Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-06-06
The Punishment of China.


appears to have left Pedin rather sud
denly, but II advices from that part OF
the world ale to he believed his de.
parture was not deeply regretted. He
received the usual attention from the
military bands and the artillery, and
the diplomatic corps escorted him to
the railway station, but further than
that his exit FROM the Pekin stage was
not characterised by ceremonies Of
special moment
Undoubtedly the Germans accom-
plished great deal of good In. China
in the way Of overawing the lawless
element that surrounded Pekin, but the
manner In which they conducted their
military operations was unnecessarily
severe and at times wanton. History
may possibly excuse them upon the
ground that the exigencies of al un-
usual situation justified them In adopt
ing primitive measures that would not
have been countennnced had the cir
cumstances been different, but it will
take q long tune to remove from our
American mind the sense OF horror that
their conduct, aud the conduct of the
Russians, has aroused. The soldiers of
the Gear appear to have behaved in a
most barbarous manner. The GORE
spondent OF the London Times relates
the following incident that illustrates
strikingly their method Of warfare;
A few days after the occupation Of
Pekin Chinese woman with two small
children, one Of thea mere baby in
arms, was crossing the Beggars' Bridge,
outside the CHEN. Men gate, In the
main thoroughfare leading from the
Chinese to the Tartar city, when a
party of Russian soldiers came along.
The woman was not quick enough, APP
parently, 10 getting out OF their way,
30 they prodded the mother aud the
baby with their bayonets, and threw
them over the parapet Of the bridge
into the canal below, and as the other
child, boy Of five or six, lay scream
ing on the ground, one Of the Russians
seized him by the heels, dashed mis-
brains out on the marble flags, and
then flung the body headlong after the
OF hers.
| Most Of as are aware that the Chinese
are capable of any form of cruelty, bui
it seems to us nothing could justify re-
taliation of this nature. 1t may be
we'll to lay waste an enemy's country
and even deprive the population Of
actual sustenance in order to bring .
war to close ms quickly as possible,
but surely the line should be drawn a
the murder of helpless women and chill
dren. That nothing was left undone Ii
the way Of devastation IN China tbs
testimony OF eyevitnesses oonclusivelJ
shows. This correspondent we hav'
quoted says further:
Seldom has population had t,
suffer SO severely for the sins of I'll
rulers as the misguided people o
Northern China. l have seen countries
devastated by war during the Franco
German struggle and during the Rus
, sian campaign in the Balkans, bu
none presented such scene of desola
tion as theregion traversed by the rail
way between tho mouth Of the Pei-h
and Pekin. 1t is, of course, In man,
cases difficult to distinguish between
! the destruction wrought BY the Boxer
and the Chinese troops and that in
fiji cted by the allied forces and, as ia
as the latter are concerned, allowanc
must be made both for the legitimat
8 exigencies OF warfare and for th
. natural tendency towards reprisal
3 which a conflict with barbarous 10
a is bound to stimulate. Yet il cannot
fear, be denied that our Wanted civil
ization has littls reason to be proud q
Q the mark which it has left on Norrher
: China in the last year of the Nineteent
q Century. Not that the Chinese them
selves have any right to complain, fol
according to their own standards, the
have been treated, on the whole, witt
a lenienoy they can hardly understand
: but those are not the standards who
9 Western nations have set up for them
Q selves.
1t is matter for national congratr
d lation that the American troops too
little part in this nefarious work an
Il that their example and the influenc
d OF our officers exercised q commsndabl
o restraint upon the allied forces actin
J. as whole. China has been made |
IS suffer to the fullest ,extent for her I'll
/, fortunate lapse in her career toward
10 higher civilization and it will upques
it tionably have salutary effect upe
lie her, but the least said of the method !
IL which the lesson was taught the bette