The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-01-14
ALL SCH0OLED
TO SUICIDE.
Miss Mary Cundit-SmIth Tells
Of Tho Siege Of Pskin.
WOMEN At PISTOL PRACTICE.
Were Prepared 10 End Their Own Lives II
B0lsIs Gained Entrance Men
Pledged 10 Shoot
WOMEN At PISTOL PRACTICE.


periences OF Miss Mary Condit smith. Sis
ter-in-law OF Major General Wood. and
the other women who were shut up in the
British legation at Pekn during the siege
were kept in a diary from day 10 day by
Miss Smith, who has sold the diary to
New York publishers for $4,000 for its re-
production in book form.
Saturday Miss Smith told a most re-
markable story OF the doings in the lega-
tion during the awIui siege, which facts
had never pecn disclosed before Inc des-
peTate condition ot the Desieged horue
mas never been hinted al. Miss smith
sald:
I'VE grew TO be horribly expert in pis-
tol practice. Every woman ia the iega-
ton VAS proSlsea Wltn pistol aad the
vital spots wnerc d wen-0lIe ecteu bullet
wo4lu xii instantly were pointed out 10
Nor.
"For hours every day we practiced tar
get shooting ana nrlns-nost horribly or
alvin 1iank cartridges al ourselves 10
steady our nerves and Accustom US 10 the
use and sound OF a plstoi.
Al sight or the ArSt boxer scaling the
wall or IOrCiHg the gates OF the legation,
We were 10 place the mdzzie OF the piston
Ia the mouth and blow OF the top OF the
head. Should any Nomdas courage iall
here the men OF the ICgation, DOWN 10 the
lowliest, were solemnly pledged TO IN
stantiy shoot the women unul not one
snould DC IeIt ai1ve Wnen the Boxers tooh
possession OF the place.
EXPECTED DEATH THIS TIME.
For days and nights together not a
soul IN the legation dared 10 sleep. out
stood READY at amy moment to use Inc
pistols III their hands, MnIcn, tired as
they were. never once relaxed tne.r hoid
upon the weapon OF death.
''On one neNer-to- -be-Iorgotten occasion
we were actually lined up with the men
In solid line IA front Oh Us, Tor IL was
momentarlly expected that the Boxers
would gain posse ssion. had they cone SO
at that time, not one woman would have
been alive, for, at a given signal from
tnose on the watch. the men were to turn
and shoot as down as We stood.
The indescubable horror OF that time
VIII never be enAced from my MIND.
Night after night since then have / lain
awake, going all over ii again, or sink
into sleep oniy 10 be tortured with dreams
as narrowing as the actual experiences.
But even at such times OF, more properly
spec king, after the extreme tension Oh
such times, would be temporarily relaxed.
there was Nlett In US an appreciation Oh
certain comicallties over WniCn We actu-
ally laughed And that, too. with the
shct ano shell hustlins through the very
air about US.
MRS. CONGER'S CHEERFULNESS.
II remember on one OF these occasions
how Mrs. Conger MADE US laugh by say
ing that she actually all through the
siege was more afraid OF her HUSBAND
than OF any Boxer who ever was born.
for Mir. Conger was in such an over
wrought condition she was mortauy
AFRAID he might shoot her dead on some
false alarm.
"If anything could have been worse
than this standing, pistol in hand, ready
TO blow out ones brains at any moment,
it was to witness the suffering and star
yation of the poor children huodled in the
legation.
spoonfuls OF rice day for each man, wo-
man and child upon which to suosist dur.
ing the "A hours.
children ia trying to distract the atten-
tion OF the starving ones from their pitta.
Bile condition and give them heart 10 live
through the awful experience Is beyond
anything that ever was written. No pen
can ever properly do justice TO those
young heroes of the siege of Pekin--the
children of the legation.
POISONED FLOUR FROM EMPRESS
'It was at such time when. in our
weakened. starving condition. there came
present from the dowager empress
which looked fairly like mama rained
down from Heaven upon us.
This was a present of horses and
mules, ostensibly to help MS escape, but
in reality only TO have helped to our cap
ture by the Boxers
with the horses and mules came long
sacks of flour which happily were order
ed TO be first examined by chemist who
happened to be among the legationers.
Two Of these sacks were found to be abb
solutely good, but every one of the others
was mixed with horrible poisons.
II remember on one occasion one of the
officers came TO us, holding out his
sword reekng with Boxer blood and Civ
ing 1t into my hands told me TO use IL for
my own destruction upon the instant OF
hearing the signal which was then mo-
mcntarily expected
Miss Smiths marriage TO Lieut.. Rich
ard Hooker, United States Marine Corps,
will take place In this city at noon on
Feb. II. with Bishop Satterlee officiating.
but before this date the young woman
will go to New York for few days con-
ference with her publishers.