Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-19
international Forces Capture Seventeen
Forts at Taku After an Engagement.
FLEET OF ALLIED FORCES IS B0MBARDED
Forts Open the Fighting by Bombardng the Warshps in
Reply to ltimatum-News From Pekng is
Scarce-Russa Demands
Indemnity

Lendon, June 19.--Shanghai reports |
that the Taku forts have been occupied
by the International troops. A Che
Foo special syas that seventeen forts
opened fire upon the warships. The
fleet replied and silenced the Chinese
guns. The international forces subse-
quently landed and seized the forts.
The news of this engagement is stated
to have been brought to Chu Flu by
Japanese warships. The date of the
occurrence is not given. According to
the dispatch the Chinese bomba1dment
followed an ultimatum sent by the
commander of the fleet. An official dis
patch from the German consul at Che
Foo received at Berlin confirms the
arrival of japanese torpedo boat
which reports that the legations at
Pekin have been taken. A later dis
patch from the same consul states
that an engagement is proceeding at
Taku between the Chinese forts and
foreign warships. Berlin also has Of
fetal notification from Shanghai. Ow-
ing to the interruption of the tele-
graph lines no trustworthy news
whatever is obtainable of events trans
piring in Peking. A dispatch from
Shanghai says that Russia has demand
ed 50,00O,o0O taels indemnity for dam
age done the Chinese railroad in which
Russia is interested.
Paris, June 1S.-The French consul
general in South China who has been
/ instructed to send into Tonquin all the
French citizens at Yunnan-Sen, cables
from the latter place under the date of
the 18th, that he is prevented from
leaving with his companions by the
viceroy, his house and all the missions
have been burned. The parties clothes
have been stolen and they are practical
| ly prisoners. French troops are mass
ed on the Tonquin frontier in China
but their march is delayed as the au-
| thorities fear to provoke an uprising
of the population and a massacre of
Europeans before the troops could
reach them. Delcasse summoned the
4 Chinese minister to Paris and request
ed him to Immediately telegraph the
viceroy of Yunnan-Sen that France will
hold him personally responsible for the
4 lives of French citizens.
Washington, June 1S.--Actual news
of the situation in China was received
by the navy department today in two
cablegrams, the contents of which were
made known, as follows: "a cable
gram from Admiral Remey, at Cavite
informs the department that Comman-
der Tausig cables that Taku fort fired
on the foreign gun vessels and sur
rendered to the allied forces in the
morning of June II. The department.
INSTRUCTED Kemptf to concur with the
| other powers in taking all necessary
steps to protect American interests. A
dispatch from Taussg dated Che Foo.
June II, says Taku fort fired on the
/ foreign vessels at 12:45 a. m. according
to the British admiral at Tien Tsin.'
i Officials here are puzzled at Taus-
sig's statement regarding the British
admiral. If it is Admirl Seymour, who
led the international relief column, who
has returned to Tien Tsin, the assump-
tion is that the relief column has fail
ed, and has been compelled to retreat.
1t is said nothing can be done for the
relief Of the foreign ministers at Pc
king, supposing they are still alive, un-
til much stronger relief column can
be marched overland to Peking. Weeks
must elapse before this can be done.
Paris, June 1S.-The French cruisers
: Guichen and Admiral Charner have
been ordered to fit out immediat tely for
China.
: New York, June 1S.-The cable com.
! panies announce that telegraphic com
| munication with Taku and Tien-Tsin
is re-established.
Manila, June is, 10 a. m.-The Ninth
!, regiment has been ordered to Manila
: whence it will proceed to China.
!. London, June 1s.-A dispatch from
!, Che Foo under today's date says: "The
: forces of the combined fleets occupied
the Taku north forts yesterday after