The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-10-07
JOHN HAMMER I'M CHINA.
An interesting Letter From an Ard
more Boy In the Orient.
Tien Tsin, Aug. &c, 1900.

DEAR BROTHER: IL KNOW YOU
all think I am taking my time
about writing, but it is not like
sitting in the Office there writing.
Every time you start to do any
thing for yourself, some non. com.
pops up and wants You to fix an
officers tent, or something else,
so / haven't had the chance to
write.
lam out of paper and only have
four or five more envelopes and
don't know whether / will get any
more when these are gone.
Well, George. will try to give
you meagre description Of our
life in the Orient:
We landed in Taku after being
on the transport Grant for thirty
three days. On August 4 came up
to Taku, August 5 on the rail-
road and marched two and half
miles through the boiling hot sun
to camp. We got little rest from
that time up to the present, in the
daytime. We would be made to
sleep On our arms, and it is very
little sleep a man can get with one
of these belts and a hundred
rounds of ammunition around his
waist. Well, we stood this until
one week ago today CAST Sunday
Boots and saddles were sounded
and we knew what that meant;
we were to have our turn at the
Roxers X X X X X
Well, last Sunday. the first
squadron of the sixth. one or two
companies of Japs and company
of Shikers English troops called
lancers) all told not over 500
men, were sent out against $500
to 5000 Boxers and Imperial troops,
about eight miles from here. The
Sixth was on the right wing as we
advanced on the town of ---.
As we were riding through corn
field with corn as high as your
head, the enemy fired on our ad-
vance guard; they, of course fell
back on us and we began the ad-
vance dismounted. We fought
them back for about a mile and a
half. They stubbornly contested
our advance all the way until they
reached their trenches. We cap
tured four guns made of gas pipe,
mounted on two wheel carts. As
soon as we got them out of that
cornield we had a country as level
as your Office floor and nothing to
prevent charge, but we were still
kept dismounted and leading our
own horses. We were pouring
volley after volley into their
trenches and they started to make
a charge on US. We used our mag
azines; it was to d-n warm for
those Chinks, they had to fall
back; we moved them down. Lord,
but there vas bunch of them
but there was not quite so many
when they got back : to their
trenches. we continued to give
them volley fire and were about out
of ammunition and had to do some
thing, so the charge was sounded
In the meantime | had watched
our boys and they seemed cool,
taking aim before firing. The
charge beggars description. We
never had a man killed in the
charge, though two were wounded
We led the charge and in a few
seconds as far as the eye could see
it seemed it was nothing but mer
on horses; killing. cutting and
shooting down fleeing Cinnamon
1t was grand sight. though en-.
tirely too one-sided. We then had
all the best of it, for if there is
anything on earth that scares 6
Chinaman, it is one of our big
cavalry horses and a sabre. We
killed, guess, not less than SOC
in the charge. These people arr
poorer marksmen than the Span.
iards. We, / mean A troop, haG
only FIVE men wounded, one oi
whom has since died. We had the