Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-06-15

n Of Legation street. From that date
Captain Won Aontalman directed the
defense Of both the French and the
German legations. Sir Claude MacDon-
AID having been elected by the minis
ters as commander in chief.
The attacks on the French legation
wers from the beginning extremely ve-
hement. as the Chinese fully recognized
the high Importance Of its position.
Had 1t been lost. the German legation,
the Hotel de Picking and the Su Wang
Flu would have been no longer tenabie.
The A~ustrians shared In all the various
services which the garrison OF the
French legation mad to perform. A
strong barricade was built to command
East Legation street, n a sort OF
blockhouse at the main gate.
Together with the French and Ger
mans several successfu sorties were
made In the neighborhood, killing and
w~ounding a number OF Chinese each
time. On June "a a detachment under
Midshipman william R~oyneburg took
part with the Germans In storming the
city wall, which enabled the Americans
to reoccupy their former position on
wall, The Austrians constantly rein
forced the Germans on the wall front 10
the east, and after the 26th Of June
constantly had Ave men assisting Colo
mel Shiba at the Su Wang Flu. Their
machine gun did excellent service as
long as the position behind the barri.
cades could be maintained, and after
these were given up was sent from time
to time to the Russian, German and
English legations as needed. When the
French legation was under the hottest
fires from north, east and south, only
the western side being protected by
the other legations. the French took the
northern and the Austrians the south
ern line Of defense n were each under
constant rife fire at only twenty-five
yards range. And this they endured
for weeks. On June 20 the Chinese
succeeded In making a break In the
eastern wall on Customs street, and set
fire to the French legation stables, but
they had not sufficient courage to fol-
low up with a rush the advantage
gained. But this necessitated relin-
gushing the barrier In the southern
end of Customs street, and easternmost
barricade in Legation street, the gar
risons being under rear and flank fire.
The Chinese succeeded daily, or rather
nightly, In making the breaches In the
eastern wall larger and more numerous,
until they had nearly RACED the entire
structure. Yet they gained no great ad-
vantage owing to the breaches being so
well covered from the windows Of
oaAN lNouSo SlSClCu III ltlC
western part of the compound. The ia
tigue endured by the defenders was ex-
traordinarily great. From July / daily
Smelling was endured, which riddled the
roofs n walls of every building In the
compound, and until the main building
and main large gateway, an imposing
structure, was utterly demolished and
became a pile of ruins. on the 8th Of
July the Chinese brought into position
nj n IAtnN lob -. 49, a ia 80 - A--A
inch Krupp gun, from which they COM
menced to pour In a destructive fire on
the eastern wall. Captain Won Thorn
burg, with Captain Labrousse and
Lieutenants Darcy and Kollar, all anx-
ious to locate exactly this gun, left
their main barricade and proceeded to
a spot behind a low loopholed wall In
their front, and had scarcely arrived
when a shell burst in their midst, q
of which pierced Won Thorn
burg through the heart, causing him to
fall dead in the arms Of his friends. He
was carried sorroWfully to the rear,
and at z I. IN, buried with military hon
ors, although the bullets were falling
thick around those who were thus hon.
oring their comrade and leader. The
tears of sympathy on this occasion wit
messed the sorrow Of the men and the
general esteem In which the fallen had
bSSi Helu. <llSE the uedIn OF captain
Won T~hornburg the command OF the
Austrians devolved upon Lieutenant
Won WHITEWATER
On July 10. at GAS p. m, the Chinese
made a furious attack, commencing
with rifle fire and shouts of xiii!
XIII h was intended to draw all
the defenders into their positions, and
nearly succeeded, for after O few mo-
ments the rifle fire suddenly ceased and
W. mines exploded with great report,
blowing up Mr.. Morrisse's house, where
DIR. Won R~osthorn, Lieutenant Darcy
and Mr.. Destelan, with four French
sailors, were stationed. Two of the SAIL
ors were never recovered. All the 9TH
ers were able to extricate themselves
from the ruins but slightly injured.
Earth, stones and dust were thrown
high into the air, clouds Of heavy sui
phurous smoke rose from the hole in
the ground, poisoning the dust-laden
air, and at the same moment, to add to
the horror of the situation, two three
inch guns opened up on the main gate
house. sending their contingent of iron
hail from a distance Of only eighty
yards. This explosion compelled both
the Austrians n French to retire
about thirty yards eastward behind a
barricade they had already partly
erected In preparation for q stubbornly
contested retreat. But upon the shell
fire ceasing, later on the combined
forces made q sortie, drove the Chinese
out Of he main gateway and reoccu-
pied 1T. Never In history has there been
a more ~stubbornly contested few acres
than those occupied by the Austrians
and French in the French legation COM
pound. The buildings, however, taking
fire compelled the French again to re-
tire behind their intrenchment in the
western part of the garden, the Aus
TRANS retreating to the chapel and
earthworks connecting with the Pavil-
Ion des Estrangers, a small building
With very thin walls. One small house
burned by the Austrians to pre-
vent the Chinese from using 1t against
them. At first this entire new line OF
derense was very weak. but 1t was rap
idly strengthened by adding bricks and
sandbags.
AS the Chinese barricaded themselves
In the western part OF the legation cap
tured by them, they also made use of
the shrubbery n trees to shield them
selves, and these the Austrians had to
clear away under hot fire. Until July
IL, day and night, the enemy in the
opposite barricade poured in a steady
fire, which the Austrians only returned
by an occasional shot, as their ammu-
milton had to be husbanded. The So
called truce did not last very long, for
on the 23d the firing was nearly as bad
as before and at nights often worse.
cut off any further mines a trench
sixty yards long and ten feet deep was
dug In front of the Pavilion des Etran-
gers.s AS was afterward seen, the Chi
nese had really attempted two further
mines. but for some unknown reason
had given up before they were COM
lAfA1 h1AxV 1--lA
lives In the. explosion that killed
two Frenchmen. On the last night of
siege the firing in the French lega-
ton, as everywhere else, was exceeding
ly hot, and although two shells burst in
chapel, no one was injured. The
.ustrians lost, killed one officer, three
wounded, three officers.
aipht hluaiackafa ne The IN nna --..-