Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-07-11
talk WITH M'CALLA.
Famous Naval Officer Tells OF
Relief Trip to Picking.
HIGHLY PRAISES THE JAPANESE.
|Captain OF the Newark Predicts That
Factor In the Eastern Situation.
How the Boxers FOught-Chinese
Regulars Well Armed.

Captain Bowman II. McCalla, look
ing nearly ten years older after his two
years of hard campaigning ON land and
sea in China and the Philippines, talk
ed modestly the other day to a New
York World reporter on board the New
ark, which recently arrived from Hong
kong. of the stirring times a year ago,
when he, with a handful Of American
marines and bluejackets, in coljunc-
ton with a woefully small force of 9th
err nationalities, made the heroic eff
fort to reach the besieged in the lega-
ton at Picking. Captain McCalla prais-
ed the English, Russians, Germans,
Japanese and other nations, but above
all the japanese.
1--WE had plenty Of fighting" said
the captain, when we started out
from Tien-tsin to repair the railroad
running to Picking. We had about all
We could stand. At first we had only
the Boxers to contend with. Later
We had the Chinese regulars. They
i were splendidly armed--all that a good
| soldier could wish for. They had the
best Of Mausers, the finest Of Mann
lichers and good Krupp guns. Nobody
could ask for better than that. .
1--WE had repaired the road to a point
beyond Yang-tsun station, Is miles
north of Tien-tsin, and were going
ahead to make repairs to Anting. AT
THAT time, June 1i, it was believed
that if we made repairs to .Anting we
could march to Picking. On June IL
] Admiral Seymour learned that IL con
EN2ctionS with Tien-tsin had been inter
rlpted. Then some of our forces We're
h attacked at Lang-fang three times.
first by Boxers and then by a Chinese
military force of several thousand.
This made necessary the rcturn of
.he relief force to Tien-tsin. The start
down the river was made Oh June 40
III four junls. my force being given the
Il honor. Of leading the advance. Going
down that river we had all the fight
ing we cared for. Nearly every village
attacked us, and there were a great
many of them.
ut was almost a pathetic sight to
I see how the Boxers fought Their re-
f.ligious enthusiasm and faith in GER
fEtain things were extraordinary. They
&,believed that by waving their banners
@and spears In a certain way and max.
Sing peculiar motions with their hands
the bullets from Jul guns could not
harm them. Nothing could shake their
faith in this kind Of defense. They
would % run away. l SAN a parcel OF
% of them stand up and be shot down
ito the last a All through the fire
they kept bowling and making their
strange motions. Even when the last
of the Is had been shot to his knees
he kept salaaming to the last. I could
mot understand it.
ut was different with the Chinese
regulars. They knew what bullets
could do. They are not very good
marksmen. They would begin to shoot
when they were a great distance away,
hut there were so many OF them that
nt kept one rather busy trying to dodge
the bullets. They displayed O or
der under fire than l expected, but
that is due to the German methods EN-
ployed in their training. saw
body of them walk of very calmly
and In splendid order under a hot Ere.
But as soon as they are threatened
from the rear they give way In had
style. They seem to be very sensitive
OF the danger Of heing cut off. That
is a Chinese soldiers weak point.
"liow about the comparative meth
DDS of the forces in the allied army? In
the fighting I was in the English, Ger
mans and Americans hore the brunt OF
ii. ] was not with the main allied ar
ny and am not in q n~asitinn tn Judge.