Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-04-04

son, the youngest soldier to shoulder q
rife during the siege, 1 am indebted for
much of the diary and great help in
copying. A considerable portion of the
book was written with bullets whis-
4 ting about us as as we sat in the Stu
dents Library building of the English
legation. There are several men whose
work entities them to decorations from
all of the countries represented in the
'lese, and their names will be indelibiy
| Written In all our memories, even II the
l'owers and ministers concerned over
look them. / refer to r. ID. Gamewell,
August Chamot, Colonel Shiba and
Herbert G.. Squires.
Robert Coltman, Jr, NJ. D.
| Peking, China, Sept. 10, 1900.
I CHAPTER L.
| In the autumn of 1898 in the month
OF October very shortly after the ia
nous coup d'etat of the empress dow
ager of China, an event occurred which
may have been the influence that
shaped after events or it may be that
this event was but the premature ex-
ploslon of mine being prepared by
the empress and her evil advisers, in
tended to shake the civilized world at a
later date. l refer to the riot at Luz
kouch'iao, known to the English speak
Ing world as Marco Polo's bridge. from
| Its having been accurately described
by that early traveller. This place had
| curiously enough been chosen as the
northern terminus of the Hankow-Pe-
KING railway, although ten miles West
| OF Peklng, and the road consequently Is
generally known as the Lu Han rail-
way. The political history of the strug-
gle between the Russian, French and
British diplomats in Picking, with ref
erence to obtaining the concession for
and the financing of this road, is very
interesting, and would fill book of it's
| own, but there is no reason why it
should enter into this narrative more
| than to state that finally the Belgians,
! acting for Russia and France, obtained
the concession to build and finance this
greatest trunk line of China To con-
| meet this line with the existing Pe..ing-
lien Tsin railway a short track was
laid from Fengtai, the second station
south of Peliing, to Lulsouch-iao, and a
fine iron bridge built over the Hum Ho
or Muddy river, just few hundred
yards west of the original stone Marco
Polo bridge. This short connecting line
Is but three miles in length and is the
property of the Peking -Tien Tsin rail-
way. With this prelude allow me to
proceed with the event with which 1
was somewhat closely identified, and
am able to speak of with knowledge
ana accuracy On October % / was
cameo TO Fengtai to amputate the leg
or poor coolie who had been run over
by the express train from Tien Tsin.
After the operation l partook of tiftin
ut the residence of n. G.. Cox, resident
engineer of the Picking section of the
Peking-Tien Tsin railway. His other
guests were Major Radcliffe of the In
dian army service. on what is known as
language leave in China, and e. w.
Campbell, official interpreter of the
British legation. During the meal the
newly completed iron bridge was
spoken of by Mr.. Cox and we were all
invited to accompany him after tiffin
on trolley to inspect the bridge. This
was unable to do. as professional
engagement in Peking at D. m. pre-
vented. The next morning / received
the following telegram, which should
have been delivered the night before,
put owing to the closing of the city
gates no attempt was made to deliver
1t: Goldman, Peking-Come to Feng-
tai at once. Cox and Norregaard both
seriously wounded in riot at Luz
kouch'iao," signed Knowles. / inme-
dlately rode in my cart to Machiapu.
the Picking terminus of the Picking
Tien Tsin railway, and wired down TO
f'engtal for an engine to come to take
me down. In an hours time reached
F'engtat and went at once to the resi-
'uence OF MIR. Cox, to find both himself
and Captain Norregaard, the resident
engineer and builder of the bridge Mt
Lukouch'iao, with bandages about their
heads and general appearance of hay-
ing been roughly used. Their story of
the riot was told me while removed
the dressings, applied by my assistant.
native medical student Of the rail-
way hospital at Fengtai, the day he
fore.
Mr.. Cox stated that he and his two
guests had gone shortly after ttffin on
dence, near the bridge, and having
added Norregaard to their party, pro-
ceeded on foot to the bridge. Near the
eastern edge stood party of Kansn
soldiers, numbering fifty or more who
upon the approach of the foreigners
saluted them with offensive epithets
IN which the well known Yang kuei
w. or foreign devil" was frequently
repeated. MIR. Campbell, who spoke
Chinese fluently, demonstrated with the
men and endeavored to have them
stand aside and allow the party tn
cross the bridge, but they obstinately
obstructed the entrance and warned
the foreigners back.
AT this Juncture military official OF
low rank appeared on the track and
Campbell appealed to him to quiet tho
men and allow them to inspect the
bridge. This officer replied that the
men We're not of his company and he
mad no power over them, but Camp
bell. Knowing well the Chinese nature
at once told him that they should con.
slider him responsible for any trouble
whether he We're their particular officer
or not Upon this the officer ordered
the men to open up passage for the
foreigners, which they promptly did
and the party of four crossed the
bridge. The officer, after they had en-
tered the bridge. left the men and dis
appeared. They remained quarter
of an hour on the farther side of the
bridge and returned
AS they again neared the eastern
side they saw the same gang Of ruf-
fans awaiting them, with stones in
their hands, and. upon their arriving
within range, We're saluted with a vol.
ley of stones many of Winch took ef-
feect. The valiantly charged upon the
men, and Cox, being rather severely hit
and spying out the man who had struck
him chased him right into the crowd
and knocked him down with terrific
blow. AS Cox stands feet and is a
remarkably muscular man this fellow 8
punishment was severe. The mob. how
ever, turned upon Cox, who was separ-
ated from his companions some thirty
odd feet, and, surrounding him. bore
him by sheer weight and number to the
ground, not, however, before he had
placed several of them hors du combat
At this moment Captain Norreganrd
received severe stone cut just above
and covered his face with blood. Not
knowing how 1anpero1lSlv no we .,