The Savannah morning news., 1904-04-10

This is the story. told for the first
time in detail. and secured from au-
thoritative Russian sources, of how
Russia swept with fire and sword over
1Lanchuria in the summer of 1900. Be
sides being an account of ruthless
shedding of blood. it is a vivid 0icture
of the Russian in war-of remarkable
marches, of andacious strategy. of
brilliant assaults, of battle after bat
tle-of year of war crowded into a
month.
The Boxer outbreak. which spread
like wildfre through Manchuria, gave
Russia a good excuse to send her le-
gions into the country. Her engineers
and workmen were scattered by the
thousand throughout the three prov
inces building her two railroads, con-
cessions for which had been obtained
from the Chinese government three and
two years before, respectively, and in
developing Port Arthur and that part
of the Liao-tung peninsula leased to
her by the Chinese in 1898. 1t was her
duty to protect these railroad builders
from the fury of the Boxers.
Opinions differ as to the cause of the
rising. 1t has been alleged many
times, principally by the Japanese
newspapers, that when the Russians
obtained a footing in Manchuria they
promptly and deliberately set to work
TO provoke a fight, so that they would
have a chance to conquer the three
provinces by force of arms, instead Of
by the slower methods of diplomacy
and industrial developments. They are
said to have insulted the Chinese otti-
Gals and barbarously treated the Chi
nese inhabitants and their own native
workmen.
There is no evidence in proof of
these charges" said MIR. Writ Ger
rare an Englishman who Travelled IN
disguise through Manchuria, and who.
being an Englishman, is hardly likely
to be prejudiced in favor of the Rus
SLAMS ION the contrary, there Is in
disputable testimony that the railway
constructing parties were generous in
their treatment of Chinese and Man
chu laborers, and it is highly improb-
able that any were so imprudent as TO
heap indignities upon officials
Chinese Officers COnceit.
The trouble came to head through
a Chinese military officer developing
sudden inordinate conceit He was
called upon TO review several thousand
troops at a place called Kailar, in
western Manchuria, and the sight of
them gave him the disease Nulgarly
known as "swelled head" Surely, he
thought, no barbarian host-not even
that of the Great White Czar-could
stand up against his magnificent array
of banner men," Suiting the action
TO the thought, he called the local
Russian engineer before him and said
that not single stroke of work must
be done on the railway unless each
particular piece of construction, even
TO the driving of a rivet, was submit
ted to the Chinese authorities and APP
proved by them.
OF course, the Russians rejected this
ultimatum. Immediately there were
outbreaks all along the line. The sur
veying and construction parties were
put to fight; Hardin, the center of the
construction work, where the largest
force of Russians had gathered, was
besieged: and several attacks were
made on the Russian towns OF Bla-
govestchensk, which is separated from
Manchuria by the River Amur.
Proud Time for Russians.
Russians may always look back with
pride to this stormy period in their