The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-08-31
$4,000 SOLDIERS
FIGHT TEN HOURS;
SO CASUALTIES
Nearly Bloodless Battle
Fought In Picking During
Revolt.

PEKING, July 2s.-(Correspondence
of The Associated Press.)-Althousn
fully ten thousand Republican soldiers
participated in the bombardment OF
the HEADQUARTERS Of General Chang
Hsun. the monarchical leader, IN Pc
king, and three thousand OF General
Chang's troops resisted the onslaught
for about ten hours. less than fifty
persons were killed and injured IN the
fighting.
Military officers stationed at the
legations in Picking are at loss to
eyplain the small number Of casualties
in the fighting on July IL. Stray pui-
let's fell practically all over the city
and many small shells and shrapnei
We're exchanged by the contending
armies.
II is estimated that not less tnan
million shots were fired in all. Inc
few casualties among the great num-
Der of persons exposed to the random
firing is undoubtedly due to the fact
that both sides were shooting into the
air without thought of killing.
Shot Into Air.
Many foreigners who saw the viz
tually bloodless battle which resulted
in the overthrow of General Chang
Hsun say both the monarchical troops
and the republican forces held their
rifles against their hips and shot into
the afr.
The firing began at 4:30 in the
morning on July II. Chang Hsun had
his headquarters at his home IN the
imperial city about one mile directiy
north of the American legation. Chang
Hsun's troops were scattered about his
Headquarters and outside the main
gate a machine gun was placed III
great pagoda commanding the gate. "A
large detachment of Chang Hsun
troops also took refuge in the Temple
of Heaven about one mile south OF the
main CITY gate. The republican forces
first sheiled the Temple of Heaven.
They then also directed shrapnel INTO
the imperial city and struck Chang
Headquarters with great regularity
Two airplanes flew over the city dl-
recting the fire of the big guns, ana
eypert foreign military observers say
the direction of the firing was quite
expert.
Fled to Legation.
General Chang Hsun's headquarters
hecame untenable about 10 O'CLOCK IN
the morning and the general and his
staff took refuge In the Dutcn lesa'
ton. Up to that time firing had peen
constant spent bullets doing mucn
damage to glass in the foreign quar-
tiers and forcing the residents to keep
under cover
After Chang Hsun had taken refuge
in the Dutch legation, negotiations
were begun between the republicans
and Chang Hsun's troops. 1t was not
until 3 O'Clock in the afternoon that
terms were agreed upon. An hour
later the firing ceased and normal con-
ditions were resumed in Picking.
Chang Hsun's home was fired either
by shrapnel or by his own troops ana
virtually destroyed
The machine gun Whlcn Cnans
Hsun's command had located on the
pagoda outside the main gate, Kept up
constant fusillade for many hours
hut little loss was inflicted on the op
posing soldiers who were running
about the street in large numbers
Two rapid fire guns commanded by
the republicans and supposed to direct
their fire at the enemy guns IN the
pagoda by the main gate also kept W
a fusillade for many hours but with
no apparent effect upon Chang Hsun' s
gunners in the pagoda.