The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-07-01
CHINESE AWAIT
RUSSIAN DEFEAT
THOUSANDS OF THEM READY TO
RISE ON RECEIVING WORD OF
PROPER OPPORTUNITY.

NEWCHWANG, June 9.-Those of
the Chinese soldiers that 1 saw at Ming
Yuen Chow, Chen Chow, Lien Shan,
Kas-pon-tze and dozen other villages
in the disputed valley, were fine-look-
ing fellows, tall, with black turbans,
blue quilted tunics and black sashes
and armed, some with modern Mauser
rifles, some with an old model the
dates on the barrels of several which l
examined being 1887.
At the village of Tonghan, the Eng
lish inspector of the Chinese Govern
ment railway assured me that his road
had a week or two previously taken 90,
900 Chinese regular infantry northward
into the disputed neutral strip. To my
inquiry as to their destination, he
waved his hand toward the mountain
palisades to the northwest and said
'There-scattered through those noun
tains. They will be heard from by and
| by, mark my word. The Russians will
come to the end of their rope there soon
or am neither a prophet nor the son
of a prophet. The Chinese have been
tricked and crowded and kicked and
| treated like dogs by the Russians for
many a year. Let Japan bring them to
}
/ nese will rush in to complete the job"
| Here would then, indeed, be fit sub
ject for an epic entitled The Revolt of
a Sheep, and yet the Chinese soldiers,
properly differed and drilled, are said
to be as brave, reliable and effective as
any Oriental men-at-arms. Those
saw certainly looked like grim fighters.
Beginning at Chin Chow, l began to
see small bodies of Chinese or Manchu
foot soldiers of a different type from
the Chinese infantry wearing dull red
tunics, and armed with single-shot
breechloaders of an old Russian make,
dated 1881. with large caliber cartridges
slung in belts over their shoulders.
was informed that these We're reform
ed" Red Beard bandits, hired to guard
the railway trains, but my informant
the conductor. an Englishman who had
been a telegrapher under Kitchener in
the Omdurman-SOuda campaign,
chucked grimly over the term IRE
formed'-"As if you could ever reform
a jackal or a Hung-hu-tze!' " he said,
with fine sarcasm.
Ii is believed that when the word is
given that the dreaded Russian bear is
being torn by the Japanese war dogs.
all these Chinese, ManChu and ed
Beard soldiers regular and irregular
horse and foot, without conference or or
ganized scheme of attacks, will rush in
to wreak vengeance on the SlavOnic
burners of towns and despoilers of wO-
manhood. If the Russians continue to
! burn Chinese villages and the granaries
and crops as they retreat, they will
/ find a swarm of vengeful Chinese har-
assing their rear, cutting their commu-
nications and hacking and killing at
every opportunity. AS Consul Miller
puts it, Chaos will break loose in Man
! Churia and horrors unspeakable will re-
suit, if the war becomes three-corner-
ed"
/ Only yesterday General KondratOvitch
| told us that the Manchu bandits had
blown up a culvert and a section of
railway track between here and Lao
/ yang, completely blocking traffic for
! four days, and it is in giving such as
| sistance to the japanese that these Red
Boards as we'll as the more reputable
be-queued villagers will cut an impor
tant figure in this war. AS regards any
organized, confederated rising among