The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-08-03
POWER OF THE BOXERS.
Their Uprising Aided by Cow.
ardice of District Magistrates.
THE sooIETY's ORIGIN AND SPREAD

THE sOCIETY's ORIGIN AND SPREAD
Warnings of the Danger to Chris
tians Not Needed by the Chinese
Government How the Provincial
CAPITAL of Chilli Was Terrorized
by the Boxers.
Provincial correspondents are send
ing to Shanghai many curious details
of the rise and development of the
Boxer movement, says a correspondent
of the New York Sun, writing under
the date of June 10. The parent So
ciety of Who Ch'uan. or righteous
Harmony Fists" originated in Shang-
tung and. according to Chinese custom
agents, We're sent out to all tie PROV
inces to initiate new members and
form provincial branches. In this way
in an Incredibly short time the society
had spread over all China. Originally
formed rs an association for mutual
er the plan of the Young Mems Chris
tan association in the United States, it
speedily fell into the hands of political
Schemers. who used it to spread the
antiforeign propaganda. For months
these branches all through north China
have been gathering arms and prepar-
ing for the trouble which has now de-
scended upon the empire.
From Hsinch'eng, the provincial cap.
| ital of Chill, in the prefecture of Pao-
ting, comes a letter which throws a
flood of light on the methods by which
| the Boxers have gained their present
power. In any other country they
would have been scotched or killed at
the outset, like dangerous snake,
but in China nothing is done after the
fashion followed in any other land
Last year in the Paoting prefecture
about 500 Boxers secured walled
hamlet and began to gather arms and
ammunition. They sent out recruiting
| agents, who represented the rich loot
that would be gained by any one who
took service under them. They bought
all the pistols they could find as well
as other arms, paying good prices for
these weapons. Swords and spears
We're also gathered, and the raw re-
had enjoyed the training of German
4 officers. In few months the force was
licked into shape, and as it was made
up of Adventures who had everything
to gain and nothing to lose it was for
midable, especially in a nonmilitary
country like China
During all these months warnings
and appeals We're constantly received
by Magistrate Siet at the capital.
These letters came from native Chris
tan villages near the Boxer headquar-
tiers. These people knew the intensely
anti-Christian sentiments of the new
society, and they saw clearly that if
the Boxers We're allowed to go OH gain
ing strength the association would soon
be too powerful to check without call
ing out the imperial army. But the
magistrate laughed at the warnings
and ignored the appeals. Apparently
he treated the new society as band
of cranks who would never reach any
prominence. and he never lifted hand
to prevent the recruiting or the gather
ing of arms and munitions.
Finally the expected attack was
made upon a Christian village. and il
was SO savage and showed such organ
ization among the Boxers that the
magistrate was forced to appeal tc
Tien-tsin for aid to suppress the ban.
dts. The leader of the Boxers then
determined to assert himself. He gave
notice that he would call on the follow
ing day on the magistrate. That Off
cial gathered about him several petty
military officers, 100 provincial troops
and about 20 yamen runners and con
stables. They made quite an imposing
appearance. but the moment the Boxer
leader entered the yamen with so wei
armed followers it was plain to every
one that the magistrate was alarmed
and wished to temporiZe. The magis
trate tried bluff game and demanded
that the Boxers should agree not to in
terfere with Christians in his prefec
ture, but he gave them full liberty t.
harm any Christians or foreigners il
other districts. The Boxer leader talk
ed in general way Of the plumber thai
} was to be gained by squeezing the
} Christians of the district until about
400 more of his followers had crowded
into the yarlen grounds, most Of then
with arms concealed under their blous
es. Then he threw off all disguise ani
boldly told the trembling magistrate
that unless he furnished good amount
Of coin at once the Boxers would begin
work on his yamen and then loot the
city.
The military officers looked at the
magistrate, out saw it was hopeless t.
attempt resistance. The magistrate
ordered 1000 bags of rice from the city
granary to be distributed to the Boxer:
and gave the leader so taels for drink
money. The money was wrapped il
paper, and when united it was foun(
q half tael short. At this the Boxer
leader swore fierce oath and declared
that he felt like cutting off the magis
trate's head. He cast the money con