The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-09-04
Chinese UPRISING
NERMILLION GIRL SAW REPUB-
LICAN FLAG RAISED OVER
TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
IN PICKING.

Vermillion, Sept. 4.-Miss Jessie
Z. Payne, a Vermillion girl who for
many years has been a missionary in
China, writes from Peitaiho. Her
letter was written on July 81, three
weeks after she had been within half
a mile of a battlefield. Much of her
letter was descriptive of the revolu-
tionary crisis in China and the fail
ure of the royalist pig tall faction
under Chang Hsun to effect the ruin
of the republic.
Promptly at half past 4 on the
morning of July r." writes Miss
Payne, I'VE heard the reports of the
signal guns and simultaneously fir
ing was opened on every side. |
never expect to hear such noise again
as filled our ears for the next nine
hours. There was the boom-boOm of
the cannon, the rat-tat-tat of machine
guns. the bursting of she'll and the
pop-pop of hundreds of rifles. Our
compound was very quiet in spite of
the crowd of people who had taken
| refuge within our walls and were
sleeping on the floor in the school
and other buildings. A few people
stole from one building to another,
crawling along the hedge lest some
of the bullets and shells whizzing
over us should accidentally land in
our midst.
"As soon as we were dressed we
went up on the tower of the school
building, trying to get a view of
something from that point, but too
...., .-~o~ ovI ~hrfldfnUa intnrXnnnd
IDr. Ingram and two or three other
men armed with guns going about
from place to place to see that every
body was all right. This with the
American flag flying high over our
gate and the noise and smell of pow
der filling the air made US feel quite
martial.
"A little after 6 O'Clock as We were
sitting down to breakfast the air
planes came to add to the confusion.
One of them circled directly over US
as they made for Chang Hsun's
house, landing a bomb in his front
yard i'm passing. Later some sol
diers from the American legation
called to see if we needed anything,
having been sent out to take into the
lPBdLlOn american NOiitn anu NAfi
dren living in the direct line of the
firing to the south of Us.
still later we heard hat Chang
Hsun's soldiers at the Temple of
Heaven had surrendered, but the
noise of cannon, she'll sand bullets
continued as fiercely as ever around
us and really grew rather wearisome
as the hours passed. About L o'clock
we heard someone cry fire and again
repaired to the tower and watched
Chang Hsun's house go up in black
smoke along with no small amount
of stored ammunition. We saw the
republican flag raised over n OF
the imperial city gates and then a
great stiffness settled upon us, thai
must be felt to be understood. In a
couple of hours the streets looked
quite normal except that all the
stores were closed and gaily dressed
pleasure seekers were not in evil
dence.
I'VE soon began to gather in de-
tails of the battle-if it could be dig
nified by such a term. Chang Hsur
had early fled to the Dutch legation
where he is still hiding. While much
noise and ammunition was wasted
most of the firing vas into the all
or at solid brick walls and after nint
hours there were not SO casualties OF
both sides"