Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-15

causing his death at the hands of the ia
natical 1amas. He has studied far eastern
matters closely at first hand, and was well
equipped therefore to take part in the Chi
nese campaign of year ago. He accom-
panied the relief expedition which cap
tured the Taku forts and Tien Tsin and
eventually rescued the foreigners from
their siege. His story of the entire affair
is thus based in a large degree upon per-
sonal knowledge, although necessarily his
account of the siege itself is narrated from
hearsay and from the records.
The book is large, physically heavy, hand
somely prepared with binding which is
itself a triumph in yellow, green, blue,
gold, white and black. Not as much can
be said for all the illustrations, which are
reproduced almost exclusively from photo
graphs, many of which are SO vague and
retouched as to be scarcely worth repro
auction However, the author is well
aware of the shortcomings of his products,
which were achieved under the most trying
circumstances. Some of the pictures are
valuable records. Yet 1t must be said that
Mr.. Landor seems to have acquired taste
for the horrible during his trying Asiatc
experiences. for he does not hesitate to
print snapshots of the most gruesome
scenes, uselessly illustrative of the saddest
and most revolving phases of war.
throughout the two volumes Mr.. Lander
oiSpidSS SSd30uS 0eSiFS TO ne accurate
and fair in his judgments and variations.
he Is pa1nstaking in recording the caliber
OF the guns, the number of men and the
circumstances Of defeat or victory. He
likewise essays an impartial estimate of
the relative merits of the various armies
composing the relief column, decidedly
favoring the Russians and Japanese, while
styling the American soldier the type,
with some slight improvements, of the SOL
der of the future" Just whatever that may
precisely mean. He cannot say too much for
the dash, spirit and precision of the Japan
csc or for the strength and neatness of the
Russians. He takes occasion severely to
criticise Cen Chaffee for that officers man.
ner and action on the occasion of the
interrupted attempt by the Americans to
capture the imperial city after the siege
was raised.
Mr.. Landor's scorn of the credulity of the
British minister at Pekin before the crisis
is plainly expressed. The author has no
patience with the Chinese fanatics, attrib-
uting the Boxer troubles solely to the
Vaccinations of the Buddhists, and frank
ly claiming that the Chinese government
was in harmony with the anti-foreiSn
movement from the outset. Mr.. Lander
holds that the ministers should have left
Pekin when Bishop Favier, head of the
Catholic establishment at the capital
warned them that the fanatical uprisngs
were spreading dangerously. He further
more SCOTS at the conduct of the British
consul at Tien Tsin, who, in an official dis
patch, praised the conduct of the Viceroy
later search of that personage's yamen
disclosed positive proof that he had been
paying rewards to Boxers for the murder
of foreigners.
In the first volume of the work appear
many proclamations by the Chinese gov
eminent, which throw light upon the craft
Of the officials and the adroit manner in
which the foreigners were lulled into con-
fidence in the good intentions of the ad-
ministration. The books thus present the
valuable feature of an extensive compen-
dunn of the crisis, and as such are Of lis
tOrcal value. AS much, however cannot
be said of Mr.. Landor's running comments
upon the siege and the proceedings after
the relief of the legations. He displays at
times lack of the sense of proportion and
of discriminating judgment, while in places
his choice of words is at least open to cues
ton. For instance in describing the siege
of the legations, he speaks of the 18th of
June as trying day, adding: But there
were a few amusing Incidents. At $40 two
Boxer prisoners were led to the west sta
bes, placed against the wall and shot"
Again, at a later stage of the siege: AN
Market, where Chinese barricade sud
denly collapsed. The Nordenfeldt was i'm
mediateiy trained on the Chinese, now fully
exposed to its fire. and from every loop
hole the guards e1nptied their magazines,
inf1icting damage on the Chinese to the
extent of one officer and twenty-seven men
killed.
1t Is fair to wonder what Mr. Landor's
idea of a tragedy can be. Yet he does dis
play at times a marked sense Of humor
which Is open to no question, and some of
his descriptions are knowingly funny. The
author has apparently not given himself
sufficient time for revision, else he would
not have used such expressions as two
gigantic monoiiths of rock" or three re-
luctant Chinese prisoners were dragged
have styled the death of Captain Reilly as
the greatest misfortune which befell the
Americans in the China war" Valuable as |
1, Jl,,~
his loss was no greater than that of Colonel |
Ltscum, under perhaps more trying cir |
cumstances
Mr.. Lander calls attention to a remark
given sufficient study by the historians of |
the Chinese campaign. He notes that the |
news of Baron Won kettelers death was |
printed in the American and European
newspapers on the 10th of June, while In |
fact the German minister was not killed |
until the Goth. Mr.. Lander advances three |
hypothesis to account for the extraordinary |
discrepancy: That orders issued several |
days before the crime for the assassination |
of this particular minister had leaked out !
being garbled into a statement Of fact in |
the transmission from mouth to mouth; |
that the cable was a deliberate fake. which |
by mere coincidence proved to be true; |
or that a mistake occurred, the death of |
the japanese chancellor on the nth having |
been wrongly described as that of the Ger
man minister. This last theory is not |
strongly supported, for the death of the |
Japanese chancellor was distinctly an
nounced In dispatches printed June 13, |
three days before the Won Ketteler buile- |
tin.
1t is an undeniable fact that a news dis
patch was printed in this country on the |
10th stating that the legations had been |
destroyed and Won ketteler killed Moth |
Ing more was heard on this score until the
I'd of July, when Admiral Kempff cabled |
this government that the German minister |
had been killed. while on the same day the |
German consul at Chefoo wired his govern |
ment that Won Ketteler was assassinated |
on the 18th. 1t was not until July 6 that
the German consul at Tlen Tsn wired the |
real date, June 20. which is now the date
recorded in all official and unofficial ac- !
counts Of the siege. The mystery remains
to be explained on the basis of one of the
three theories Of Mr., Lander
THE WORLD OF GRAFT. BY Josiah F1ynt. an. |
thor Of "Tramping With Tamps,' etc New
York: Mcclure, Phillips & Co. Washington:
Woodward Lothrop.
Josiah Flynt" may not be his real name,
or may be only part of his real name but |
1t stands, at any rate. for a parsonage |
whom the New York, police officials very
frankly dislike. They would gladly lay |