The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-16
Siege of Ten Tsin
Story OF a Brave American Girl
Who Knew All lis Terrors.

} /
The New York World says: Miss Til
lie Fair was a member OF the family
Of Charles DENLY, Jr., in Tientsin during
the siege, which she describes SO graphic
ally.
After the. events narrated here she took
passage for America from Nagasaki. ia
pan, and reached her home in Lincoln
City, Indiana. where her partents had
endured all the anguish Of believing her
victim Of capture, diabolicaI torture
and death
Miss Fair writes:
Lincoln City. Ind, Sept. I.
Haiti Who comes there?"
The sound would send the heart Of a
lonely American girl into her throat, as
she sat at her window in Tientsin, peer
ing through the darkness toward the
mud wall.
1t was the calm before the storm, when
every white woman carried loaded re-
volver, ready 10 be pointed al her own
breast in case the worst should happen.
Sometimes the English sentry's chal-
lenge would be varied by the German,
Halt wer DAP" Often 1t would be re-
! pepated twice or thrice; and then, II
| there was no reply, my straining ear
| would Jingle at the crack OF a rifle
| then perhaps a scream-then silence.
Ali What relief when the mounted
volunteer guard swung along with its
! ringing, "AlPs welli''
All alone, thinking Of my parents and
/ brothers and sisters in Indiana, with no
( one nearer TO care whether I lived OF
| died-with what aching eyes I watched
/ the soldier on the mud wall. and re-
| fected that whether English or German.
he was friend. brother. white man.
| a Knight Of the Cross; that he would
spare friendly bullet for my heart
rather than see me fail into the hands
Of the Boxers
From my window 7 could see more
than the sentry. I could see dark figures
slipping from shadow to shadow. until
they reached the shadow Of the mud
wall, when the soldier was at the furth-
er end Of his beat. and then fit across
the path and disappear among the canal
boats on the other side Of the wall
They were natives leaving the city by
night against orders
On the night Of June a, after short
slumber. I awoke to find a strange light /
shining into the picture frames on the /
"A fire. 1 said to myself. as there /
was no one else to say it TO-
I arose and looked out Of the window. !
The whole sky was red, but the fire was I
far away-possibly in the native city /
across the river. I watched from u:s0 /
till o'clock
In the meantime I noticed that when
the relief went out they ran 10 their +
relieved kept their places. And then,
when the mounted guard went by at
midnight, they held a hurried consulta-
ton at the corner and suddenly dashed
away without their accustomed "Au's
welli'
There was danger brewing I dressed
hurriedly and watched at the window.
At go came distant bugie cali II
was repeated. sustained. drew nearer. A
mounted bugler dashed round the cor
ner and blew several spirit-stirring
blasts
The Boxers had attacked a Iastl
Then came a knocking at each door.
BE W and dressed" was the word.
but don't stir out Of doors till you
hear the church bell"
And at o'clock the bell took I'D the
tale-such a maddening jangle for the
solemn old church bell!
We turned out in a body and made
through the streets for Gordon Hall
which was 20 be our stronghold There
was crashing Of musketry all about US
Lettering behind the rest OF the refu-
gees, I was suddenly startled az the ap-
pearance q a body Of Cinnamon shak-
ing red lanterns in front az their faces
7 could just make out thar they wore
dark uniforms and red sashes and caps
I had almost given myself up for lost !
when a number Of soldiers sprang out I
- trench which had not seen. and I
next moment the fanatics withered away I
under volley from the rifles which they
had been taught could not harm them.
Five hundred Christian converts were
killed that night: eight Catholic churches
were burned 70 say nothing OF native :
dwellings,. Daylight saved Us from re-
7ewed attacks. and We bestowed cur :
,eives-308 women and children-with our {
belongings. in Gordon Hall large I
building containing 2 theatre. library &
municipal Offices and the police and fire
DEPARTMENTS. :
June Is passed quietly. but that night
he FIRE came closer. June Is was IN :
,veuifuL June i was sunday After :
ifin a new sound broke upon Us:
BOOM" fdistanO .whee-e-e-e-e-e-a,'
coming closer. .'Bang,t.' (close enough
o mkae you jump.
Then another and another We were
icing sheIled from fort in the native
ity. All our refugees we're ordered into
he cellar L was close there. and dark.
+ 2
commonplace little women among them
Who became positively great.
have in my mind picture Of one !
1ch woman in a crouching attitude. :
Nth one arm thrown around her r3v. :
NJ her face uplifted as she listened - !.
he sound Of the shells Everything :
mall ard ordinary about her had van I
she'd. She vas Just a mother. and fer
hst hoy Of hers she would have fought
den C Wild beasts or = regiment cf I
boxers. And she showed IL in her FACE :
'herz was something big ard noble in a. )
I'd something majestic, Eke an antique
,strts
There we're r1Suv courteous studies Ike
7at aDrnE rs We were al srizhten,7 =,
fcourS,. rut We lrpt orr heads TIC :,
.orst 3f It vas thai most of the s,ue !
- raIse7 about the kind - warss-c
7fna -ncu rake sr4>the fac e cre.1ies 7
In q - rheir ha1sis-especlalf ~
.-1 ar5 chilf-5a-a1I tht~Es We rat Z
zen ourselves au[f-wsfI. l. wasn't "a Z
,ost c1ee~fc- subject e talk about ard
very woman with a revolver examined. 4
now sad again u make sure that Sc J,
,ul5 o. its work
Some G fthe csrtrfiEss NE fz5ic1ea7
eh..f-a- =, taAEas ssw Z u H.