The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-09
SAILORS WILL FIGHT
TROUBLE AT NEW CHWANG IS De-
VELOPING RATHER SERIOUS
PHASES
AMERICANS, FULL OF FIGHT,
Are OverpOwered in Their Reading
Room, and Battles With a Racial
Tinge Follow Between Rus
slams and AngIO-SaxOns.

PEIIIN, Jan. S-While the actual
casualties during the fighting at New
ChWang between American sailors be-
longing to the United States gunboat
Ficksburg, which is wintering there, and
Russian soldiers attached to the garri-
son of that port, are trif1ing up to date
tAe matter has resulted in unpleasantly
strained relations between the Ameri-
can, Russian and British authorized
there. The Washington and st. Peters,
burg governments are now endeaWOrina
to arrange martters SO that there may be
no further friction.
The trouble originated in the action Of
some sailors belonging to the British
sloop of war Algerine, also in winter
quarters at New Chwan, in carrying
ashore six rifles for use in theatrical
performance. The Russian administra-
ton sent a force of men to arrest th3
British sailors. ThesRussians, however,
by mistake broke into reading room
where a party of the Vicksburg's men
were seated and tried to arrest them.
The Americans resisted defending
themselves with chairs They were
overpCwered after a sharp fight, how
ever, and handed over to the United
States consul, who sent them on board
the VsAksburg. The bad feeling which
arose from this incident resulted in sew
eral fights whenever American or British
sailors met Russian soldiers, and the lat
ter not being accustomed to fist fighting
were usually badly worsted.
Couldn't Stand the GaR
This condition of affairs eliminated on
New Years day in a more serious af-
fray, and the Russian minister here, M.
Paul Lessar, complained to Minister
Conger that two members of the Vicks-
burgs crew had fired a revolver at an
YInOff006inO RJ1zGian soldier WOl1ndfnEe
him in the arm.
Relations between the American and
British consuls and naval commanders
and the Russian administrator at New
Chwang are strained, which makes q
friendly settlement of the affair diff
cult. The administrator attempted to
enforce a social code which the foreign
officials refused to recognize and con-
tied to strictly official interviews, and
sequently their relations have been linn
these have not been amiable, consisting
mostly on the one side in protests against
the administrator and on the other
against the conduct Of the sailors.
The memorandum presented by the
Russian minister to the United States
minister here related to various alleged
assaults committed by Americans. On
one occasion, it was asserted, three sail
ors attacked a sentry and owed their
lives to the sentry's forebearance in not
exercising his right to shoot The admin
istrator demanded that the United States
consul try the offenders; but the COM
mander of the Vicksburg, #. b.. Barry,
wrote curt refusal.
Minister Conger is endeavoring to re-
store friendly relations at New Chwang.
He is urging the United States consul
there Henry B. Miller, to cooperate
with the Russian authorities in suppress
in and furnishing violence. The steps
taken are however, seriously handicapped
by the action of the Russians, who re-
fuse to allow foreigners to use the tele-
graph line.
The foreigners at New Chwang attrib-
ute the trouble largely to lack of tact
upon the part of the administrator.