The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-17
SAYSCONGER HAD NO FEAR
xxyUGSB YnOM CHINA SAYS OUR
HINISrERD DID NOT SEE TEE DANGER.

rSs NV peAsrS Coitmaa Arrives 90 San
DrSacssos After Bsins Under Fire at Tea
Tn. s.A Taka-Tsils Of the Capture Of the
Yerts-Oea and Son-in-LAw Stnl 10 CHINA
SAN FRANorsoo, July ia-Eycwitnesses Of
the first raid by Boxers on Tien-Tsin ana pe
r. bombardment Of tho Taku forts by the foreign
runboats arrived on the steamer Copdo to-day
nom Shanghai. The most vivid story OF the
Chinese uprising is told by the Rev. Rooer'
Coltman, pastor Of the Presbyterian church a.
Ia Junta, Col. With his wife he escaped from
Tteu-Tsin on June 10 by military train TO Taku'
Roins thence on the Chinese steamer re Cnah
70 Shanghai. While In Pekin early In May the
Rsv. Mr. Coltman dined with Minister Conger
and talked over the situation with him
we went to China TO visit my aushter
vtfe OF Prof. clifford OF the Imperial University
NJ Tien-Tsin,' said Mr.. Coltman. Then We
vwt 70 Pekin to visit my son, Robert Colunan'
Jr.. physician resident thers. He Is a pro
feasor OF medicine In the Imperial University
we were IN Pekin early In May. leaving
there on the sth to 90 10 PsLTai-Ho. a seaside
resort. which We never reached Whhe IN
pain Minister Conser dined with my son. ana
-. had A talk ovu the situation a. 1t then pre-
santed itself. The Boxers at that. time were
Ayrnina right IN the streets Of Pekin. and i was
vary apprehensive. Minister Coneer consid-
ard the danger not particularly threatening.
ana scanned to place great credit in the assur-
anoss Of the Tsuns-lLYamen. l told him did
not ssree with him, and he assured me that
there was no danger.
over q month was spent by us at Tier ISM
The Boxers were more threatenln9, ana ma
ttye Christians from all parts OF the country
be1an to flock to the mission COMPOUNDS az
Ttn-Tsn. They were in mortal terror OF inc
Bouws. and with all their worldly possessions
t1sd in small bundles went from gate 70 gaze
imploring the foreigners to protect tnem'
Il was a pitful sight a. they asked us with TEARS
IN their eyes, What shall we do when you 60
awuyp We shall all be killed
-Op either side Of the Taku road lie the com-
mounds Of the foreign missions. Each COM
mound Is a rectangle, surrounded by a prick
vail about ten feet high. Gates are cut through
theae walls so that persons In an extremity
can nun from one to another and reach inc
Hrttish or French concessions, which adoin
The compounds. The British concession IL lald
cut NE any ordinary British or American
ottysVfth excellent buildings and good streets
sEarly In June American marines to the num-
bAr of lN7 came to the American Board OF For
asn Missions compound and encamped Capt
MoCalla was In general charge OF the forces
On land and the marines In the compound were
IN opmmand OF Ensign Daniel ". Wurtzbaugh.
On the night Of Saturday, June o, word having
han received from the legations at Pektn that
belp must be had at once, a meeting Of Consuls
and commanders was held at Tien-Tsin Capt
McCaIla was spokesman for the Americans
N. p....,nn .t,ns,tl p,ttst haya had the most
adequate conception OF the troubles ahead. for
bs declared hat he would not undertake TO
reach Pekin with less than $1,000 men. The
British Officers were silent. When Capt. Mo
Gala was called on for advice no said that he
had adyices that the lives Of Americans were In
ieopardy in Pekin and that he intended to start
next morning 10 their relief. whether the other
forces went or not. Then British commanders
and others agreed to 20. and the result was the
ill-fsted expedition under Admiral seymour
I thought until to-day that this expedition got
through to Pekin without trouble.
After the departure Of Capt. McCalla ana
the forces matters became rapidly worse at
Ten-Tsin. The air was filed with sinister
rumor and business came TO a standstill. En-
den Wurtzbaugh kept his American marines
ready for any emergency. Finally. on the
niRht Of June Is. soon after midnight. the Boxers
rose On masse and set fire to the native chapels.
tie French cathedral and many other build
ings. There was a terrific uproar among the
Chinese and foreigners-a reign of terror
The American marines were reused TO arms
and all night stood ready To defend the for
elgners In the compounds. The fire was con-
mad TO the native city, to the westward. and
he line Of lame seemed to be about a mile
lonx. We could hear musketry and shouting
In She distance. and fire after fire sprang up
until we thought the whole native city was
golng up In smoke.
.Detachmeuts OF foreign forces hurried here
and there during the night protecting lives
md property. The Boxers attacked the rail-
rod and tried to burn II and the station. but
v9s driven of by the Russians. Nothing
more thar a desultory attempt was made TO
sttAck the compound whers we were. The
nxhtinR and fire were confined mostly to the
native quarter, where native Christians were
killed.
The next morning the bodies Of about one
hundred Boxers were found lying here and there.
I saw numbers of bodies being devoured by
doss. Trenches were hastily dug and the ma
tive authorities gathered up the bodies by tying
ropes around their legs and dragging them Of
to burial. That morning hundreds Of poor
native Christians huddled into the mission
compounds and begged for shelter. The foreign
non-combatants were all In a fever Of APP
prehension and most of them determined to
ret away by the first possible means. Native
Christians learning this begged on their knees
To be saved from the savagery OF the Boxers.
. ION the morning Of the 10th Mr.. Clifford went
10 hire q tug to take us TO Taku. which Is down
the Pei-Ho twenty-eight miles. No tug could
b had. The authorities prohibited the de-
paxture OF any vessels. We accidentally learned
that q military train was TO leave for Taku In
forty.fve minutes Permission was obtained
b board this train and we hastily packed our
belongings and reached the train. The Chinese
engineers, firemen. brakemen and station mer
deserted in terror. leaving the trains standing.
-Our train consisted Of an engine and two OF
three coaches. Precedin g IL was a train com
posed OF an engines fiat car upon which was
rapdd-fre gun. followed by another fat cal
bearing an engine and a dynamo operating Z
~seArchlight, and stll another fiat car with an
other rapid-fre gun. This military train wa,
In command Of British OH GERS and the mer
handled the engine and brakes, Our train wa,
handled by a German officer in uniform, with
his hand on the throttle. and American marines
did the firing. We left Tien-Tsin at 2 p. NJ. anc
arrived at Taku in the evening. In our imme
diate company were my wife and our daughter
Mr.. Clifford. her hnsba nd and their four weeks
old baby. My grandson, Robert Coltman, Jr.
was TO Join us from Pekin to accompany us bach
tn thu Gtafaa hut tho Rowan trpuhlnu olp.a<