Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-04-18
and been driven back to Tienstin.

ana been driven back to T1enstln.
The tsung-li-yamen or foreign Office
are utterly powerlcss. and yet they
continue to send us messages stating
daily have the empress issue edictsj
while apparently condemning the Box
ers. really encourage them. The Man.
chu soldiers have stood idly by in
thousands and seen the frightfui
butcheries of converts and suspected
converts, without raising a finger t.
i interfere, and when questioned why
they did not obey the edicts authoriz.
ing them to repress arson and footing
have replied! 1--WE have other instruc.
tions." Mauser bullets are nightly
fired at our sentries and every night
we have to turn out number Of times
to repel with volleys the sneakins
down upon us of the cowardly natives
who dare only attack under cover Of
darkness.
The behavior Of our women and
children under these circumstances has
been remarkable. their courage and
bravery above all praise.
June 20. Should these lines ever be
published wish to make known the
great courage. devotion and constant
! watchfulness of Captain John 7. Mey.
ers of the marine corps. We will owe
to him our lives and the lives of oul
| bravery and endurance will, IL he sur
wives. mark him for high command
some day. While all the officers here
have acted we'll. yet he is head and
shoulders above them in GOODNESS and
decision, and all the other nationalities
come to him for advice and counsel.
He Is we'll seconded here by ex-Lieu-
tenant Herbert G. Squires, Seventh
| United States cavalry, who is first sec
nj JoH Nv
been minister we would never have
been In our present terrible situation
for he realized the appalling nature of
the threatened outbreak while the min
istered pooh-hooed it. AS he could not
of his own initiative order up troops in
time he laid in abundant stores of rice
and other eatables, and bought up all
y the wagons and ammunition purchas-
4 able.
The blind trust the ministers with
the exception perhaps of NJ. Pichon)
placed in the promises of the tsung-li-
4 yamen in the face of the daily increas-
ing riots and murder is an instance of
childlike simplicity which trust they
may never have an opportunity to re-
peat elsewhere. The entire communi-
| ty here, of civilians and military alike,
condemn them as set of incompe-.
tents. They now of course all see their
mistake in being fooled by the tsung-
li-yamen and prevented from bringing
sufficient force here until the rail-
road was destroyed and hordes of
fierce Kansu ruffians placed in the way
of advancing relief. The marines Of
the Newark and Oregon. of which we
have fifty. that compose the entire
/ American force. are sturdy lot OF
courageous, devoted men. Sober, intel
ligent, cheerful, enduring, all of them
as brave as lions. Sergeant Walker
alone at the south cathedral killed
seven of the Boxers. The district held
by us is about half mile east and
west on Legation street, and is guard
| ed by blocking the streets at the Ital.
ian legation on the east and the Rus.
sian legation on the west. At each
barricade there is placed machine
gun. A diagram of the ground held
will be found elsewhere. June 19, yes.
terday, the tsung-li-yamen minister.
(four OF them) visited the English
Russian and American legations and
begged the foreign ministers to per.
suade the relief guards that we hope
are coming to our aid, to return. as.
surfing them that from now on the Chi.
nese would prevent any further Boxer
outrages on foreigners and that lega.
ton premises should be SAFE They
also said the empress was now sure
/ that the Boxer movement was a men.
ace to the government as well as tn.
foreigners and that the imperial troops
would be ordered to shoot every Box.
err on sight. AS all the afternoon our
sentinels on the city wall saw Boxers
In full regalia going at pleasure amonn
the native troops stationed about the
ruined Ch-ien Men, we know that the
tsung-lf-yamen's words were as usual
q pack of lies. A messenger arrived
yesterday from Tien Tsin from 70. b
Drew, commissioner Of customs, to DR..
Morrison Of the London Times, statins
the railroad had been destroyed in the
rear of the relief column and they were
being driven back on Ten Tsin and
away from US. Surely our condition
Is desperate. Food is getting scarcer.
Boxers are mixing openly with the
Chinese soldiers. our own soldier bows
are getting worn out by constant
watching and no help is nigh,
CONTINUED Next week.)