The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-05
PEEP INTO CHE-FOO.
IFrom the London Express

TFronl the London Express
Che-F'oo has played a prominent part
in many of the teIegraphic dispatches
that have come of late from the dis
turbed districts of northern China AS
matter of fact, it forms an important
center for the dispatch of cablegramS
and tEiither the other week repaired a
well known newspaper correspondent,
who now sends an amusing but inter
esting account of the town and it's peo-
pie.
that the place is half-delirious with ex-
element at what. is happening in Pekin-
Rurnors are born. run their full course.
and die faster than large staff can run
them down 1t is curious how it all
happens. A ship sighted from the north
is almost certain to be the bearer of
news. Before she can reach her an
chOrage the first accounts of what she
has to tell are lodging about the streets
and over the stone walls from compound
to compound.
If you question the man who says,
Have you heard the latest news?' he
replies with ready tongue that it was
signaled from the ship to the station on
the bluff before the ship anchored.
After awhile part of the news the
ship actually brings comes ashore by
way of the boarding officer of the GUS
toms and port officers That starts a
new crop of rumors, based on the ru-
mors about Taku when she sailed BY
and by the agent gets another batch.
which Immediately multiplies into a
myriad.
FINALLY, the official dispatches come
along to one consulate or the other
there are nine here-and in the course
of a few minutes, or hours, as the case
may be, bulletin is posted with what
the consul thinks advisable to make
public.
THAT starts on what very quickly be-
comes a devious course. Most of the con-
sulates-all those which get information
from the front-are on the bluff.
at, -
down into form its author in Taku would
have difficulty in recognizing it. This is
natural enough, especially when one con-
siders the mistakes that the official bull
letin makers in Taku make themselves.
The American gunboat Yorktown
was the sole defender of Che-F'oo when
arrived, but its commander. Taussig.
was a man of sense, and early in the
day had seen the Taotai and had told
him very plainly that if there was an at
tack on the foreign settlement Chinese
Che-Foo would be destroyed utterly and
some foreign power would annex the
country about it certainly. The Taotai
said he was for peace, and hoped there
would be no trouble.
There had, however. been curious go
ings on at the forts for several DAYS and
nights which greatly excited the for
eigners, especially the missionaries Re
ports were coming in constantly that
more and more troops were assembling
at the forts Searchligh drill and signals
from fort to fort at night added to the
excitement, and the talk of an outbreak
was perhaps natural.
There are two forts at Che Foo. both
admirably situated for the Destruction
Of the foreign settlement Each is on d
hill SO high that it would be extremely
difficult to damage them from the sea
because naval guns could not be eleva-
ted sufficiently. Each fort mounts sew
eral large krupp guns One is on one
side of the town and the other is on the
other side, so that if it came to an at
tack the foreign settlement would be
helpless.
After all. however, Che-Foo is not a
bad place. Perhaps its charms were ex-
aggerated by long residence in Bombay
but the fine bracing air, clear and cool
made 1T seem almost like getting back to
Gods own country. The women one
saw about the place had color in their
cheeks, and the children were sturdy
and rosy.
THE town is all hills, and there are
no rickshas and very few chairs, none
public. The only reliable way to get
about is to walk. If you want to go out
on the bay you must take a sampan
The business houses, which have q
great deal of water work to do have
pullboats Of their own but the casual
soJourner goes per sampan. When his
ship. lies well out in the roadstead it Is
a matter of half a day out and back
The sampans are much more crude and
clumsy than those of Hong Kong and
Canton, or even Of Shanghai. For speed
they are not to be compared to the Jap
aneSe."