The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-06-11
BY FORCE.
AdmIraIs Opening Railway
to Pekin.
Line Guarded by Fifteen
Hundred Men.
100 Americans Under Capt. McCalla
Among Number.
Rumor That Pekin Is
Burning.
Story Of Murder of Railway
Engineers.
Story Of Murder Of Railway
Engineers.

London, June 1.-THE admirals q
Taku, acting In concert are for oibly re
opening the railway from Tien Tsin Il
Pekin. Gangs of laborers are repairing
the damaged line, which Is guarded by
fifteen hundred men composed Of detach
ments from the foreign fleet. One hun
dred Americans under Captain Mccall,
are among them. They have guns and
armored trains for use when the line Is
repaired, which can hardly be effected be-
fore Monday night.
Ten thousand troops Of all na tionalties
according to despatch to the Daily Ex
press from Shanghai, will be sent to Pekir
to back up the demands OF the minister;
upon the government, or il necessary tc
suppress the Boxers themselves.
Sir Claude Macdonald. British minister
to Pekin, sent the following telegram tc
Shanghai on June z:
1.-The movement against the foreigners
which has been allowed to grow to such
an extent, has resulted in the burning of
railway stations and In the interruptio Il
of railway communication for five days.
Two British missionaries and several for
eign missionaries have been murdered In
the district near Pekin. In the country
round Numbers of converts have been
murdered, and chapels have been pill.
laged and destroyed, while in the capital
itself, the British missionaries have been
Obliged to leave their homes and to take
refuge at the legation, which is defended
by seventy-five marines.
THE Chinese government Is affected
hv fhaGa Qyanfs 4, far IN send hinl
officials to parley with the Boxers, but 1t
does not show any intention Gf summari-
ly suppressing them. Probably IL still
has power to do SO; but the throne Is still
strongly influenced by sympathy with the
movement, ana the spirit OF the troops
Is doubtful. All Is well up to the pres
ent."
A special despatch from st. Petersburg
dated Saturday, June ., says:
"I have learned from an absolutely re-
liable source that minute dispatches have
been sent to the commanders of the Rus
sian troops in Manchnria, directing
them to prepare three regiments of Cos
sacks on the Chinese frontier to be in
readiness to enter on the day orders are
received"
The Daily Mail has the following from
Tien Tsin, dated Friday:
1.-The widest rumors are current here
to the effect that Pekin Is burning, but
they lack confirmation"
Details have been received from Shang-
hal regarding the recent murders of rail-
way engineers by Boxers. 1t seems that a
party OF thirty, including six ladies and
one child, left Pao Ting Flu in twelve
boats under military escort. After trav-
ersing fifty miles in safety, they missed
their way. The boats grounded and the
Boxers opened fire on the unfortunate
occupants. using both rifles and wooden
cannon. The engineers returned the fire
effectively and the party landed. One
lady and three men got separated from
the main body. They were brutally
killed. The survivors formed a square,
with those able to bear arms outside, and
the women inside, and made off toward
Tien Tsin. They travelled three and a
half days lighting all the way. More than
two thousand cartridges were expended,
and ammunition was running short
They estimated that they killed at least a
hundred rebels. The men behaved like
heroes, carrying the women and chill
dren One lady OF the party was close to
maternity.
Twelve miles from Tien Tsin three men
disappeared and were murdered. The
survivors eventually met the rescue par
ty, and, much exhausted they were es-
corted to Tien Tsin.