The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-12
THE SIEGE OF PEK1N.
Millionaire Silk Merchant and His
Wife Tell Some Stories.
New York Journal.


Wife Tell Some Stories.
New York Journal)
Auguste F. Chamot, a millionaire silk
merchant of Pekin, and his wife and
nephew are at the Fifth Avenue hotel
en- route to the European capitals
Where Chamot viii be knighted, decor
the siege of Pekin.
Chamot and his brave wife prevented
more than LOCO foreigners from dying
or starvation while the Chinese city
was uncer bombardment during June
ana July OF last year At the risk of
his own life he went outside the picker
lines each morning and came back with
OK flesh, horse flesh, corn and other
foodstuffs and brought them into the
British legation, where the refugees
made their las stand
Mrs. Chamot, VINO is q San Francisco
girl who fought shoulder to shoulder
with her husband during the long and
trying days Of the siege, has been dec
Grated with the Legion of Honor by
lne French government and pensioned
for Isse.
Here are their stories:
nope II Will. never again fall to my
lot, said Auguste F. Chamot. Ito pass
through another siege of Pekin. AS a.
resident of the imperial city and for
eign devil. as the Chinese call us it
Il
the revolution broke out. and was
forced TO remain there through the
fifty-eight days Of the Eerrible siege Of
that ill-fated city.
After we had been driven from out
post to outpost, and then, finally, into
the little hotel and the British lega-
ton, where we made our last stand,
there was not a day that any of US
hoped to live until nightfall. Every
hour we expected to be blown into frag-
II I'll.
the enemy had placed all around US.
The Hotel de Pekin, where l was
during the siege. was the key to the
situation. If the Chinese had succeeded
in breaking our bombproofs 1 would
not be alive today to tell the story.
built heavy fortif1cations of brick and
mortar, which were near by, barricaded
the hotel on every side, and here we
remained during the long and trying
days.
Every morning [ used to go out be-
yond the lines and get OK flesh and
other food for the poor refugees.
Il am sorry to say that l cannot say
good word for the American minis
ter, Mr.. Conger. Every day l fed aim
with OK flesh and food which l pro-
cured at the risk of my life One day,
after we had been under fire all day.
COnger came up to my wife. and. with
out a word of warning, WithOu0 po-
lite request or anything else, deliber-
ately SnatChed from her shoulder a
Mauser rifle and handed it over to a
man.
when l heard about the affair.
hunted up COnger, and in the same
abrupt manner in which he diSarmed
my wife, L slapped his face.
Sir Claude Macdonald. the British
minister, is also entitled to a little
roasting for his conduct during the
siege.
Every morning when l went into
the British legation to bring food to
the poor starving men and women, l
would find Macdonald, together with
the mem bers of his family, living on
the rat of the land, While under the
same roof were more than 100 poor dew
lis almost furnishing for proper nour-
ishment."
There were many striking incidents
in connection with the siege of Pekin. ~
said Mrs. Auguste f. Chamot, but
nothing impressed me more than the
bravery of the japanese soldiers. When
the relief column, headed by the Japan
csc troops. reached the north gate of
the great stone wall, the question OF
blowing open the gate with guncotton
naturally presented itself There were
500 troops, and the commanding Of
ficer called for two volunteers TO do
the work.
Every man in the company. know
ing full we'll that the task meant in
slant QedlIl, SlOOO ~ anu NOAOiANCCA u
to so. Isn't that bravery unprece-
dented? The two men selected stripped
themselves to their skin and slowly
crept along the wall toward the gate.
"A moment afterward there occurred
a terrific explosion, the gate was blown
to pieces, and the two brave Japs
hurled in bits into eternity.
For nearly five weeks 1 did picket
duty on our line, taking turn with the
men, and during these weeks / passed
through the most trying ordeal of a
lifetime.
For days 1 slept with my clothes
on mean when 1t was possible TO
sIeep-and, huddled as we were, there
was no opportunity to indulge in the
luxury of a bath. Consequently. after
a time, everybody became dirty Ihe
things we had to eat were, at the clos
ing days of the siege, simply awful.
Mr. Chamot's poor little pet horse
had to be slaughtered to keep us from
starving.
Minister Conger is not gentleman.
The sooner he is recalled the better.