Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-05-04

shot through the heart. We have COM
menced to eat the horse meat. A num-
Der of people who were eating It as
sured us II was very good. but u
prejudices prevailed some time. First
we tried the liver. fried with a small
scrap OF bacon, and were pleased to
End II tasted Just like beef liver. Then
we tried some of the meat curried and
now we are having excellent sausages
OF the meat. which helps the rice to
be more palatab!e. We are allowed
one pound of horse meat per adult
individual each day.
When the Russians had come up the
first time they brought with them
sixty shells. leaving the gun In Tien
Tsin TO be brought up by the next force
that came. As no other could come
the ammunition was OF no use. 1t
was thought that II some kind OF a
cannon could be made good use could
be made OF the shells In destroying the
Chinese barricades. So Mitchell, the
United States gunner. started to work
on two sections Of fre-engine pump.
Meanwhile two Chinese coolies found
an old cannon, a muzzIe loader OF
about 1860. In a tunkshop, and dragged
II In. AS this canno fitted the shells
Il was used instead OF the pump. II
was mounted on a pair OF wheels taken
from the ITALIA ammunition truck. II
has been nicknamed the "Interna-
t!onal." The gun itself was an old
British one, mounted On an Italian car
rage, and fired with Russian ammu-
milton by an American unner. Hence
the nickname. The ammunition for
the italian one-pound gun having run
short a lot OF pewter vessels from the
Chinese houses around were brought
In, melted up, and run into holds TO
make the shot for the gun. With
these the used cartridges were re-
/ caded and there being no primers for
the cartridges, revolver cartridges
were used instead. When tried In the
gun they worked very well, though II
Was feared that the harder metal Of
which they were made would be very
| ard on the rifing of the gun. The
Chinese broke two holes In the top
OF the imperial city wall, and built q
platform just over the water gate,
where IT was expected they would
mount guns the next night. At 10 D.
m. they started a heavy ~fusillade.
which lasted for a few minutes. but
the rest of the night was fairly quiet.
The French and Austrians CLAIMED
&c have heard ~cannoading about ten
kilometers (six miles, to the gouth-
cast. But this has also proved a false
hope and the general opinion Is now
hat the relief has not started from
Tien Tsin at all, though why no n
can say.
July 8, Sunday. The Chinese on the
wall moved up their gun and opened
fire on our barricade. The third hot
they fired was badly aimed and struck
their own barricade. carrying most OF
II away, when they were forced to re-
treat In a hurry. There was a fire at
tho gu Wang Flu OF the main pavilion
buildings, but II was not very serious.
Two shells from a u to the west
struck the wall and one the top Of Mr..
Coburn's house, showing hat the Chi
nese are getting the range better. The
evening fusillade started at 9:45 and
lasted about twenty minutes.
July 9 Monday. In the morning
Mr.. Squiers sent ont o man into the
city to see what was going on there.
He returned in the afternoon, report
ing, first, that Ha Ia Men has been
closed for many days; second, that
there are no Chinese troops In the
southern city; third, that Jung LUIS
troops are guarding the Chi Hua Men,
but there ore many Kansu men on the
lIata Men street and In the imperial
city; fourth that at tho supailou flour
arches) the shops are ope and doing
business as usual: fifth that the en-
peror and empress dowager are still
In the city; sixth, that the Picking Ga
7ette is published daily. The day was
quiet except for occasional firing.
July 10. In the morning several Of
the Chinese shells anne very close,
breaking right over the tennis court:
making It unsafe for any one to cross.
July IL. A messenger sent OF with a
letter tried to get through the water
safe, but was Immediately fired on
by the Chinese sentries and forced to
ny. He got In safely without being
hurt. The Chinese were extremely
quiet all night, but the cause vas not
known until the next morning, when
It was discovered that they had built
two new big walls, one In the Hanlin
yuan and another In the imperial car
riage park.
July II. The Chinese kept up a heavy
~cannonade all day, mostly from the
guns on the imperial city wall, but did
very little damage to US. A flag. white
ground and black characters, was cap
tured by the French In the morning
and In the afternoon Mitchell captured
a big black one In the Hanlin yuan.
He got UP on a Chinese barrier and
wrested the flag from a Chinese soldier
by pounding him with sandbags until
he let go, while five or six volleys were
fired at him. He secured the flag II
got down without a scratch.
July IL. A Chinese prisoner taken by
the French marines this morning
states that the emperor and empress
dowager are still In the palace here.
Prince Tuan. Jung Lu and General
Tung are In control Of public affairs.
Prince Ching takes no part In them.
Many Boxers are still In the city. Their
principal patron is Prince Tuan. In
his palace they are registered, fed and
paid. These Boxers are ridiculed by
the soldiers because they dare not go
under fire at the front, in spite Of
their ~pretensions to be bullet-proof.
General lungs troops are facing us on
the wall and along our lines on the
south. Jung LUIS troops are behind
the French legation. Several OF them
are killed or wounded every day. The
prisoner declares hat he was one OF
several coolies (hired at 25 cents a
body to carry off and bury the dead.
There are about 5000 of Tung Flu
Hsians'p trUope an the city. The en-
press has forbidden the use OF guns
Of large caliber against us because of
the harm they might do to her loyal
people and their houses. Direct at
tack having failed. n our rifles being
better than theirs. 1t has been decided
to starve us out. Two weeks ago news
came that foreign troops from 100 war
ships at Taku had captured the Taku
forts and occupied East Taku," oppo-
site Tangku railway station. Tientsin
city was In a panic on this account.
Ammunition Is being brought here
from the Hunting park. Imperial
edicts are Issued as usual. Business Is
going on In the north part Of the city
and market supplies are coming In.
The tour chief banks" are closed. The
soldiers believe that we have several
thousand troops under arms here. The
prisoner thought We had at least w
thousand or course, this information
is not official. and there may be much
that is not strictly accurate. 1t sim
ply represents the gossip of the tea
shops and restaurants. One reaso the
Chinese have for thinking we have so
many men here is hat a number of
them are killed by their W bullets,
which are aimed high and pass over
our heads and drop among their own
people. This shooting they attribute
to our men, and so think we have a
large force here.
$3.50 p. NJ. The Chinese exploded a
xotna ,nlar @ha Eranch laoation mall