New-York tribune., 1900-08-29

Chinese Bank and the Dollar Mint, got on fre,
spreading everywhere and illuminating n'7 one
heavens all night. None of us dared TO steep
this night,
June 22-As morning broke we could see that that
the oonfia grafton was spreading east TO WeSt
and burning more hercely than ever AM anu ~
seemed that the large railway school bstWeen
the Austrian Legation and the Imperial o 1n"JT M
Bank would soon be destroyed. Az d, "a
to-day, Just as we were at breakfast we SUI SUI
denly heard the noise of breaking INTO jsa Gee
western neighbor houses, followed by Iiie
shots and then by shouts and cries OF the
women and children, At this moment our ser
want came rushing into the room Wheie We
were, in an excited manner, and said that the
Government troops had begun TO plunder lIie
neighboring houses, shortly afterward the sol-
ders came rushing into our house also. some
had come through from western neighbors
houses. while others broke in by the front gate.
I and my cousin. with my little son. and with
my seal OF office in hand. met the soldiers out
side our guests hall and told them that TINS
was the residence OF q metropolitan onclal.
No one replied, but they began dragging out
the whole contents Of our residence into the
courtyard. They looted our place. then left;
Other parties of soldiers came then and looted
remnants. Eight parties came in all. All our
clothes had been taken. and even the bank
notes had secreted on my person We're taken
by q man who searched me.
= Then the soldiers began knocking at our east
err neighbors, Mr Mas, house But Ma ap-
peared to have decided to resist the soldiers,
This enraged the soldiers. who began TO assault
the place climbing the walls and rooftops near
by and firing into the house Bullets teli apou,
plentifully and during the commotlon escapeu
to my landlords house for temporary safelS.
The cries and shouts had now become more
fierce and the fusillade more furious. Mr.. Ma
house was now surrounded by large crowd OF
soldiers and shrieks and cries for help sounueu
far and near. A bullet penetrated Wlndo" Oh 'lo
room we were in and we looked at one another
with pale and scared faces. At this moment
Mr. Mas house set fire to and began 10
right and left of street. all intent on plllage'
1 dared not leave our place as elreaoy tITeS
corpses were lying about at the 'front.' ooor
saw dead body lying just outside or my lanu,
it to be that of the son and heir OF the wan
family living at the east side of this house
After while the sounds of pillage gradually
died out in our vicinity, and taking advantage OF
the lull, my cousin and tried to escape TO the
Graad Secretary Suns house We had gone puI
a few steps from our house when we were
suddenly stopped by some soldiers, who placed
their rifles and threatened TO shoot us. AZ
this time all the front gates OF the houses IN
the neighborhood were closed. We ventured TO
start again, but were prevented in the same
manner after going forward a Few steps, ana
again did we seek safety In house near py
This house belonging to a LIS family, and was
only Ave doors away from our own. We found
the father of the house and his sons weeping
bitterly, who informed us that they had been
robbed of nearly one hundred thousand taels
in money, jewelry, antique curios etc. They had
been plundered OF everything. AS we two were
debating what to do next, the wind suddenly
changed and the fire. spreading eastward, threat
ened the LIS. The inmates were In a dilemma
The troops outside prevented escape, while the
conhagration was getting closer and closer. At
this moment there arose the cry that force or
Government cavalry under its colonel was com
ing from the westward, and this decided us to
bolt back to our house at the east Of the estate.
Shouts and cries became louder and with them
the sound of large body of cavalry approach
ing. 1t appeared that the Government troops
had just then heard of the pillQging, incendiar
ism and rioting of the Kansu troops, and had
now come to restore order. I therefore took
advantage OF this to make my way to Grand
Secretary Suns house. His house had been
pillaged during the night also, and had been
treated worst Of ALL I'found his with only
his underclothes on. He even had been stripped
n w lev
had threatened His EXcellency with their rifles
while demanding money, etc. and had taken
everything, even to furniture and the couple of
carts and mules that His EXcellency kept for
travelling about; these last were used by the
soldiers to carry away their plunder. Orders
were afterWard issued from the headquarters OF
the Government troops that any one found loot
Ing would be summarily decapitated, and his
head hung at the scene Of the looting and in a
few minutes a few cavalry soldiers appeared
with some heads, which they hung up at the
gate of His Excellency's house as a warning to
all. This had a good effect for Immediately
the looting soldiers began to disappear. Upon
this determined to return home again, and,
turning on FOOT oeheld numbers of corpses
strewing the streets, and getting to my house
learned that all our neghbors had lost some of
their number by the bullets Of plundering sol
diers.
AS for these riots and looting 1t was entirely
unexpected by every one here, although we knew
that robbing and outrages were frequent. both
inside and outside Of Peking. Our quarters be
ing surrounded by a Gordon of Government
troops we thought ourselves perfectly safe from
trouble, ana so no one nad sought safety in
flight and removed elsewhere. Hence this ca
lamity came down like thunderstorm in a clear
sky. On the contrary, many families had sought
safety by moving into our quarters. What was
our astonishment then that trouble should have
actually sprung from regular troops who. in
deed, proved to be more savage and more in
satiable than the local outlaws and rufHans 1
hear, also. that the residence of the Grand Secre-
tary, Hsu Tung, and the palace of Prince Su
were also plundered and that. after being looted
clean they were set on fire. The troops came to
fear nothing. The troops who commenced the
pillaging were the Kansu men, of Tung Fuh
Slang. The troops belonging to Yung LUIS own
personal command Qhe Middle Corps of the ''Wu
Wei Army Grand Army of North)
the scene to restore order and preserve the
peace; but, instead Of doing this, they actually
Joined the Kansu men in getting loot Eventu-
ally ii was found that Yung LUIS own army
were the greatest sinners in this respect.
June 23-Early this morning Yung Lu arrived
in person at Grand Secretary's Suns residence
to investigate the matter Of the recent outrages
and pillage. Taking advantage Of this, l fol-
lowed Yung LUIS cavalcade to try and get to Ma
Kung Chen's house, east Of this street. At
night. began to see aichi-Chang and the
houses near the legations set on fire. I mount
ed the top of Ma Kung Chens house and had a
good view of the confagration the flames
spreading along and looking like long fire
dragon.
June 24-Commencng from to-day, the sound
Of rife firing has never ceased, springng up on
all sides that in the direction of the bridge over
the Imperial Canal being the most severe. Be
yond the Hanlin Academy is the British Lega-
tion, and this has been the place Of concentra-
ton Of all the foreign troops. When the fight
ing between troops and Boxers against the for
eign troops first began large number Of ma
tive Christians made sorte from the Legation
with the object Of escaping. They were all
armed with rifles and Weapons and struck
Whomsoever opposed. Many of the troops and
Boxers then chased the Christians and went
about hunting for them, that no one would
TO the Christians, and whenever found they were
at once killed. Some Of the houses searched