The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-08-16

mates certificate. He took turn in New York
at the business Of ship brokerage and marine
supplies. Thence he disappeared for several
years and heard of in Central America,
where he had joined Walker the flibuster,
rowly escaping the fate of that adventurer. Ru-
NOR also associated him with the ill-starred
poits of Wheat and Henningsen in the same
region. He had been heard of also in the Cri-
mea enlisted in the French zouaves, from
which he managed to escape by desertion to
save himself from drum-head court martial after
having slapped his captain In the face.
These and other adventures doomed in his
background.
Not disconnected by Tah-kes cold reception,
he took things into his hands He had
enough money to hire small force Of rapscal-
lions, native and foreign, the kind that infest
an Oriental seaport like rats, and among them
few deserters from the British military and
naval forces, who knew something about drill.
The most important of these acquisitions
James Burgevine, a North Carolinian adventur-
er. who had severed allegiance to the Heavenly
King" Tahke had sold to Ward for a baga-
telle batch Of condemned muskets and bayo-
nets which armed this ragged and unreliable
battalion. Ward and Burgevne whipped them
into shape not only by camp drill but by Skin
mishing with the Taipings at every opportunity,
for from their cities of Sung Kang and Sing
Poo only two three days march from Shang-
hal the rebels made constant irruptions
Wards primary object was to inspire his
with confidence in him and in themselves
He lived the country and when he captured
Taiptngs he converted them into recruits in
stead Of refusing quarter, as was the habit of
the imperialists. Very the exploits of
Wards irregulars began to make a buzz in the
foreign clubs and counting He had Gre
ated his own standing and when he went again
to Tah-ke that worthy received him with low
salaams.
He went straight to his mark like bullet
with the of one debating not accept
He nj
which Tah-ke to negotiate with the Futai
of Shanghai. Ward was to have 100000 from
the government for every city he captured of
which $4,000 was to go to the Chinese part
He to have the first days looting
after which the captured place would be turned
to the imperiasts
Tahke was pledged to finance Ward for one
year, furnishing him with arms, ammunition and
stores, within certain limit of cost which the
other thought would suffice.
Within month Ward led his first expedition
against Sung Kiang, which garrisoned by
about 5000 Taipings under the command of an
Englishman named Gardiner, exofficer of the
British army. The attack failed, with serious
loss to Wards 500 assaiIants
One thing had happened however which
proved of vast import to him. He had taken a
rebel prisoner of some rank, who confessed to
him that one of the bastions had a choked-up
subterranean sallyport If he could make a
secret entrance through this, it would save the
assault.
General Ward recognized his little command
and, with 5000 imperiasts to cooperate made
his second attempt Sung Kiang, with its five
mile circuit of wall twenty feet high was can
tured: and to Wards great credit he prevented
anything like indiscriminete massacre
Leaving Sung Kiang with an officer of his
own in command, he returned to Shanghai
where his achievement had caused a tremen-
dous sensation
There comes now an interim in Wards fight
ing tolls. for half a of unheaIed wounds
compelled him to go to Paris for treatment but
we find him back again in the early summer of
: 1861 where his presence sorely needed
The foreign powers still pursued their hands
off policy and allowed the Taipings to sound
their drums and tomtoms within earshot of the
swarming treaty port. In diplomatic way in
deed, formal recognition of the Heavenly King
as the dominant power in the air
Wards coming shattered that intention
which, if carried out, would have destroyed the
empire He grasped the situation and through