Omaha daily bee., 1901-02-06
WARN DOSE OF CIVILIZATION
Scenes Of Horror in the Wake Of the Allied
Army in China
RAVAGtS or FIRE AND SWORD
Shocking Pictures of wnnton Murder
and piiInEe Committed by the
soldiers of so-cnIIcd
Christian Nations.
RAvAets OF FIRE AND SWORD


hry, under the title Of THE Chinese Wolf
and the European Lamb" Mr. r. j. Dillon
presents in narrowing details an account
of the massacres of the Chinese by the So
called allied European soldiery. This is
the description of a scene at the bar OF the
Taku, toward the mouth Of the Pei Ho;
Dead bodies Of Cinnamon were floating
seaward, some with eyes agape and aghast,
others with brainless skulls and eyeless
sockets, and nearly all OF them wearing
their blue blouscs, baggy trousers and
black glossy pigtails. Many Of them looked
as II they were merely swimming on their
backs. lowering over each was dense
cloud OF flies, and higher still, in the hot,
heavy air unclean birds Of prey wheeling
round and round but never once descend
ing. They had long been battening on
shore, and had grown squeamish. The SKY
was stagnate with heat; the air qulckened
TO fire and quvered till It's vibrations were
visible to the eye; there was not breath
OF wind to stir the LEAKAGE OF the willows
on the distant banks. Away out in the
oflnE one could dcscry the heads Of men
swaying from side to side with motion
very different from drifting. on drawing
nearer and looking through the glasses, |
became aware that scores Of Cinnamon
scattered over the space Of many miles
were up to their necks in water. Each and
every one OF these toilCrs Of the sea was
standing upon stills fishing for soles and
holding a net which he worked with both
hands. Their heads we're imperfectly
shielded from the suns blistcring rays by
the coils Of their plated hair, and their
bodies, up to their necks, had been soaking
thus In brine since early morning. These
men were working for the surviving mem
from each other, they were still more dis
tant from the shore. the nearest stretch OF
which was some three miles off. Now, none
OF these busy fishermen ever moved away
from the bodies of their townsmen, which
kept floating slowly past, each accompanied
by its black cloud OF flies, and injecting the
air for many rood around. Those
wretched helots who thus left the dead to
bury their dead had little OF the magic
power that excltes fellow feeling And 1t
would have stood them In poor stead If they
had possessed 1t. Yet they sorely needed
Bolace; for their souls were as completely
stepped in misery as their bodies were In
water. Funny fellows. the Chinese; heart
less brutes was the only comment | heard
as we sailed past and other scenes gradu'
Ally unroled themselves to our eager gaze.
After having left Tien Tsin Mr. Dillon
went ny llNtl iuNO Nut h'lbhpbi ihb N'Nh''J
Rnvages of Fire and sword.
Fire and sword had put their marks
upon this entire country, The untrampled
corn was rotting IN the fields, the pastures
were herdess. rooless the ruins OF houses
the hamlets devoid of inhabitants. In al
the villages we passed the desolatlon was
the same. Day after day, hour after hour
sometimes minutes after minutes, bloatet
corpses, pillowed on the Grass ooZe, drifted
down the current, now getting entanglec
in the ropes. now caught by an obstacle
near the shore. Three livid corpses were
thus held fast on a little islet In midstrean
and the shadows around kept me few
yards to the lee of them for not less thar
six hours of scorchngly hot day. Hare
by spot named Koh So. | saw two bodies
on a low-lying ledge of the shore Ac
customed by this time to behold I'm th
broad light of day some Of the horrors
which the soil of the graveyard hides from
all living things but the worm, | shoult
have glided carelessy past them but TO
the pathos of their story, which needed NJ
articuate voice to tell. father and hi
boy OF had been shot down in th
name of civilization while holding eacl
others hands and praying for mercy. Ant
there they lay, hand still holding hand
while a brown dog was slowly eating on
of the arms of the father. To European
at home such sight would appeal witt
force; to Cinnamon II is the embodiment o
spiritual as well as physical misery, for tn
son who should have kept his father
memory alive in this world, and been help
full to him in the world to come, had bee
cut down as well as himself. 1t was lik
killing a man in his sins as to insure hi
eternal damnation, which was one of tn
many forms OF assassination in mediaeva
Italy. | looked at the faces of the little bo
and his father, and | can see them still
as clearly and almost concretely as
saw them on the day. Truly II is nc
sickly sentimentality' that marks the at
titude of European culture bearers towar
China"
The terrible conditions in Tung Tscha
are thus described:
81 speak as an eye witness when l say
for example, that over and over again tn
cutters OF the city OF Tung Tschau ran re
with blood. and I sometimes found it i'm
possible to 20 my way without getting m
boots bespattered with human gore. Their
were few shops, private houses and court
yards without dead bodies and pools {
dark blood Amid native population who's
very souls quaked with fear at sight of
rife, revolver or military uniform a reiG
OF red terror was inaugurated for whic
there seems no adequate motive. Even
all the Chinese within the city walls ha
risen in revolt against the foreigners, th
latter would have quelled 1t almost withol
an effort. Yet they were kept with
Damocles' sword continually falling on the
heads. No natives life or property va
safe for an hour. Men | had been speakln
TO before lunch were in their graves bcfor
sundown and no mortal will ever know III
reason why. The thirst Of blood had mad
men mad. The pettiest and most dcspica
BILE whipper- snapper who happened TO hay
seen the light Of day in Europe or Japa
had uncomfortable power over the life an
limbs, the body and soul, of the mos
highly-cultivated Chinaman in the cit
From his decision there was no appca
A Chinaman never knew what might bette
him an hour hence, II the European lost h
temper. He might lie down to rest aft,
having worked like beast of burden (,
twelve or fourteen hours only to be SUI
denly awakened out OF his sleep, marched
few PAGES from his hard couch, and sh
dead. He was never told and probab
seldom guessed, the reason why, ] saw
old man and woman who We're thus hu
riedly hustled out of existence Their day
work done they were walking home when
fire broke out on little barge on the rive
They were the only living beings found o
OF bed at the time, and in the pockets