Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-10-14
LITTLE FIGHTING IN
CHINA'S RECENT
REVOLUTION
Much Massacring and Many
Executions Feature; Chin.
csc Find II Cheaper to Buy
Over Foe.
CHINESE ARMY Is
BUT LITTLE IMPROVED

nnleNt kue punishment Hi AINHittHt
yuan shi kai. because Of bis alleged
unconstitutional methods Of govern
ment. SAW very little actual fighting.
There was much massacring and
many executions. but the cases where
armed encounters amounted L. any
thing more than sklrmiahing were
rare. on the contrary. the campaign
was conducted in the manner 70
often defended by the Chinese. that
Il IL cheaper and less bloody 90 buy
over hostile elements than 20 attempt
10 defeat them with expensive aim
munitlon NJ a cost Of many lives.
The military attaches who ieft
legations here at the outbreak Of the
rebellion are now returning 20 Pc
king and bring the foregoing res
Of the observations. They witness
some interesting events in the Yang
TIE wiley. but learned nothing new
or novel In the way 81 warfare The
consensus Of foreign opinion In Pc
king Is that the Chinese army as q
fighting machine h only n little bet
ter than u was at the time OF the
Japan-Chlna war. and that u need
not be rcckoned with seriously by any
potential invading force. Some d.
visions OF u. trained on modern lines.
drill as we'll NJ European armies and
follow recognized tactics cleaned
from TRANSACTIONS Of German military
manuals. But they lack the essen
tails 81 patriotism. discipline, and
the ability 20 shoot. other bodies 81
troops especially some % those em-
ployed by the South. are only armed
coolies attracted by the. promise Of
better wages for carrying guns than
they arc able to obtain by manual
labor.
An appalling case Of slaughter oc-
Cured az slanfu. In Shcnsi province.
Here thousands OF Manchus. various
IS estimated from twelve 60 thirty.
were caught in n trap and slain In
cold blood or driven to suicide Mis-
sionarles who gave refuge 20 few
of the women who escaped say that
these refugees apologiged for not dy-
ing with their sisters explaining that
the wells were so full OF bodies that
they rose above the water.
There we're also numerous dccapi-
tations and executions by shooting in
order To tcrrorize and thereby subduc
cities disloyal To- whichever side WAS
ual fighting there were In the anti
Manchu revolt only two or three en-
counters that could be dignified by
the term OF battle Not more than
few thousand troops on either side
were engaged at any ono time. II
took very little killing 20 persuade
the mercenary soldiers TO dispense or
transfer their allegiance.
Some OF the troops that went over
20 the rebels seem 10 have been pur-
chased with actual cash or promises
of better conditions after Yuan shin
Sai was turned out Of the presidency.
The officers, ~ course either sym
pathlzed or had faith In the success
OF the enterprise. Some. however.
took the southern side as result of
coercion, or went over with the ma
inrity without demur Then. in turn.
they went promptly hack % the
Northern side when the pressure
from the government forces seemed
20 he the most dangerous
The garrison of Marking gave re-
markablo evidence OF the prevailing
instinct. Three or four times the
ten thousand soldiers stationed there
went over To the rebellion and back
again Ia the government. whichever
side seemed Ia have the upper hand
for a day would swing the majority
al officers az well as men over
with a..
The Chinese have not yet begun
To take war seriously. or 80 apprc-
ciate that tho man who s bought
of once viii have Co be bought OF
again. The true patriots who be-
leved that they had just cause and
were willing to die for Il do not seem
to have been many. Those who wer,
killed were mostly coolies who took
a chance on lettering their condition
by increased wages or loot
Though q number Of leaders of an,
revolt have taken refuge la Japan
and although ne an organization NJ,
movement 90 get rid of President
Yuan has collapsed the struggle con-
tinuos In hall dozen provinces. Dur
INK the first part Of the campaign
when there WAS some uncertainty re-
garding the extent To which the army
and navy would revolt, the govern
ment seemed willing enough to bus
back rebeilious forts, arsenals and
city garrisons; but later. when vic
tory WAS assured. the northern com.
manders apparently received instruc
lions to pay out no more money, bu
To- lght. Especially has this beer
the case "a Nanking, whore the rebc
troops stood out with remarkable
bravery for the fulfillmcnt OF theii
monetary demands.
The fact that some of the armie'
employed by the government are ie,
) by generals whose records are thos'
OF freebooters is arousins particular
interest In Peking at the present mo
mcnt.
one General Hsu Ia brother %
the notorious Tiger Hsu,' who, un
til he was killed hy dynamite
bomb last May. defied the ceRtrn
government and maintained his arm
OF several thousand men In the prov
ince az kiangsu as private body
) guard The business ~ the Hsl
f, brothers was the exploitation d
, their own private Interests Of mi
, most profitable area Of the salt dis
trict salt being nominally d govern
meni monopoly
Tho opinion has been expressed
! that Yuan Shih kai ~ using sucl
rnnarnla a. Han and Chang tlrur