Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-05-18

port you and divert enemy from you.
There Will be eight regiments United
States infantry. three cavalry and two
batteries artillery; also 500 marines.
Infantry will be In the first column.
Enemy strongly entrenched seventeen
miles north of here (Yangtsun) and at
two points further on"
The customs volunteers o up q
new position in the Mongol market on
The southwest OF the British legation.
August 3. Another message received
from the yamen requesting us to leave
the legation and go to Tien Tsin. The
Chinese are extremely anxious to get
US out Of Peking, as they think that
with us out of the way the armies
will have, NJ particular reason to come
to Picking and will be content to set
tie up matters at Tien Tsin.
while building a barricade, n OF them
dying during the night.
August 6. A sharp fusilade at l a.
M, otherwise a quiet day. The firing
which, during the first few days after
the truce, amounted to only a few scat
tering shots, has come to be nearly as
hot as before the truce, and night at
tacks made again every night.
August s. The ministers received an
Official message from the tsung-li-ya-
men saying: by an imperial edict
dated August Z full power has been
granted to Ii Hung Chang to discuss
and arrange all matters by telegraph
with the foreign offices OF all he
powers"
Colonel Shiba reported that a Chi
nese outside coolie came in to say that
all the troops in Peking, with the ex-
oeption OF Jung LUIS, had been or are
going to be dispatched in great haste
to meet the foreign troops; he does not
know where the latter are. He adds
that another $4,000 foreign troops have
been landed at Taku.
August o. SHIPPER firing all day from
Tung Flu Hsiang's troops, especially at
the customs position IN the Mongol
market. The latter were several times
silenced by volleys from the Norden-
feldt machine gun mounted on a para
pet built against the west wall Of the
legation. No firing from Jung LUIS
troops at all.
August 10. Very heavy rifle fire
from all sides about 8 a. m. A mes
sent out to meet the troops re-
turned, bringing a letter from General
Gaselee, the British general In COM
mand, also one from General Fuku-
shima. General Gaselee's letter is
dated south Of Tien Tsin, August s:
Strong forces OF allies advancing.
Twice defeated enemy. Keep up your
spirits"
General F~ukushima TO Colonel Shiba:
Camp at Changchiang, two kilometers
Of N~antsaitsun, August 8, 1900
Japanese and American troops defeat
enemy on the 9Th instant lear Petit
sang and occupied Yangtsun on the
9Th. The allied forces, consisting OF
American, British, Russian and Jap
anese, left Yangtsun this morning and
while marching north l received your
letter at 8 q. m. at q village called
1t is very gratifying to
learn from you that the foreign com
munity at Picking are holding on, and
believe me 1t is the earnest and unani-
mou desire OF the Acknowledgements
and all of us to arrive at Picking as
soon as possible and deliver you from
your perilous position. Unless some
unforeseen event takes place the allied
forces will be at Hosiwu on the 9Th,
on the 10th, Changchiawan 18th.
IL and Picking 18th or 14th."
The messengers story: August 6 he
via Tungchow, finding there that
family had been murdered by the
Boxers. ON The 7th he met boatloads
of wounded and defeated Chinese. AT
he met the advance guard OF
the allies. The evening of the Sth he
marched with the middle division to
six miles south OF Hosi-
WI. Thursday, the 9Th, a. m, he start
ed with this division, who expected to
reach Hosiwu that evening, but left
them and returned to Picking by the
road to the west. The troops have but
few Chinese servants. They have NAM
pack animals, led mostly by Japs. He
saw a small number Of Russians and
a body of several hundred mounted
black (probably Bengal) lancers, who
made fun n charged at him with
their spears! He asked how long they
be before reaching Peking and
was told five oil six days, as the Chi
nese were not ~stubbornly resisting, the
allies merely having to drive them on
ahead of them.
Aug. IL. Heavy firing all day.
Aug. 13. The whole force of the ar
tillery possessed by us was brought to
bear on the Chinese position in the
Mongol market, as the Illness seem
to be making a last desperate attempt
to kill us all before the arrival Of the
relief force, and 1t Is expected that
from that quarter will come the fierc-
est attack.
4 %. m. The yamen SEN word thai
IL we would refrain from firing they
positively stop all firing on their
side. This was agreed to n five hour
though they had been firing all
day, they made the most terrible at
Of the whole siege. This was kept
all night, the very violent attacks
being renewed at intervals Of about
hours.
At 4:30 a. m, having been up all
under the hottest fire mortals
ever endured, but which as usual went
into the trees overhead, l had
Just dropped asleep, which even the
heavy firing did not prevent, when /
was awakened by the pop, pop, pop,
pop at regular intervals of only
fraction of a second, of an auto
matte gun. AS I knew the Chinese had
no automatic gun in their forces and
as our W Colts gun was just outside
the British legation gate to prevent q
rush down the moat between the Brit
Ssh legation and Lu Wang Flu, l in
came to the conclusion the
hnal rush hat would end the drama
and our lives was being made. Grasp
ing my double barreled shotgun l rose
from the floor where 1 had just thrown
myself down and stepped outside In
Of the legation chapel and as 1
did so heard the thunder OF heavy
In the direction of the Tungchow
gate. Then the situation was clear.
The relief were outside the city engag-
Ing the Chinese troops and the auto
matte u vas not ours but theirs.
1 dropped on my knees in the road
way and put up a few words of
thanksgiving to Almighty God, and
then, rising, called out the good new
to those inside the houses, In excited
Oh, the sweetness Of those
Shall l ever forget how de-
Iightful they sounded. How anxious
[ felt when they ceased for a few mo-
and how happy when they were
resumed! The Chinese attacking US
heard them too, n for awhile some
slackened their fire to listen. but
only for awhile, for they kept up a hot
fire all day. Poor Mitchell. the brave
American gunner, was wounded in the
having his arm broken by a bull
let from the Mongol market attack,
but he smiled a grim smile when the
guns were heard outside and remark
ed: "Oh, you can keep up o u devil
Ish racket now, but a little while long
er and you will be silent enough"
At about 4 p. m. the Americans on
the wall saw men in foreign uniforms
1fracflv 0pDoStta them While tho