Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-11-18
THEY FACED DEATH.
Female Survivor Of the Days in
Pekh Tells Story.
Chinese Fired Nails, Pebbles and stones
Cannon Used wero Four Centuries old
Women and Children Acted as Fire
men.

siege of Pekin, Miss Hanay Yels, is
visiting at the home of her brother,
Henry Yels, of 1928 Brook avenue, in
the Bronx. For two months Miss Yels
was In the British embassy in Pekin,
and all that time the men about her
were lighting for their lives and those
of the women with them. Miss Yels
declares that after the first few days
no one felt fear, SO used to the idea
of death had all of them become.
Miss Yels is the maid of the Baroness
Won ketteler, widow of the German
ambassador. who was slain by the Chi
nese in the streets of Pekin last June.
She speaks German, her native IAN
guage; English French, Spanish and
Chinese.
when Baron Won Ketteler discover
ed that peril was imminent he began
preparations for leaving Pekin, and
started for the Tsung Ii Yamen to de.
mand an escort. He stopped on the way
and asked the Italian ambassador to
accompany him, but the latter refused.
and the Baron went on alone. His
chair bearers took him into n street
filled with Chinese soldiers and drop
ped the chair there and ran. The Ba-
ron got out and was shot through the
head from behind by Il Chinese captain.
The body was then robbed. Then ii
seems they were afraid that they
would have to suffer for what they
had done. and they thought to atone
for 1t by putting his body in Il costly
coffin. This was almost three feet high
and very wide and made of rare wood
They put the coffin on top of the
ground in the middle of road. Then
they covered it with clay, hcaping 1t
up until the coffin was under Il great
mound. and there they left il.
when the Baron did NOT como I,o ri
we took fright and went to the English
embassy. There was Il great crowd
therc-women, children ana Chinese
servants-and all of them were in Il
panic. The british embassy was Il
good. strong place. as good as fort
IT had II brick wall around it, For
eight weeks we stayed there fighting
all the time
WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
And the women and little children
ala their part. too. We organized the
fire brigade. and it was our business
TO put out any blaze. 1t was a strange
sight to see women with little children
running bravoly with buckets OF wa
Ter through showers of bullets to put
out a fire. For the first eight days the
H firing was inccssant, and during that
H time we were all afraid. Then Ne got
used To ii. Bullets struck the building
we were in all the time. Queer mis-
silcs the Chinese fired. Noils and lit
H tie pebbles fell around us, and for days
l they fred big round stones.
None Of the women hid in places in
\ the ground as has been said. There
h were none TO hide in. Many OF us
h stayed in the dining room. one day
when we were there Il big stone crash
/ cd through the wall and struck against
| the opposite side Then two more
stones We're fired into the dining room.
but none OF us were hit. The officers
said that the cannons that the China
men used to fire the stones from We're
400 years old.
For the first three weeks we had
beef and mutton and some canned
food and rice. After that we began to
eat horse meat. 1t tastes something
like mutton. We had some mutton. but
gave it to the poor fellows in the hos
l pital. We had plenty of rice. and
when we came out OF Pekin all the
/ women and children were in good
1 health.
The Americans were among our
j bravest defenders. They could not
stay down among the other soldiers
and keep firing away down the streets
toward the crowd. The other officers
i said the brave Americans always
H wanted TO see the mark they were
\ shooting at. So they climbed up on II
| big wall, put up n barricade and had
good shots Mt the Chinamen
when the first word reached us that
the allies were near all the women
wept with joy, embraced each other and
kissed the children. ! think we all
n must have been a little hysterical. The
Russians We're the first to get in where
we were They went under n wall that
II the Chinese were holding. through the
bed OF river that had run dry
The allies. Miss Yels said had no
food when they reached Pekin, and had
i for n time To draw on the scanty sup
ply of the besieged.
The Baroness Won Ketteer and Miss
j Yels. with an escort of fifteen men,
l went to Tien Tsin. and from there to
4 Yokohama. Then they took the steam
ship Empress of Japan and came to
this country. They reached Detroit, tine
4 Ihome of the Baroness father, last
3iWeek.