The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-10-16
BY FRANCIS HCULLAGH.
Special Correspondent OF The Repu5-
lie With the Russian Army.


lie With the Russian Army.
Copyright in the United States and Great Bri;
IN.
Village HALLWAY Between Liao-Yani
and Hai-Cheng. aug. 5. 1861 left Hal
Cheng a few days before the japanese Ell
tered It. and had. accordingly. the strang,
experience of riding through a own whicl
was occupied neither by japanese nor b!
Russians. and which was therefore abso
ltely deferseless. l shall briefly explain
how this happened.
On the previous day I had entered Hal
caeng in the train Of General M!stchenko
snd while 1 was writing in an abandoned
ESgse that had been previously occupied
by the Intendence Department Of the
Fourth Siberian Army Corps. the Genera
departed without me in the direction o.
Liao-Yang.
As evening approached 1 began to feel
an ominous sense OF loneliness stealing
over me. The room in which I wrote was
invaded in turn b. about fifteen different
soldiers In one hour. all looking out anx-
ionsly for any food or valuables that might
have been left behind in the confusion OF
the flight
IN SEARCH OF LOOT.
VIr MAJ lpAt A-s SIN Oul VI Il JdpdLItSf
screen. not because it was japanese. but
because he wanted the silk and could not
carry of the screen. 4 number of men
speculated OIL how to carry Off my saddle
until explained to them that it was mine
and had not been left behind by any OF
their officers.
The endless stream OF Cossacks and foot
soldiers and big guns with six magnii-
Gent horses pulling each OF them had at
last ceased TO file past, and a strange calm
settled down on the scene. | issued from
the house and inquired after Mistchenko.
Some Uraisky Cossacks told me that he
had gone.
7 went 20 the railway station, but no
body there could tell me anything. In
rank. There were two trains. however.
filed with wounded, TO whom some people
were giving water.
A private soldier. upheld by some other
soldiers, was complaining Of being fright.
fully III. and wanted to be taken on the
train, but nobody could do anything for
him.. He was not wounded. and. there
fore. could not he taken on the train,
which was probably the last TO leave Hal
Gheng. / felt his pulse; It was very ir-
Wet through with Precipitation Finally a
benevolent looking doctor came along and
promised to get him into the Strain L
do not know whether he succeeded.
A SUSPICIOUS LIABLE.
I returned home and saddled my horse.
Some stores that 1 had purchased that
dayIt think they were the last tins of pre-
serves in all Hai-Cheng-were missing
from my saddlebags. but. marvellous to
relate, a bottle OF brandy remained. I
must say, however, that the label on that
brady bottle looked suspicious. 1 after
wards presented it to-a friend. who. after
It was now a question of remaining in
Rai-CheHg for the night or OF pushing on
IL the darkness in the attempt to find Cen
eral Mistchenko. In the former case I
might be able to get something to eat,
and felt ~ravenously hungry. In the latter
case I would be looking for a needle in
with soldiers. and -sentinels might make
short work OF me in the darkness.
My increasing hunger decided the cues
only Russian soldiers now left were Oren-
burgsky Cossacks. To them was allotted
the task of guarding the rear OF the re-
treating Russian army.
When / entered the town I thought at
first that there were no soldiers in IL. but
/ afterwards discovered two who were
evidently acting as policemen. When I dis !
nightly on the performances of two drunk
en- comrades. who were ~belaboring a
ch;naman with a beam of wood. They
looked suspiciously at me as 1 rode. up.
not sure whether I was an official to whom
they ought to kow-tow or a foreigner
whom they ought to errest-
SEEhlNG HELIE |
L rode past them in as ~unconcerned a |
manner as possible. AMI when / had got |
ten out OF sight Of them I began to con-
slider what 1 should do. Where could 1
pass the night? All! Perhaps there were
missionaries in the place. I Inquired. Yes. /
there was a Yingkwa missionary. but he
haa gone away with his wife. Was there
z French missionary? Yes. Was he still
IN Hat-Cheng? Yes. Did they know where
~ .VeoI IEyery5ody knew where he
nnding his home. a humble Chinese house
OF tnLee rooms. one-the largest-being the
church; another his sleeping and dining
room. and the third his cookhouse and ser.
ants quarters. The courtyard was filed
With carts and goods belonging to native
1a,holics. who had brought these things
mere to save them from the soldiers.
Pere Letort.. a whlte-bearded cid man.
looking for all the world like the typicaI
nerTnit, received me with much warmth
ana to put me up cor he right.
After dining on an excellent Chinese ham
which he had cured himself-I alone dfned
on u should say for the old priest was
sunering from a painful stomach disease
which prevented him from eating any
7ieat-we sat out in the courtyard under
ne French Tag. which Pere Letort had
siad expected the Japanese 10 enter.
A place. OF REFUGE.
This old priest had an orphanaee sr-
tached to his house. and in it and behind
# many Christians and their pagan reIa-
had taken refuge without the priests
knowledge. He was continually discover
Ing new additions to his household, but
he never once turned anybody sway.
residence OF thirty-thrse years in
China had almost made a Chinaman OF |
MIN. 20 that he spoke Of the north drawer
" his writing bureau and the west end Of
ms dining table, and for the same reason
his conversation was that OF a bygone age. ]
he seemed to consider the Egyptian /! /
a burning one and on the whole
his views were those of a French Catholic
OF the time OF the commandment OF Alex &
andrfa- This did not prevent him. how ]
ever. from being a saint. and I have less I
in saying SO as In all proba- s
bilify his disease VIII have carried rim :
on by the time these lines are published.
L slept in the chapei-it wss The only {
In which the old priest c-uld accom- I
mean l hope that / am NOT s
of trreverence IN saying that when I '
vent to bed I lad a creepy feeling Of being c
4 corpse laid out in its black C,'fin before e
hfSh alta. In spite. however. of this 6
tfsagreeabIe sensation / slept well. &
A SILENT TOWN. [,
When I awoke II was very early. but !.
ls time were IN there seemed to be no I
awakening en- the part Of 9
he city. There. was no shouting of SOL q
no scream Of railway engines. no 1 e