Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-04-20
"a h..r ar,ver hack 10 TienstIn.

and been driven back to TienstIn.
The tsung-l-yamen or foreign ONCE
are utterly powerless. and yet they
continue to send us messages stating
they are going to protect US and they
daily have the empress Issue edicta
while apparently condemning the BOX
ers, really them. The Man
chu soldiers have stood idly by In
thousands and seen the frightfui
~butcheries Of converts and suspected
converts, without raising a finger tt
interfere, and when questioned WHY
they did not obey the edicts
ing them to repress arson and lootina
have replied: I'VE nave other instruc'
tions." Mauser bullets are nightly
fired at our sentries and every night
we have to turn out a lumber of times
to repel with volleys the sneakine
down upon US of the cowardly natives
who dare only attack d cover oil
darkness.
The behavior OF our women and
children under these circumstances has
been remarkable, their courage ano
bravery above all praise.
June 20. Should these lines ever be
published [ wish to make known the
great ourage devotion and constant
watchfulness of Captain John Il. Mey-
ers of the marine corps. We Will owe
TO him our lives and the lives of o
loved ones IL we are ever rescued. His
bravery and endurance will, IL he sur
wives, mark him for high command
some day. While all the officers here
have acted well, yet he is head and
shoulders above them In GOODNESS and
decision, and all the other nationalities
come to him for advice and counsel.
He is we'll seconded here by ex-Lieu-
tenant Herbert CT. Squires, Seventh
United States cavalry, who is first sec
rotary of legation. Had Mr.. Squires
been minister we would never have
been In u present terrible situation,
for he realized the appalling nature of
the threatened outbreak while the min
istered p~ooh-hooed 1t. AS he could not
Of his own initiative order up troops in
time he laid in abundant stores Of rice
and other eatables, and bought up all
the wagons and ammunition purchas-
able.
The blind trust the ministers with
the exception perhaps OF NJ. Pichon)
placed in the promises of the tsung-li-
yamen In the face OF the daily increas-
ing riots and murder Is an instance OF
childlike simplicity which I trust they
may never haY an opportunity to re-
peat elsewhere. The entire communi-
ty here, of civilians and military alike,
condemn them as q set of incompe-
tents. They now of course all see their
mistake in being fooled by the tsung-
li-yamen and prevented from bringing
a sufficient force here until the rail-
road was destroyed and hordes Of
fierce Kansu rufiians placed in the a
Of advancing relief. The marines of
tho Newark and Oregon, of which we
have fifty, that compose the entire
American force, are a sturdy lot Of
courageous, devoted men. Sober, intel
ligent, cheerful, enduring, all OF them
as brave as lions. Sergeant Walker
alone at the south cathedral killed
seven of the Boxers. The district held
by us is about a half mile east and
west on Legation street, and is guard
ed by blocking the streets at the tai
ian legation on the east and the Rus
sian legation on the west. At each
barricade there is placed q machine
gun. A diagram of the ground held
will be found elsewhere. June 10, yes
terday, the tsung-li-yamen minister.
(four of them) visited the English
Russian and American legations and
begged the foreign ministers to per.
suade the relief guards that we hope
are coming to our aid, to return, as
surfing them that from now on the Chi
Enese would prevent any further Boxer
outrages on foreigners and that lega.
ton premises should be safe. They
also Sdlu the eIlpIeSS WIS now sure
that the Boxer movement was a men,
ace to the government as well as the
foreigners and that the imperial troops
would be ordered to shoot every Box.
er on sight. AS all the afternoon IA
sentinels on the city wall saw Boxers
in full regalia going at pleasure among
the native troops stationed about the
ruined Ch-ien Men, we know that the
tsung-li-yamen's words were as usual
q pack Of lies. A messenger arrived
yesterday from Tien Tsin from e. b
Drew, commissioner of customs, to DIR
Morrison Of the London Times, stating
the railroad had been destroyed in the
rear Of the relief column and they were
being driven back on Tien Tsin and
away from us. Surely our condition
Is desperate. Food Is getting scarcer,
Boxers are mixing openly with the
Chinese soldiers, our W soldier boys
are getting worn out by constant
watching and no help is nigh.
Continued Next Week.)