Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-03-17
LSoIdisr Recalls Fight in Peking.

I'm Peking, during the Boxer
bles. said an army man laid VI
for repairs, when the allied armies
were lying there, expecting orders any
minute to proceed to Tientsin for rea
scrapping. English. German, Japa
nese, French and Russians campeC
within the sound of one another's
bugles. and the enlisted men roaming
about the city were like SO much pow
der scattered about. ready to explode
at touch. itching for fight-with
one another if they couldn't get tc
the front. A Yankee and 'Tomm y
Atkins meeting in q saloon were sure
to come to blows if left to themselves.
II the Germans dared assail the honor
OF either. the Euglishman and the
American would forget their own q uar-
rels at once and turn upon the Teuton
together. The Germans had their
friends, the Russians theirs, the
Frenchmel theirs.
"One evening some of the members
Of my company and myself entered
one OF the restaurants. 1t was large,
one story frame structure, Kept by a
money-loving Japanese to gather in
the metal of the fighting men who had
lighted there in their fight. Some
American artillerymen were at the bar
drinking a vile native drink, which
robs a man of bis reason. They were
quarreling among themselves, when a
squad of pipe clayed Eng lishmen en-
tered, already a little the worse for
wear. The trouble began to spark
right up as electricity sparks from a
grounded wire. One or two blows had
been struck and the men were just
to it, when a squad of Russi-
ans entered.
1.-The Russians carry sidearms when |
off duty-a deadly dirk. They attack
I'd the Englishmen with their fists at |
irst, but when the Yankees lined up
beside the beef-eaters they drew these
Weapons, and it looked as though |
here was going to be slaughter. Did
;he unarmed men retreat before them7
Not much. The Englishman's belt,
With it's tremendous brass buckle,
him with the livery of the
King, makes a cruel weapon. They
lnslung these. The Americans grab
'ed beer bottles. The fight grew
Kicker. The place was in an uproar.
Heads were being hammered right and
eft. The fighters were cursing in
ones of men half mad with drink,
reathing hard as they struggled back
nd forth. My friends and l sat ,
uletly at our table, meaning to take Z
o hand in 1t unless forced to. But q,
hey swept over to us like a stampede :
buffaloes, flung us out of their path :
nd surged back again, leaving our
orner free of furniture. ,
1.-The restaurant was being rapidly +
and the poor japanese,
lmost frantic as he saw his property
Ding to smash before his eyes, was {
anding on his bar, wrjnging his {
ands and, in his pagan jabber, beg =
ing the men to remember that they
ere running him. 6
''Suddenly the Erglishmen and the +
mericans, who were now fighting ,
le armies of Europe, gained the mas il
Try. With wild yells they drove their E
to the wall. The thin
ood gave way and pursued and pur-
lers bOlted into the street, still Y
ruggling, mass of tangled arms q
Id legs, mad with the heat of battle, =
awing and tearing. +
There were two who had paired on =
r side scrap whenevr the opport- q
1ity had been found-a great English
an and knotted giant of a Russian. :,
to their feet out of the de-
is Of the fallen wall, these two found
lemselves side by side. They fell to y
as though to end it there. saw one
the Russian pickets lift his carblne
his shoulder and aim slowly, deliber-
;ely at the Englishman. yelled, ge
iculated and struggled to warn the f
nglishman, but my efforts we're lost in o
le tumult. just as it seemed the Rus t
an would shoot there was sharp
'ack-a puff. l saw a tiny cloud of O
noke roll up from bale of hay on S
le lines of the American cavalry near s
y. The Russian dropped Imply and T
turned. There was fellow wearing
le yellow stripes of Uncle Sam lower
lg his rifle.
The bugles were chirping up the