Beleaguered in Pekin 11

Beleaguered in Pekin 11

The German officers claimed to have seen rockets to the southwest,

which they thought to be signals from the relief force. Heavy

cannonading was also heard, about 4 P.M., outside the city, which was

thought to come from the troops, but both proved false hopes.

 

Corporal King, United States Marine Corps, was killed by a Chinese

sniper in the Russo-Chinese bank. The United States barracks were set

on fire, but fortunately the fire did not spread to the legation.

Captain Halliday, Royal Navy Marine Corps, was severely wounded by a

stray bullet. Thirteen men are in the hospital.

 

June 25. During the night one of the captured Boxers tried to escape,

so in the morning they were both shot. There was about twenty minutes

of hot firing about the same time as last night.

 

At 5 P.M. the Chinese put up a poster on the north bridge ordering

the firing to stop, and to protect the ministers, stating also that

they would send us a message. This message was never sent, however,

and though the firing was stopped for a few hours, it soon started up

again, and the whole thing was believed to be a fraud by which the

Chinese wished to get some of the foreigners outside the legation to be

killed.

 

[Illustration: ENTRANCE THROUGH GREAT WALL INTO MONGOLIA—ROTATING GATE

 

This great wall extends in massive proportions over more than a

thousand miles of plain and mountain. It was built ages ago as a bar

against the incursions of the barbaric and warlike tribes, who were

destined in time, despite this tremendous obstacle, to overrun and

acquire the kingdom and place their own rulers upon its throne.]

 

The Americans and Germans again took their positions on the wall,

and began building barricades in the face of the Chinese gun. As the

mutton began to get scarce, the first horse was killed. It was very

good eating, and I doubt not that we have had some of that kind of

beef before, in substitution for the genuine article. Three rockets,

probably Chinese, were seen during the night.

 

June 26. The night entertainment—“fireworks”—came at 3 A.M., instead

of midnight, as usual. Chinese troops were seen marching northwest,

supposedly to convey the Empress to the summer palace. By this time the

shells from the various guns close by us began to come nearer, several

exploding in the compound. “Bomb-proof” cellars were therefore started

in different parts of the compound, in which we might take refuge

if the shells actually began to do damage. These “bomb-proofs” were

trenches about six feet deep, covered with a roof of timbers, boards,

and from two to four feet of earth or sand-bags. These it was thought

would furnish efficient protection against fragments of shell. Sergeant

Fanning, United States Marine Corps, was killed by a sniper on the city

wall.

 

June 27. Very heavy firing, mostly from the imperial city wall. A crowd

of greenhorn Boxers started to attack the Americans on the wall from

below. The Americans turned the Colt on them, killing about fifty, and

the rest got away.

 

A Chinaman who arrived from near Tientsin reported Boxers very thick

around there, and that three divisions of troops had left Tientsin June

24 to come to Peking, one coming north, one west, and one east.

 

June 28. No news of importance.

 

June 29. In the morning there was an attack made by the Chinese on the

south stables, the weakest part of the whole legation compound. This

was repulsed after a short fight, and about twenty British marines

under Captain Strouts went out after the Chinese, killing a large

number of them, and capturing their rifles with about six hundred

rounds of ammunition. The guns were mostly Mauser rifles and carbines.

They were distributed among the unarmed men of the legation. Captain

Strouts was grazed in the neck by a bullet. Later fifty volunteers,

under Captain Wray, went out to capture a gun near the Su Wang Fu that

was making things unpleasant for the people there. They could not find

it, however, and had to return.

 

By this time nearly all the Chinese houses near the United States

legation had been burned in the various attempts to fire the legation,

and in the ruins of these houses a number of Chinese snipers installed

themselves, making it extremely dangerous for any one attempting to

cross Legation street.

 

June 30. At night there was a very heavy thunderstorm, the first of the

rainy season. Simultaneously with the thunder, the Chinese started a

terrific fusillade from all quarters. The hideous noise, with the vivid

flashes of lightning and the torrents of rain, produced an effect on

the minds of all who witnessed it that they will probably never forget.

 

July 1. The Americans and Germans were forced by heavy shell-fire

to leave the wall. Later in the day the Americans returned, but the

Germans did not. The Chinese were quiet at night, there being hardly

any firing at all. The reason for this was supposed to be temporary

shortness of ammunition. At night a good many people believed they

saw flashes from an electric search-light, which was supposed to be

with the troops at Tungchow. They claimed to have seen at first forty

flashes, then an interval, followed by eight more. This they supposed

to be some kind of a signal to us, but since it has all turned out to

be heat lightning. Ed. Wagner, one of the customs men, was struck and

killed in the French legation by a shell.

 

July 2. It rained at night, and no flashlights (?) were seen.

 

July 3. The Chinese on the wall had built up their barricade so high

during the night that it almost overlooked our own (the two were only

forty yards apart), and had they been able to build a little higher

they might easily have fired right down on our men, so that it became a

question of rushing the Chinese barricade or of leaving the wall. The

former course was adopted. At 3 A.M., fifteen United States marines,

fifteen Russian sailors, and twenty-five British marines, led by

Captain John Myers, in the blackest part of the night, crept silently

over the American barricade, and, dividing into two parties, each

keeping close to either side of the wall battlements, advanced rapidly

right up to the face of the Chinese barricade undiscovered. Arrived

here, as agreed, they gave a tremendous yell, and swarmed over and

around the barricade, yelling and firing volleys into the astonished

Celestials, who, taken entirely by surprise by the yelling foreign

devils, made very little resistance, and speedily fled to their second

line of defense, some distance westward toward the Chien Men.

 

Before starting, Captain Myers had briefly addressed his men, telling

them the vital necessity of capturing the barricade. “Men,” he said,

“we must take that place at all costs or be driven off the wall! Once

off the wall, the legations will lie at the mercy of the Chinese, and

we, with all the women and children, will be butchered. This is our

opportunity. I expect every man to do his duty. We cannot stop to pick

up any who may be wounded, but must press on and accomplish the work,

leaving the wounded until we return. If I fall, Sergeant Murphy of the

British marines succeeds to command; if he falls Corporal Hunt of the

American marines succeeds him. Now, when I give command, spring over

the barricade, and follow me.” He immediately gave the command: “Come

on!” The sortie was most successful, the barricade was gained and

held, but we lost two brave American boys, Privates Turner and Thomas.

Captain Myers was badly wounded by a spear-thrust in his knee, and

Corporal Gregory of the British marines was shot in the foot.

 

July 4. Independence day in America, but a day of red-hot fireworks for

us. Chinese butchers on the outside trying hard to get in and murder

us. Only celebration by Americans was a party given to the smaller

children by Mrs. Squiers.

 

July 5. Mr. David Oliphant, one of the English legation students,

was shot and mortally wounded, in the Hanlin Yuan. He died at 3, and

was buried in our little graveyard at 7 P.M. His death threw a deep

gloom over the whole legation, as he was a general favorite. Three

attacks were made on us last night at 10 and 12, and 2.30 this morning.

Cartridge ammunition of the enemy seems to be running low, as they are

firing now more of the old muzzle-loading Yingalls, and fewer of the

Mauser cartridges.

 

July 6. A sortie was made by the Japanese to try and capture a gun

that was making havoc on their barricades in the Su Wang Fu. Too

many Chinese houses, however, concealed the whereabouts of the gun,

and after having three men wounded they were obliged to return

unsuccessful. A shell fell in one of the rooms of Mr. Conger’s house,

doing considerable damage. Mrs. Conger had been in the room only a

short time before.

 

[Illustration: On the great wall, Kun Ming Hu]

 

A messenger was let down from the wall with ropes, to try and

communicate our desperate situation to Tientsin. He was offered one

thousand taels if he got safely through the enemy’s lines with his

dispatches. We have sent numerous runners out by the water-gate, and

several over the wall, but none have ever returned. Doubtless they have

been captured and killed.

 

During the day a number of three- and seven-pound solid iron shot have

been thrown into our midst by guns located on the wall of the imperial,

or yellow city, to the north of us. So far, beyond knocking a few

holes in the buildings, they have done no harm. The powder they are

using must be very inferior. One of the missiles passed through Lady

MacDonald’s dining room.

 

July 7. Two attacks were made on the French legation and were repulsed,

the Chinese loss being small, as they retired rapidly. The Austrian

commander, Captain von Thorneburg, was killed in one of these attacks,

being shot through the heart.

 

We are now really eating the horse-meat. A number of people who were

using it assured us it was very good, but our prejudices prevailed some

time. First we tried the liver, fried with a small scrap of bacon, and

were pleased to find it tasted just like beef-liver. Then we tried some

of the meat curried, and now we are having excellent sausages of the

meat, which helps the rice to be more palatable. We are allowed one

pound of horse-meat per adult individual each day.

 

When the Russians came up the first time, they brought along with them

sixty shells, leaving the gun in Tientsin to be brought up by the next

force that came. As no other could get in, the ammunition was of no

use. It was thought that if some kind of a cannon could be made, many

of our shells might be utilized in destroying the Chinese barricades.

So Mitchell, the United States gunner, started to work on two sections

of a fire-engine pump. Meanwhile, two Chinese coolies found an old

cannon, a muzzle-loader of about 1860, in a junkshop, and dragged it

in. As this cannon fitted the shells it was used instead of the pump.

It was mounted on a pair of wheels taken from the Italian ammunition

truck. It has been nicknamed the “International.” The gun itself was an old British one, mounted on an Italian carriage, and fired with Russian ammunition by an American gunner. Hence the nickname.