The evening times., 1900-06-27
TEE TROUBLES In China
Origin Due TO a Fear of Foreign
EnerOaehmentS.
Disturbances Confined to an Area of
About 100000 Square MiIes-Part
Taken by the BOxerS-wrath
Against the MissiOnaries-Histo
of the Movement to the Present.

Northeastern China between Pekin and
the sea coast. with the southerly region
that borders on it.
Though long dreaded and confidently ex-
/ pected by many the crisis was sudden in
its actual development. 1t came to a head
in the latter part OF May, when one Of the
periodical rebelIions which occur in China
assumed large proportions and spread close
to Pekin. This rebellion was carried on by
the now famous society known as the
Boxers.
As TO the precise origin Of the society's
name accounts differ. One os those which
has found wide acceptation and is general
ly stated as correct says that the origin is
. found in the real name of the society,
I-hO-ch' uan. which may be translated as
League OF United Patriots" The last
word in the Chinese title is pronounced
the same as the Chinese word for fists,
though the characters denoting il are diff
ferent. Thus it is easy 10 read the tide
as League Of United Fists" The society
also devotes great attention toathletic
sports, including boxing A5
The Boxers are distinctively an Hnti-for-
eign society. They fear that their cOun-
try is to be parceied out among the land
grabbing nations. and they believe the mis-
sionaries TO be the advance agents IN this
sort OF grabbing. They reason that the
killing Of two missionaries furnished Ger
many with an excuse for seizing the large
and rich province Of Shantuug. though
the Chinese say the killing was an isolated
arr Of tn.
could not prevent. About the SANE lime
that Shantung was seized England ,ook
Wei -Hai-Wei and Russia took Port ar, hur
and Talien Wan The Cailese fea.ed
that this was the beginning Of the end.
But the Boxers did not turn their wrath
directly against the missionaries. They
knew that this was a sure way to cause
foreign intervention OF the most active
sort. So they took their revenge or the
native converts 20 Christianity. VINO. they
charged were given unfair advantage IN
questions OF taxes and other things through
the influence Of the uissiOLaries EIHh the
Ministers at Pekin. uer-....
Hundreds OF native converts were mur-
dered, but only two missionaries IS Ear as
definitely known have met this fate II the
present outbreak These were MessFs-
Norman and Robertson. both British.
When the rebellion made the situation at
Peb.n critical the foreign powers, as they
had done before in times of emergency,
sent marines TO guard their legations At
the capital The United States sent fifty
six men as its marine guard for Minister
Edwin II. COuger. Other marines were
landed for the protection OF The foreign
residents at Tientsin. who number about
LOCO. \ feet OF twenty-five worships. rep
reseuting Russia, Germany. England,
France. Italy Austria. Japan. and the Uni
ted States. assembled At Taku. at the
mouth Of the Pei-Ho River. leading to Pc
kin.
Tne Boxers. or perhaps the Chinese i'm
pe-ial troops in cOllusiOu with them fear
81 that a great foreign army was 70 De
sent TO sieze Fekin- So on June 6 they cut
he railway. sev- nty-eiglt miles long, lead
ing from Tientsiu TO Pekin.
This rapidly brought things to "a crisis
If the fleets at Taku. which could not as
cend the shallow Pei-Ho River. were also
cut of from sending men to Pekin by rail
they we're comparatively helpless So On
June 10 Vice Admiral Edward Hobart Sey-
mour. Of the British Navy took command
Of about $500 marines who had been land
ed. With these men he started from Ten
tsin to force his way 10 P5kin and reopen
the railway
Admiral Seymour assumed command as
the senior officer in rank with the marines.
Capt. Bowman II. McCaIla. Of the cruiser
Newark, commanded the I04 Americans In
the contingent The British and Russians
were largely in the majority. Germany.
France. Austria, Italy, and Japan were al
so represented.
This force was soon swallowed up. Il
had advanced thirty miles June Il. and in
fight with the Boxers had repulsed them.
From June Is 10 yesterday nothing was
heard Of il. The mystery was cleared at
last by the receipt of a cablegram from
Rear Admiral Kempff, commanding the
United States forces at Taku, stating that
Seymour and his men were ten miles from
Tientsin. 1t is believed that the expedition
got as far as Tang Fang. ffty-fve miles
from Tientsin and twenty three miles from
Pekin, but was compelled to return 10 the
position in which Admiral Kempf reports
it,
Pekin was isolated June Il by the cut
ting Of the last remaining telegraph wire.
Not word from any Of the foreign minis
ters there has reached the outside world
since, though Sheng the Chinese Minister
of Railroads and Telegraphs. has Informed
the French Consul at Shanghai that all
the foreigners in Pekin were SAFE June 70
and were then preparing to lsave with
the authority of the Chinese Govern
ment" In
But another source Of trouble arose
L ltA4lSAA llSelI OulueSE FORCES surround
ed the foreign quarters there and began
heavy bombardment relief force of
American marines, under command OF Ma
jor Litttleton ". T. Waller, acting in com
bination with 400 Russians. was sent from
Taku, but met a repUlse, the Americans
losing four killed and seven wounded
Later this body of troops was re-enforced
20 at least 2,GO0 men and entered Tientsin
last Saturday. On Sunday il started out
to relieve Seymour.
On June II the feet of the powers at
Taku, swelled 10 thirty-four ships bonn
barded and captured the forts at Taku
The foreign commanders at Taku had
heard that TIE Chinese Army had prepared
to attack Tientsin and that il was re-
enforcing the Taku forts. These were
held 10 be symptoms Of hostility and the
Chinese commander at Taku was warned
TO desist such preparations. He took this
TO mean war ard opened fire on the for
eign fleet The feet replied and the mud
forts were soon captured The United
States warships took no part in the bon-
bardment though a shot from a Chinese
fort struck the gunboat Monocacy, pene-
trating her bow.
The United States now has on the scene
the cruiser Newark and the gunboats
Nashville. Yorktown. and Monocacy. The
battleship Oregon, the armored cruiser
Brooklyn and the guI boats Princeton and
Don Juan de Austria have been ordered
there. Between 5000 and 1000 American
troops are to be sent. the first of whom
R. Chaffee will command the land forces
1r,6 Av,-sw