than holding
their own.
Other advices received by way of
Shanghai aver that the Chinese losses
around Tien Tsin are between 1000
and s,OOO according to official esti-
mates. The correspondent of the Ex-
press at Che Foo, telegraphing
Wednesday, says Admiral Seymour
was wounded while sitting in house
at Tien Tsin by Chinese sharpshoot-
ers.
Official news received at Che Foo
shows that the Chinese have been
guilty Of horrible cruelty toward the
wounded and captured, subjecting
them to what Is known as ling che, or
the slicing process. Under this hideous
rite the bodies Of the fallen have
been mutilated. The Russians are re-
taliating by the wholesale shooting OF
natives. Tien Tsin, according to the
Express correspondent shows no
signs Of drifting into barbarism and
savagery.
Revolving stories are told Of bar
barities practiced upon Japanese and
European prisoners captured on the
way to Pckin, though II was not
known before that Admiral Seymour
lost any prisoners. The Chinese
troops marching toward Tien Tsin,
the Chinese say, left behind them
trails of rapine, fire and blood. Ma
tive women were ravshed and chill
hren were cut in two.
European and American residents in
Shanghai are quite in n panic over
what Is viewed as the inadequate mil
itary preparation of the powers A
dispatch to the Express from Shang'
hal SAYS that, according to the best
military estimates, 100000 men will be
necessary to subjugate northern
China, and even then 1t will take two
or three years. The forces OF the Chi
nese empire have gathered such mo-
ton that even Japan's full strength,
launched now, will be unequal to the
task of restoring order,
The decision of the admirals not
to attempt the relief of the besieged
forces has filed the entire commune
ty, the Daily Mail correspondent says,
with bitterness and despair. Few,
however, affirm that any other course
is possible The weakness Of the al
lied forces left no other course open.
II is pointed out that the Chinese
opposing Admiral Seymour were only
fraction of the huge force now cut
ting off the capital from Ten Tsin
and which numbers 100000, nearly all
well armed The allies have no real
means of transport and there is no
food in the country, as II is being
laid waste. The consensus of opinion
among military and naval authorities
is that IL will require at least $4,000
men to rescue the Europeans at
pekin. The allies have to hold Takl
in strength and the occupation of
strategic points on the railroad to
Tien Tsin will be most difficult.
A dispatch from Shanghai to the
Daily Telegraph, dated July 4, says
the Tao-Tai has received news from
Pekin to Wednesday last. Pekn was
then entirely in the hands Of the
Boxers and the situation of the for
eigners was hopeless.
Legation burned and Foreigners Killed
Shanghai, July 5,-Three Chinese
servants of foreigners have, 1t is ru-
mored from a good source, escaped
from Pekin They report that all the
foreigners, 1000 in number, including
400 soldiers, 100 members of the Chi
nese customs staff, and number Of
women and children, held out till their
ammunition was exhausted in the
British legation. The legation was
finally burned and all the foreign
ers killed. 1t is reported that Kwan-
Tsu and the dowager empress have
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