Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-02-19
From A SOLDIER in CHINA.

TThe following letter was received from q
Brownfield boy who is In the FAR east, IN 20. Il
9Th u. 8. Infantry, Tong Chow, Cnina' anu may
be of interest 10 rome.
Tone Chow, CHINA, SEPT. 8, 1900.
My Dear Aunt::
Your most kind letter was received a
few DAYS ago. l was glad that you
folks received the presents that l sent
from the Philippines. II It was possible
for me, | would send you something
from the Flowery Kingdom. But 1t is
impossible to send relics, as the custom
houses search all packages that are sent.
One of the boys sent some things to his
sister, and they never reached their des-
tination.
There are all kinds of relics to be had.
| You see when we made the advance on
Pekin, everything that we saw on the
road was looted. When we got to Pekin
we would 20 into all the vacant houses,
and take Just what we wanted. Some OF
the men had all kinds of silver watches.
Bed clothes of every description were
taken by the men,-some OF the finest
quilts that | ever saw. These swell
Cinnamon have some fine things In their
houses. But the poorer class simply
have nothing in their homes but small
Fireplace made of earth, where they use
corn stalks to burn instead OF wood.
They cook their vegetables In big ket.
tie. NV! but they cook all kinds OF
vegetables in every conceivable way. |
never saw so many kinds of things
grow as the Chinese grow in their little
patches.
1t is awful hard to tell Chinaman
from woman for they all wear pants.
Their clothes are just like quilts with
cotton in them. All the women have
SIN al feet. Some Of them have to have
canes to walk with.
While we were in Pekin my regiment
camped in one of the compounds that
led to the Forbidden City, or Imperial
city.
Pictures of dragons are everywhere.
Dragons and walls seem to be the hob
bies of the Chinaman, as every house has
two or three walls around it. The wall
of Pekin Is about thirty feet high, and
wide enough for two teams OF horses 10
pass each other.
The Cinnamon have all kinds OF money
of brass with several holes In the centre
of each coin, worth about one-twentieth
of cent. We buy all kinds Of things
with string of this money.
There Is kind of liquor called sam
shOie, that the Cinnamon drink. 1t
burns like gasoline. 1t is too much for
American soldiers. | do not know OF
any of the men that drink this liquor.
In the Philippines they have liquor
they call beno. 1t is another hair-rais-
ing drink. l guess it will make man
crazy to drink that liquor.
have told all my friends about the
battle of Tien Tsin, and the march to
Pekin with the allied powers. But you
may never have had any news direct
from one who has been in 1t all. | never
saw such sight In all my life before as
that at Tien Tsin. Men with part OF
their faces blown off, Others with an
arm shattered. Men of all nations dead
and dying. But the next day we enter |
ed the walled city where the Cinnamon
we're. There were thousands OF the
Cinnamon lying around dead and dying
One could hardly stand 1t to see so
many.
NV company was stationed In a Chi |
nese arsenal. People can talk about the
Chinese not having plenty Of guns and
In this place there was
everything that a soldier would need.
Indeed Chinaman could be equipped as
we'll as any of the allied powers. Every.
thing was modern. 1t looks to me rs II
the Cinnamon we're preparing for this
war.
My company is the only one at this
place. The rest Of the regiment Is at
Pekin, and part at Tien Tsin. Our
headquarters are at Pekin. 81 Co." is
guarding the quartermasters' depot that
Is stationed at this place. There are
thousands Of bags of oats, and many
bales of hay, besides all kinds of COM
nissary stores. These are sent to Pekin
by pack trains, and escort wagons. We
are living in Chinese houses, about ten
men to house.
My health is good considering every
hing have passed through.
FRANK DURGIN,
Co. l, 9th Infantry.