The Oskaloosa herald., 1912-02-22

friends outside worried more than we
did. Chang Hsun gave us passes that
would take us through the gates most
any time. But We were known by our
work and / do not think the passes
were shown single time by DIR. NJ.
or myself, though we went out FIRE.
quently. .
At last when Purple Mountain just
east of the city was captured by the
revolution forces, Chang Hsen, the
viceroy and Tarter General, the three
highest officers in the city, seeing that
they could not hold the city longer,
were true to their promise which
they had made to us, that they would
not fight in the city, but would give
up if they could not win outside and
were driven from the walls. So Fri
day evening, the first of December
they all left and made their escape
leaving about 1000 soldiers in the
city.
Chang Hsun had asked the U. S.
general his terms of surrender. No
agreement could be arrived at. After
Chang left, Dr. Macklin encouraged
a wounded general in the hospital to
put himself at the head of the re-
naming troops of the city and sur.
render to save the city further bomb
bardment and from turmoil that was
sure to arise, now that the control
| ing force had fed, and from slaughter
of soldiers and citizens that might
follow when the Revolution troops
came in, should the city not proper
! ly surrender This wounded general,
! Chiao, wounded in the hand and now
almost well, worked all night get
| ting troops together. He said he
would open a city gate and go out if
we would go along to be with him
when he met the Revolution forces.
We agreed. Before daylight we were
on the way to Tai Ping gate (peace
gate) with $50 armed Imperial
troops. We were under fire from the
| big guns on Tiger fort five miles to
| the north, which only sent one or two
shells shrieking our way; the three
! inch guns on Purple Mountain, which
sent several shrieking close enough
! to make one duck his head though
| in fact ten or fifteen feet above us,
suppose and worst of all, for DR..
! Macklin, who was there first, the fusi-
! lade of rifle shots from the Tartars
on the hill fort just inside the city wall.
| They did not want to surrender for
! fear they would be slaughtered, so
were shooting at the party who were
! calling out from the top OF the wall,
/ flag 1t was too dark yet for the flag
to be seen well. When the Consul
and l arrived a little later, DR.. had
been chased back under cover of the
gate Our $50 troops then wanted
! to clean out the Tartars, but We held
Tartar and making him understand
that we hoped to save them all from
harm, they quit firing on us. We
soon then, with my large American
flag and the white flag got into COM
munication with the outside troops
and after two hours or more digging
of stone and earth got the city gate
open and rode out to meet them.
They received US we'll and in short
time we had the city surrendered and
all entered in peace amid great re.
joicing. The people of the city were
happy to see them come in orderly
and quiet, except for the city martial
music. DR.. Macklin and | rode in
the triumphal procession to the Vice
rays court, where We said goodbye
to the conquering general, Ling, and
came home.
We put ourselves in danger a short
time that morning, but we thought
we were justified and when results
were as they were We were glad that
we had had the opportunity to thus
serve the city. If anyone ever thinks
the Chinese are unappreciative they
should hear how they expressed
themselves for what DR.. Macklin
and the vice consul and | did that
morning. 1t was DR.. MS work chiefly
as he was the one who got Gen. Chiao
10 act MS part, ana the one on whom
Gen. Chiao relied chiefly.
Some troops got into the city from
the other side through a gate left
open by the fleeing general. The way
they acted, shooting and plundering,
right and left, was just enough tc
show the difference made by our
making terms and aiding in the peace
full entrance.
I Twenty citizens came to the hospi.
tai that day shot by the revolution
soldiers. How many had been caught
looting We could not say, some no
doubt. About two o'clock that day,
Dc. End, a large powder magazine in
the section of the city occupied by
the Tarters, was exploded, by the Tar
tiers, it is said. This so enraged the
Revolution troops that they looted
and burned the Tartar city Tor sec.
tion), so some 3,4U0 Tartars are out
of house and home. Very few of
them were killed. Some 20 or 80
women and children committed sui.
eide by drowning, fearing the troops
They are now being fed and cared for
fairly well, some suffering yet.
Today has been the most exciting
day lsincp that Somehow tho SnldierS