Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-06-23
CHINA DEFIES WORLD.
Taku Forts Fire on Foreign War
ships and Are Captured.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

ported az Four Hundred--Hossiii-
tics Begun by the Chinese In re-
spopsc 20 Uitimatnm ny the Powers
London. June 19--China declared
war against the world when the Taku
forts opened FIRE upon the international
fleet. The accounts Of what took place
are still unsatisfactory, the best semi
official information being the dispatch
received al Berlin from Chefoo. The
dispatch, dated yesterday is as fol-
lows.
"The Taku forts at the mouth OF the
A>ei-Ho have fired on the fleet OF gun
boats lying off that port and been 81
fenced by the shells from the foreign
ships. The forts have surrendered
and are now in possession of the naval
forces of the international concert, af-
ter combined attack by the foreign
warships."
The dispatch added that the foreign
settlements at Tien Tsin were being
fred into by the Chinese.
When the dispatch left nothing had
been heard from the German detach-
ment sent to Pekin or from the Ger
man legation there.
The unofficial narratives. coming by
way of Shanghai. vary widely and
bear internal evidence OF supplement-
ing the main facts with guesswork
One dispatch says that the Yorktown
| participated in the bombardment. An
other asserts that American marines
formed part of the storming force o.
1000. A press dispatch from Chefoo.
dated yesterday afternoon, says:
1.-THE forts on both sides of the Talks
are now occupied. The Chinese open
ed fire unexpectedly. The casualties
to the mixed forces were as follows,
| Killed British, /; German, 8. Rus
sian, 16. French /. Wounded Britt
!sh. A., German. Z, Russian, 45; French.
/, The Chinese torpedo boats were
seized"
The Shanghai correspondent of The
Daily Mail, telegraphing yesterday.
says:
THE forts began firing in obedience
TO orders from Pekin, conveyed in a
personal ediet of the empress dowager,
ny advice OF Kank vi president of the
ministry of war;. Several warships
were struck by shells from the i2-incE
! guns of the forts The heavy Russian
| losses were due to the blowing up o.
! the magazine at Mandshurt. Foui
! hundred Chinese are reported to have
been killed The Chinese. when re-
treating, fell into the hands OF the
Russian land force"
The Daily News has the following
from Cheefoo:
Two Of the forts were blown up.
! The thirty-two warships at Taku ag-
| gregated 200, 900 tons and carried more
than 800 guns"
The Shanghai correspondent of The
! Times, under yesterdays date, gives
the following description, said to be
taken from official sources OF the ac-
ton at Taku.
"On the afternoon of June 16, liz
| view of the large bodies OF Chinese
troops assembling at the forts and OF
the facts that torpedoes had been laid
! in the river and that all communica-
| firms were interrupted, the naval COM
manders held a council and decided to
send an ultimatum, calling for the dis
bandment of the troops and announce
| ing that II this demand were not COM
piled with before a. m. of the fol-
lowing day the United States squadron
would destroy the forts.
Shortly after midnight he forts
! opened fire. The British, French,
! German, Russian and Japanese war
! ships replied Two OF the forts were
! blown up, and the rest were carried
| by assault Two British, one American
and five Chinese warships are In Che
! foo harbor."
| The failure of Admiral Seymour's
column and its retreat TO Tien Tsin In
crease, it Is presumed, the peril of the
| legations in Pekin, which Is still iso.
| lated. although Shanghai forwards Chi
nese rumors that the legations were
attacked by mobs who were moved
down by machine guns, and also that
the members of the legations were
massacred.
The situation at Niu Chwang is re-
ported critical. The British consul at
| Kiu Kiang has ordered all foreigners
to leave Ku Ling and Dau King Chang
The powers are taking prompt ac-
ton, Four thousand German troops
have been ordered TO China, 10000
French troops are in waiting to eE-
bark at Saigon, capital of French
Cochin China, and from 5000 to 5000
more Russians have been ordered from
Port Arthur to Taku.
This Russian reinforcement is an
nounced in the st. Petersburg Gazette,
the government pointing out that Rus
STA is sending so many troops solely
for the sake of peace and humanity
The Brussels correspondent OF The
Standard. in dispatch dated yester-
day, says:
Russia has massed 40. 900 men, with
seven batteries, at Kiachta, with or
ders to proceed to Maimatchin, a Chi
nese town contiguous to Kiachta, and
thence to advance along the telegraph
route to the Mongol town OF Urga 200
miles south of Kiachta and $50 miles
northwest of Pekin."
ElfzharrIs unl MuIIef Musf Gn