St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-10-31

the officers and civilians hospital a
breakfast of coffee, hot rolls and butter
but they were the only people who re,
ceiYed these Injuries.
Until four days before the relief the be-
sieged received practically only two u1es.
sages from the outside world. One was
from Mr.. Carries, the British consul at
Ten Tsin; the other was from Mr.. Rags
dale, the United States consul at TEN
Tsin. Neither said anything about relief,
but both urged the besieged to keep up
their spirits. On the 10th of August let
tiers were received from Gen. Gaselee of
the relieving force and the japanese gen.
eral, dated Hosiwoo, Aug. s. These
brought the good news that relief was
on the way, Gen. Gaselee stating that
the Chinese were flying before the allies,
and the japanese general giving the
exact dates on which the force would
arrive at Tung-Chow, outside Pekin,
and in the capital itself.
Throughout the siege and during the
arduous work of barricadins and en-
trenching Sir Robert Hart was a notable
| figure. He sank his position as Inspector
general entirely. holding himself as
plain Fnglishman. He worked hard and
CALAMITY with the rest, drawing the
same rations and showing himself at all
times tower of strength and forttude
in danger or trouble.
AS to the arms, one amusing story is
told. One Of the guns used was an an
Gent piece, relic of 1861 rescued from
brazier's shop, and this came to be
called the international gum" Itrested
on an Italian carriage and was worked
by an American. The powder used was
Chinese and the proectiles were Russian.
Recital OF the natlonaities represented
in its working would be tedious.
The defenders, one and all, have prac-
tically lost everything, so far as personal
effects are concerned. Those who have
left Pekin have little else but the clothes
they stand in. All the archives of the
Imperial Maritime Customs are de-
stroyed, though Sir Robert Hart has
rescued his diary.
Here is song written and sung by one
of the beseged missionaries in which the
besieged joined in the chorus
PEKIN SIEGE.
In the city of Pekin, with it's ancient walls
And its streets for mud and filth afar re.
nowned,
We have been besieged for weeks by beastly
Chinese trick,
And the buildings all around burned to the
ground.
Chorus
Tramp, tramp tramp the troops are march
Cheer up, comrades, they will come,
And beneath our various flags, we shall
breath free air again.
Of the land of our own beloved home
Here are diplomats galore, representing for
eign powers,
And they cause tsung.li-yamen anxious
care,
They will neither march straight home nor
reside mid fruit and flowers
At the yamen though they've been invited
there.
From all nations have we come on peaceful
mission bent,
Be it preaching, customs, railroads or
whatnot
China wanted not our help, so she stupidity
has sent
For the Boxers to exterminate the lot
The defense of the legation pales after
look over the ground here, before the
defense of the Peitang, or Roman Catho-
lie Mission, at Pekin. This is three miles
from where the legations are. Stationed
there were Bishop Favier, six or seven
priests, some twenty sisters and about
1000 native converts-men women and
children-with thirty French and ten
Italian guards armed with only forty
rifles in ALL When one of the guards fell
his rifle was handed to a native convert
The enemy exploded FIVE mines altogether
under the besieged, in one of which some
eighty persons, principally women and
children, and five Italian guards were
killed. The Italian officer was buried for
three quarters of an hour, but was got
out almost unhurt. After the relief
another large mine was discovered under
the church itself, whose explosion would
have caused tremendous loss of life.
Electric conductors were found in this
mine. The Peitang beat the legation in
one thing-the converts succeeded in
capturing one of the enemy's guns with
its ammunition, and in making ammuni-
ton for it when the captured supply
came to an end. For two months there
was no communication between the
Peitang and the legations. and neither
knew how the Others were farng. At
the end of the siege the rations at the
Peitang were reduced to two ounces OF
rice day a head, with little horse
meat for the fighting men. II the relief
had not come when it did the majority
of the 1000 converts, the priest and the
sisters must have died of starvation.