The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-28
NAYLOR WAS NOT KILLED
LETTER IS RECEIVED FROM THE
MERRIAM PARK BOY.

Keith Naylor, lieutenant in the Ninth
United States infantry, reported Killed at
Tien Tsin, was up to last year resident
of Merriam Park. His parents have since
moved to Chicago. With his regiment, he
was ordered tIom there to China. A re-
cent letter from him gives an interesting
account of the baltic of Tien Tsin. 1t is
dated July Is, and says:
Il have not written to you since our
great fight, as we have been too busy.
but now that everything has Gained
down, / can give you better detailed ac-
count Of the affair. Needless to say the
fights of the Phil OliineS are mere braWls
compared to fighting, in China, and it
looks as if we will be in luck if any OF
US live to tell of it.
I'VE arrived at Taku and anchored at
midnight on the Sth inst After passing
the Taku forts we landed al the railroad
station, belonging 10 the Chinese imperial
railroad. Here everything was desolatlon
itself, and Russia was in evidence every
where. We stayed III tents all night and
started for Tien Tsin at daybreaI The
Neiho river, up which our course lay,
is very much like the Missouri river. In
Its windings, etc. The entire country is
very sandy, and on every side one sees
| the graves of generations past About
! half way Up, our barge broke down and
we were forced to tay tied up all night
ut a dock. Next morning, after a lot of
| trouble, etc, we succeeded in getting
| started, Lieut. Frazier and myself run.
ming the barge All along the route we
pa ssed dead bodies Of Chinos most of
them badly decomposed. At dark we
anchored at 1fen Tsin, and got a good
nights rest in no beds.
1.-The next day, the 18th, was spent in
unloading supplies and trying to get fixed
up. On the night of the 18th We were
| ordered Ito be in readiness to move
| against Iien Tsin at 3 a. m. next day
| We started about the specified time, ar,
| rived opposite the east arsenal at day.
break, when the battle was on, and from
| that time on perfect hail of bullets,
shrapnel and solid shot was hurled upcn
! us. Men fell in every direction and
| things grew very serious These towns
have two walls, one about II mile within
the other. They are 80 to 10 feet high and
from TO to 70 feet thick. Wo passed over
the first wall without much loss and took
shelter in some mud houses to get ready
| for the advance. Finally we started, the
| little Japs in the center, the British and
French OF the left aid the United States
on the right. OF all the ordeals I have
ever gone through this was the worst. A
| perfect rain OF bullets fell around us, and
men fell by scores. We had no shelter.
! but We're forced to rush from ditch to
| ditch every time under a heavier fire.
We finally arrived directly under the
walls of the city with only a river be-
| tween, when the ammunition gave out
| This was about a. M, and we stayed al
day until $50, when we retired, AMI then
only pursuant to orders. Our losses were
about % per cent OF our total strength.
! which was 42S. We lost IS killed and
| wounded, our gallart and brave Col.
| Liscom among the runber killed. My
company lost 6 killed and IL wounded out
of & men engaged. Some question has
arisen as to whether the Ninth went to
where it should not. but Col. Liscom was
merely told tc support the Japs, anu lie
deemed this could he done from the right
| flank, as no one was there. BY goirig
where we did we kept the Chinos from
thanking the Japs, and we took the fire
intended for them. The British general
gave us the greatest compliment possible.
| and as commander, took all the blame 70.
| any mistake. l was reported dead Or
| badly wounded, and it was so believed
until late in the afternoon.