Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-01-12
REFUGEE DEPICTS
siege OF GERMAN
PORTSINOR|ENI
Force of 1000 In TSingtau Held
Out for Weeks Against an
Army of 1000
HOSPITALS BOMBARDED.
SAYS RED CROSS DOCTOR
Lived in Cellars Eight Days Un-
der Fire That Tore Roofs
From Houses

How the combined japanese, East
Indian and English army trenched and
retrenched, bombarded, be sieged and
otherwise assisted in the total destruc,
tion of Tsingtau and Kiaoehau in the
belief that they were battling against
a much larger garrison, was related
last night to the Star-Bulletin by q
member of the German refugee party
on board the Pacific Mail liner Korea
The party, numbering 70 men and
women, boarded the vessel at Hong
kong, Shanghai, Nagasaki, Kobe and
Yokohama, and will cross the United
States TO New York and thence so by
steamer to Germany. Many OF them
are members of the German Red Cross.
Others were merchants of Tsingtau
and Kiaochau and still others are Ger
man soldiers released by Japan. Al
though all members of the party had
been cautioned against giving out any
information concerning the fall OF
Tsingtau and Kiaochau, one OF the Red
Cross doctors finally consented to give
out the story to the Star-Bulletin.
At his request his name is withheld
ginasmuch as 1t Is violation of the
Red Cross rules and against orders
received previous to sailing Follow
ing is his narrative:
when Japan issued her ultimatum
to Germany concerning Kiaochau and
Tsingtau, myself and others in this
party were stationed as members of
the German Red Cross at the Tsingtau
garrison We did not expect imme-
diate action, however, although the
falI OF the city was expected many
weeks before it actually occurred.
Shells Begin to Fail.
The bad weather made quick move
ment of the Allies impossible and it
was not until IL days before the sur
render that shells began to fall about
the cities. For several days before,
however, the Allies had been entrench-
ing about the cities. Their army num-
bered about 80, 600 japanese, 1000 Eng
lish and 1000 Indian infantry and ar
tillerymen ~ -. ..-.=
After they started bombarding they
moved cautiously and the fire was not
steady for the following four days. In
the meantime they kept undermining
the ground and tunneling toward our
breastworks. The final eight days were
days l shall never forget The shells
Just darkened the cities day and night
and everyone took to cellars. was
nearly killed myself once when / re-
NAMED on the first floor of house
and shell took off the roof.
"Kiaochau is built on the side of a
hill facing the sea and the houses
near the bottom Of the hill were to-
tally destroyed, while many of those
farther up the slope we're destroyed
and others partly knocked away by
the shells. The Japanese did not ap
pear to care whether Their shells
struck the garrison or whether they
struck the residences in the town.
"Move the HospitaIs!"
For time our hospitals were being |
shelled and | sent word to the Japa-
nese that they were firing on our hos
pitfalls. The answer we got was: IF |
our shells are striking your hospitals, |
move the hospitals" We did as ad- |
yised, it being the only thing to do |
and from then on We kept the wound |
ed in cellars. .% %.~w H..
''On November the fight got to |
close quarters. l saw IL of our men, |
including lieutenant who was close |
friend, killed by Japanese armed with |
sharp, curved knives. The following |
November Z, at 6 o'clock, We |
The Germans were |
standing in the river with the water
up to their arm-pits, the perspiration
just pouring from their faces. They |
were fatigued. Imagine the surprise
of the Japanese when they discovered |
that our total garrison had been only |
$500 soldiers. @."a f.. p
Looting 10 Charged. ..".... n -.:
THAT day was day of robbery. The |
japanese soldiers plundered the town. |
They forced rings from the fingers of
the women and stole other valuable |
articles. The next day, however, the !
Japanese officers appeared to get con-
troll over the soldiers and the robbing |
stopped. We removed the wounded to |
the Hotel Prince Henry and converted
the latter place into a hospital. The |
and members of the Red |
Cross were allowed to go at will but |
the soldiers were taken to Japan
Some of the prisoners who were |
so wounded that they cannot rejoin !
the German army and others who were |
exchanged, or for other reasons set
free by the Japanese. will return by /
the next Pacific Mail liner and will !
pass through Honolulu .....-..
The Korea sailed at 10 o'clock this |
morning, taking with her the refugee !
party to San Francisco. -,..