Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-09-03
WORSE THAN TIE HEATHEN.
e or This War Done by People Who Boas
of Their Civilization.

E or This War Done by People Who Boa.
of Their Civilization.
Taku. Aug. 80. via Shanghai. Sept.
81 Copyright 1900. by the Associated
Press. THE Chinese IN the Pei HO
valley are paying dearly for the folly
OF their government. The retributiOu
they are suffering exceeds the ordinary
penalties of war. Along the river and
the roads travelled by the foreign troops
between Tien-TSin and Peking an Orgie
of lOoting and destruction continues,
with much useless slaughter of unOf-
Tending inha abtantS. While the inter
national forces were advancing the
commanders. notably the japanese.
American and British. enforced Il GER
tain degree of protection for property
not needed for military purposes.
At that time most of the population,
except the fighting men. had fed. But
now the people are returning to their
homes only 10 find no shelter. or rice. or
occupation. In the overcrowded, fam
ine-threatened districts away from the
river their lives and small possessions
are at the mercy of bands of soldiers
travelling about without officers. The
conditions prevailing leave little ground
for the favorable comparison of civil
lied warfare with Chinese methods.
Robbery, raviShing and murder are so
common that every responsible person
one meets contributes stories from per-
Sonal observation.
The walled city of Tung Chow was
the only town in the pathway of the in
ternaIiOnal forces whose people re-
manned and attempted to continue bust
ness. During its occupation the Jap
aneSe patrolled the place efficiently,
protected the people and prevented loot
ing beyond the amount inevitable with
any army. General Chaffee stationed
4 guard around the historic temple out
side the wall. forbidding his troops to
enter. The commanders encouraged
the inhabitants TO resume business
promising protection TO all peaceful!
persons. When the armies advanced,
however. the guards We're removed,
only Il small British and American gar
rison being left outside the wall.
\ correspondent of the Associated
Press. returning from Peking. found
Tung Chow stripped Ike y corn field
after 4 plague OF grasShoppcrs. Ev-
erything portable, of the smallest
value, had been taken. goods from
shops. clothing, food and furniture.
Parties OF soldiers OF every nationality
were roaming about unrestricted and,
preSuma bly,. We're doing much wanton
destruction. In the spirit of deviltry,
smashing furniture and glassware. and
trampling books and pictures under
foot. Several bodies lay in the streets,
apparently those of non-CombatantS.
The villages to the SOuthward are
even worse deSpoiled. one week after
Pcking was taken the traveller TO Tien-
TSin was seldom out of sight of burn
ing houses. The soldiers are having
fine sport in using natives who creep
back to their houses or attempt TO
work in the fields aS targets. The sight
of Il farmer lying where he was shot,
with a basket OF grain or arnful OF
other produce nearby, is quite COM
mon. The Russians are the chief actors
in this style of conquest: but the
French are remarkably conspicuous.
considering their small numbers. The
Indian troops and the Japanese are
participants only when beyond the ken
of their officers.
From the beginning the conduct of
the Russians has been a blot on the
campaign. The recitalOf notorious facts
speaks more forcibly than could any
aditctives. When entering Peking cor
respondents of the Associated Press
saw CoSSackS smash down Chinese Wo-
men with the butts of their guns and
pound their heads until they were
dead. The COSSackS would pick up
children barely old enough 10 walk.
hold them by the ankles and beat out
their brains on the pavement. Rus
sian officers looked on without protest.
American officers AT Taku, days aft
er the fighting was finished saw Rus
slams hayonet children and throw old
men into the river, clubbing them to
death when they tried to swim. The
Russians killed women who knelt be
fore them and begged for mercy. Ey
crybOdy was disposed to be friendly
towards the Russians in the early days
of the lighting ut Tien-Isin, because of
their bravery; but such incidents as
the foregoing have been so promi-
nent a feature of the campaign that
no on" who is supposed to report i'm
pOrtant facts can ignore them.