The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-04
Special Correspondent With
Revolutionary Army Tells
Of Disorder and CrueltieS.
TAKES IMPERIAL SIDE
His Opinion IS National Senti-
nent Is Still With the
RevolutioniStS,
ES IMPERIAL SIDE
By Edward j. Dingle.

Special Gable to The Tribune.
TANKOW. Dec. 3.-The battles be-
tween the revolutionary forces
and The loysists and the suose-
IL Il Uuent scenes have provided sur
prises even for hardened war cor
respondents
Perhaps the most striking thing or all
has been the treatment OF the dead. On
the one hand the dead OF the victorious
reyolutionists have been laid out with
the most elaborate Chinese honors.
while on the other the fallen warriors
who defended the Manchu dynasty have
been treated with every ind!snity.
These loyalists were northcrners. some
officers, but mostly prlvates from Pckln.
looking sallower than ever In death.
Kindly symps ,hizers. as soon as the bat
tie was over. laid them ont In rude cof-
fins. with rice and articles of clothing
common to Chinese funerals. But soon
the wild rabble OF the republican victors
came along to the captured camp, tossed
the loyalist bodies on5 OF the coffins.
spa, upon them and subjected them TO
unspeakable ignomnies. ill at length
some official had them thrown into q
grave and covered out OF sight.
Many Shot in Back.
Across In the positions held by the
revolutionists ] saw some fili~' OF their
own dead the other day after hot en-
ssGement along the railway. Those
bodies were being treated tar more ten
dcrlv than they were in life
MANY had been shot in the back. i
was myself witness Of great reckless
ness in battle. and can Nouch Tor II that
a large part - General LIS army were
more dangerous 10 their fellows than
the enemy Numerically they had the
advantage. but an extremely large per-
ceutage we're raw recruits who had never
Worn a Uniform or pulled trigger be-
fore. They fired haphazard in the cX-
element OF battle. and their comrades
in front often fell TO ther wild shooting.
China Was undoubtedly rotten ripe
for change" or such an army ss that OF
tho Tevolutionists could not have gone SO
far. accompanied II al the third en-
gagcmcnt and WAS amazed at the raw
were rushing about. but there was no
order. Every man did he pleased and
roared orders or suggestions as he felt
disposed.
Loyslists Get the Range.
Then when. the loyaIis,s found tho
safety some holding their rifles high IN
the air. some pointing them on their
comrades, some dragging them along the
ground so that every now and then one
went off accidentally.
Nevertheless few maintained their
usual Chinese calm, aud I remember see
ing an old Chinese woman selling peanuts
to rctrcHtiuG Gunncrs. who stopped In
the heat Of battle. with shells bursting
overhead. 10 hagEle as TO whether the
price of nuts should be eight OF ten cash
the bag
Fortunate Is II Indeed for China ulat
there is Yuan Shi EaI 10 acr as the
spokesman OF the national feeling Even
nc has still tough job IN hand 10 whip
this revolutionary army into shape and
enforce any decision. On the whole cf
China 20 as To produce lasting stability
Of government. For the present this
horde Of iu-;raiued warriors is fun of ic-
norancc and coCssuTeness and though the
national opinion is with them IL ia such
y variable element that no man can pre-
dict with safety what tho morrow viii
bring forth in China.