Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-10-25
SHE HAD A CLOSE CALL
But Kept Her Nerve and Used Her
ReVolVer-Now She is Back in
Minneapolis, Where She Is Remem-
bered as Miss Rena king-Story
of Her Bravery.

SulDlIS.
Mrs. Crane killed three boxers who
were attempting to enter the house of
the British consular agent, A. T. Roll
fe, at Sinu, so miles south of Wei-nai-
wei, in the province of Shantung, and
escaped from her perilous surround
ings more dead than alive.
Mrs. Crane was on a visit to d Brit
ish family in Sinu. with whom she
had become acquainted in Shanghai
where her husband was employed in
the coal business. On the night of
June %, in company with two lady
friends, she called at the house of the
British agent, and left for home with
her friends about 9 o'clock. AS they
| stepped into the street Russian de-
tectiye darted out of the shadow and
stopped them. Get out of here quick
~" he whispered, the boxers are
angry at you.
Mrs. Cranes friend was too much
frightened to answer, as they knew
more about the terrible nature of these
Chinese murderers than their guest
but did not wish to alarm her Mrs.
Crane asked the Russian where the
boxers were, and he told them that
they were everywhere, and if she val
ued her life, she would leave the city
at once. He gave no warning to Mrs.
Cranes friends, and Mrs. Crane now
believes that he was in collision with
the boxers TO do them injury. Why
she was signaled out for safety. she
cannot understand, except that she had
! been there but few days, and could
not be supposed to have made any
enemies. Her only fault was that she
was a foreigner.
The party arrived home without
any resistance, and had about conclud-
ed that the Russian was some crank
| when they were startled by a low
| knock On the front door Mrs. Ellis
ton went to the door and asked what
was wanted. AS she peered through
| the window she saw a dozen Cinnamon
Of the worst type huddIed on the porch
to the right Of the door. The men
asked in broken English for Mr.. Ellis
| ton, and receiving no response, they
| threw their combined weight against
| the door. The door was heavily built
| however, and did not yield to their
| strength. Finally one Of hem ran to
a window and thrust his head into the
| apartment. Mrs. Crane, who had been
watching the proceedings in the dim
! light in the hall, took the situation in
! at glance. She felt that their time
had come if something was to be done
! quickly, so she rushed to the next
| room and procured a revolver Run
ming back, she saw the boxer who had
| made his entrance pulling another one
into the room by the scruff Of the neck.
Without waiting to ask questions, she
! Immediately fired upon the fellow in
the room, who dropped to the floor
without a sound. The man he had
hold of was precipitated far enough
| above the sill by the fall Of his partner
to make i good mark, so Mrs. Crane
squarely in the breast. He fell back
| into the crowd and she could hear the
yellow devils planning some means of
revenge.
Il felt as if we were all going to be
murdered" said Mrs. Crane in narrat-
ing her terrible experience at the
home Of her sister, Mrs J. E. Rogers,
| but | learned to shoot in Minnesota,
and l did not propose to die without
a struggle. My husband had given me
a revolver when 1 left Shanghai, and
requested me to keep it always near
me. Tint I had presence Of mind
enough 10 get it and use it seems more
wonderful to me now that it is all past
than it can to anyone else. I don't
know how L ever nerved myself up to
do such thing.
when the boxers heard the first
shots they withdrew a short distance,
! and at length we noticed them moving
toward the rear Of the house. The
| rear Of Mrs. Ellistons dwelling was
entirely unprotected, and I knew if
| they ever got back there they would
| certainly kill us all; so began firing
into the crowd After the fourth shot,
my last enc. one Of them dropped, and
his companions walked away and left
mo- IF ha cl oh al
ton to either him or the fellows who
had made the first attempt to enter the
house. The man who got into the win
dow was unconscious. and Mrs. Ellis
ton, a servant and myself dragged him
out Of the house after the others had
gone away. We hoped he wasn't dead,
and somehow managed to drag him
great distance down the street At
least it seemed like a great ways, al
though, as I remember it low, it was
perhaps not more than $50 feet.
We returned to the house to findtwo
marines, who had been attracted to the
spot by the shooting. They were con-
siderably under the influence of liquor.
but they had sense enough left to IN
derstand what had happened, and the
knowledge of it sobered them up al
most Immediately. They asked if they
could do anything for US, and We told
them what the Russian spy or detec-
tive told u.s. He said we had better
profit by the information, as they had
received the same warning from the