Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-07-10

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batants were massacred- Inhabitants
were boiled alive. sawn asunder and
otherwise tortured.
FROM TAKU TO PEKING.
The following account of MS trip
from Taku TO Peking was written SIX
weeks ago by al Austrian naval officer
who Is supposed TO have perished with
the other foreigners in the city
The railroad to Peking starts at Tong
Ku, which place I reached by a rheumat-
ic tUgboat from Taku after two hours
sporadic steaming. When goes the
next train to Tien Ts.n1' ! asked the
station master.
"Ah, my lord, replied the pigtailed
worthy in his best pigeon English in
au hour perhaps. OK in TWO, who knowsE
We are waiting for the train from Tien
Tsin TO a.riye and start again.
To kill time I walked into the railway
eating house, where the buffet offere
very good Chinese cake, ham, eggs, bad
port and excellent tea; also soup that
seemed TO be composed Of a thousand and
one things As there was no train IN
sight By the time / had dined, and as
the station master informed me that tae
Iien-Tsin express shouldn't leave with
out me, I made tour of the village,
which found to be Just as dirty and as
full of sick people and beggars as any
other Chinese settlement But there
seemed to be q greater number and va
riety of opium mills-for the benefit OF
the sailors. [ was told. Half q dozen
women with tiny feet and clothed in
fiowered silk dresses squatted along the
walls Of each saloon inviting passersby
to step in.
When the Tien-Tsin train arrived and
hundreds of waiting passengers rushed
pell nell Cor the cars, the policemen.
without q word Of warning, fell upon
their countrymen. dealing out strokes
right and left The outraged people
howied, there was no end TO their chat
tered protestations, but further resist
ance was not offered.
The two hours ride from Tong-Ku 10
Tien-Tsin took Us through treeless nat
lands devastated by floods. There We're
only q few villoges with small mud
covered houses, to be seen, bat miles
upon miles of round mound, indicating
graves. People outside of the Middle
Kingdom think the Chinese especially
addicted to the worship of their ances-
tors If they are, they don't show it by
keeping their graves green; Among the
the thousands of graves l saw there
wasn't one indicating that anybody
cared for it. Frequently the naked
bones or parts of the collins are visible
from without So much for Chinese
sentimentaIlty
''Tien- Tsinl" "Tien- -Tsin!' The train
stopped before long stretched, One-
story barn, a horde Of coolies rushed up
on the carriages, four of them took hold
Of my baggage and we were off for the
embanklnent OF the Pei-Ho, on the OPP
posite side of which the foreign settle
ments are situated. Arrived there a
buggy drawn by galloping native soon
carried me within the confines Of civil
ization Broad streets, lined with stone
houses and shade trees, pure air and
perfect auietude-thed difference between
this and the Chinese town l came from
is that between a well-Ordered park and
dung heap.
lodged ct the Astor House. the roomy
apartments. quiet service and exquisite
cuisine Of which reminded me of the
famous New York hotel. The English
settlement has the peaceful aspects OF a
rich rural town in Great Britain. The
streets are well laid out, pretty villas
here, fine business blocks there. The
church is graceful edlfice, green bush
es and flowers are everywhere. ] saw a
number of stylish ladies on horseback,
while groups of blonde children walked
about under the care Of prim nurses
The native town. which is surround
ed by walls and mOat, is said to con
tain a million inhabitants. There are
also large settlements outside of the
walls I didn't like the attitude of the
people toward us foreigners while we
we're driving through the narrow, i'll.
smelling streets They regarded us
with sullen looks and hustled or delay
ed our Tiksas (buggies) according to
their sweet pleasure all along the road.
We heard many stories OF Europeans
that We're msltreated in the Chin ese
town. Some Europeans even vanished
from the face Of the earth after visiting
the town of the natives. Maybe fana-
tics did away with them. \ large per
centage of the population are Manchus;
they are bigger and more energetic than
the Chinese, and their hatred of foreign
ers is notorious.
The railroad 10 Peking was finished
three years ago. Until then travelling
TO the capitol went by boat up the Pei
Ho. oD horse back Or by carriage This
took two or three days. Now tile dis
tance can be covered in FIVE hours. The
railway is government property and
pays we'll paid 81. 30 for frst-class
ticket, no charge for baggage. This
latter privilege is very important to the
natives, who are in the habit Of carting
all sorts Of useful and useless things
along with them on their travels. cages
4. l.. Il.
Donkey and camel caravans were
travelling along the railway bed in great
numbers. followed by swarms of chill
dren bent on picking up occasional loss
e.. AS was gazing at the mountains
in the distance the train stopped sud
denly at Il low building marked "Pe-
king in large letters. There was no
town to be seen. / was informed that
tho Son Of Heaven would never allow
the foreign devils TO bring their sacri-
ligious railways TO Peking's very gates.
The firm Of Siemens q Halske operates
an electric street car line between the
station and the city, but this wasn't
running owing TO the riotous behavi or
Of the Boxers who are assembling
here in menacing numbers. AS no car
riage was to be had | resolved to enter
Peking mounted on an ass. 1t was n
terrible journey across marshes and
mud holes, over bitches and heaps Of
stones and garbage My eyes panied
me owing to the clouds of dirt and dust
flying about; often shut them to avoid
seeing the sick and beggars rolling in
the road crying for aims.
4 full hour | trotted along, the road
becoming hilly rs we came nearer to the
city. When at last we stood within
sight Of the mighty walls we were OBJ
liged to stop. for the bridge spanning
the moat is but narrow affair, allow
ing but one wagon and one mounted
man TO pass side by side at the same
time The gate was defended by a
three story guard house, numerous can
non and soldiers. When we had passed
under it ] expected to enter right into
the whirl Of the great metropolis, bat
instead we had another half hours ride
before us. It led up over a narrow dam
between the walled parks of the Temple
of Agriculture and of Heaven. We
could catch no glimpses of the parks
and buildings themselves. The bare
forbidding walls were tco high
Another series of walls 30 feet
high and 40 feet broad. In the center a
gate we'll fortified with men and guns.
and no dummies Of either kind The
Chinese town was entered by the Gate
of Heaven. Ny first visit was TO Lega-
ton street, which in no way corresponds
to its proud title. The roadway is all
hill and dale che first consisting of gar
bage, ashes and disused building mater
ial the latter Of stagnant water where
ualgp1 children bopg and dpus digDort