Beleaguered in Pekin 13

Beleaguered in Pekin 13

 “If your excellency is willing to show this confidence, we beg you

to communicate with all the foreign ministers in Peking, to-morrow

at noon being the limit of time, and to let the original messenger

deliver your reply, in order that we may settle in advance the day

for leaving the legations. This is the single way of preserving

relations that we have been able to devise in the face of innumerable

difficulties. If no reply is received by the hour fixed, even our

affection will not enable us to help you. Compliments.

 

PRINCE CHING AND OTHERS.”

 

“6th moon, 18th day [July 13, 1900].”

 

 

A reply has been sent to-day declining, on the part of the foreign

representatives, the invitation to proceed to the tsung-li-yamen,

and pointing out that no attacks have been made by our troops, who

are only defending the lives and property of foreigners against the

attacks of Chinese government troops. The reply concludes with a

statement that if the Chinese government wishes to negotiate, they

should send a responsible official with a white flag.

 

CLAUDE M. MACDONALD.

 

This message is thought by every one to be a rank fraud. It is supposed

to come not from Prince Ching, but from the leader of the Kansu troops,

and is probably intended to lure some of the foreigners outside the

legation and then to shoot them.

 

Same date, 3 P.M. Twenty Russians and four Americans made an attack on

a house to the west of the Russian legation, where there were about

sixty Chinese snipers. On arriving at the wall they found there was no

way to get into the yard. So each man took a brick, and, at a given

signal, heaved them all together into the yard, shouting and reviling

the Chinamen.

 

Alarmed by this they fled, and the men took the building without a shot

being fired on either side. At this time the Chinese at other points

started up a brisk fire, lasting about ten minutes.

 

July 16, 7 A.M. While on a tour of inspection in the Su Wang Fu, in

company with Dr. Morrison and Colonel Shiba, Captain B. M. Strouts, R.

M. L. I., was shot and mortally wounded by a sniper. Dr. Morrison was

shot in the leg, though not seriously. Captain Strouts died at 11 A.M.

and was buried at 6 P.M. yesterday. One of the United States marines,

Private Fisher, was killed the same day.

 

It is indeed a pitiable plight that we are in now. Neither the

Americans nor the British have any leader. Captain Meyers is disabled

by the spear wound he received in the sortie of July 3. Captain Strouts

is dead; Captain Halliday, the only other able British captain, is

crippled by a wound received three weeks ago. Sir Claude MacDonald,

though he assumes charge, is no man for the situation, and the French

and Germans deny his authority.

 

[Illustration: GENERAL SUNG CHING

 

Commander-in-Chief, who fought the battle of Tientsin against the

allied international armies.]

 

Same date, 5 P.M. The messenger sent yesterday returned with four

others, who waited for him at the bridge. He brought a letter from

Jung Lu to Sir Claude MacDonald, and a telegram from Washington to Mr.

Conger. The letter to Sir Claude contained nothing of any importance.

The telegram, Mr. Conger recognized as being in the State Department

cipher, but could not determine its meaning, as it had evidently been

tampered with in some way by the Chinese. So the messenger was sent

back with a request that the full original telegram be sent.

 

July 17. The messenger returned again bringing a telegram from Wu

Ting Fang, the Chinese minister at Washington, enclosing one from the

Secretary of State. This read: “Communicate tidings to bearer.” To this

the minister sent in reply: “One month in the British legation under

shot and shell. Will all be massacred unless help comes soon.”

 

One of Jung Lu’s soldiers came in the morning and gave himself up at

the German legation, and asked for some medicine for a wound in the

ear. He said that Jung Lu had ordered the soldiers to stop firing,

but to hold their positions, and that he was very desirous that the

foreigners should be protected.

 

Not a shot has been fired since early morning. This is probably due to

a fear that the foreign troops are near, and the government wishes to

protect itself by saying they were unable to control the Boxers and the

Kansu soldiers. Several other Chinese soldiers gave themselves up as

prisoners at the different legations, though with what purpose no one

can say.

 

[Illustration: GENERAL MA YU KUN

 

Major-General under Sung Ching; also engaged in the battle of Tientsin

with the allied international armies.]

 

July 18. As Jung Lu had expressed a willingness to assist the

foreigners, a messenger was sent to him requesting that supplies of

fresh vegetables, eggs, meat, etc., might be sent to the legation for

the women and children. This was promised, and watermelons and peaches

have already been sent to the Japanese in the Su Wang Fu and to the

Americans on the wall. The soldiers on the wall go on each other’s

barriers and chat in the most friendly manner. There are great numbers

of Boxers in the city, especially in the south city, but the troops are

no longer in league with these.

 

A messenger sent out by the Japanese minister on the 30th ult. returned

to-day from Tientsin, bringing word that a mixed force of 33,300 would

start from there for the relief of Peking about the 20th inst. The

force is to consist of 24,000 Japanese, 4,000 Russian, 2,000 British,

1,500 American, 1,500 French, and 300 German troops.

 

He reports that he left by the Ch’ihuamen (east gate) on June 30,

proceeding to Tientsin by boat. He arrived at Tientsin on July 5, but

was unable to enter the city, as it was surrounded by Chinese troops.

He walked round the city gates, and found a force of Chinese, under

General Chang, posted north of the railway station, cannonading a force

of Japanese holding the ground south of the station.

 

On July 9 General Chang was defeated, and he (the messenger) managed to

get through the Japanese lines on July 12, and delivered the Japanese

minister’s letter to the Japanese consul.

 

While in Tientsin he gleaned the following news: That General Nieh was

dead, that all the missionaries in Tientsin and outlying stations had

left for home, and that the Taku forts were taken without difficulty

by the foreigners on June 17. On July 14 the foreign troops took the

native city of Tientsin, after a two days’ attack. On July 15 the

messenger left Tientsin for Peking, being escorted by the Japanese to

the “second bridge.” He returned to Peking by road.

 

[Illustration: GORDON HALL

 

In the cellar of this building all the women and children remained

during the shelling of Tientsin by the Chinese troops. It is one of the

most beautiful and attractive buildings in Tientsin, and in strange

contrast with its Chinese surroundings.]

 

Among other things he mentioned was that the Tunchou taotai had been

lodged in the board of punishments, and that prior to his own arrival

in Tientsin. No news of Peking had reached that place since about the

end of June.

 

We look for the troops about the 30th inst., if they have no fighting

to do on the way. This explains why the government is so anxious to

have peace in the capital at present. They are awaiting the issue of a

contest between the relief force and the Chinese troops between here

and Tientsin.

 

If our troops are victorious, as of course they will be, unless

outnumbered overwhelmingly, the government will say they have done all

in their power to stop the fighting, but have not been able to control

their troops until now. If our troops are defeated they will turn on us

and slaughter us. In the meantime we have a resting spell of a few days.

 

* * * * *

 

Bulletin: Précis of further correspondence between the British minister

and “Prince Ching and others.”

 

[Illustration: STREET VENDERS OF TIENTSIN

 

A vast amount of business is transacted by these merchants, whose

stock in trade is of the smallest, and whose transactions are so

insignificant as to be incredible according to western ideas.]

 

On July 16 the Chinese sent a reply to Sir Claude’s letter of the 15th,

in which they explain that the reason for suggesting the removal of the

legation staffs to the tsung-li-yamen was that the Chinese government

could afford more efficient protection to them if concentrated there

than if scattered, as at present. As the foreign ministers, however,

do not agree, the Chinese will, as in duty bound, do their utmost to

protect the legations where they are. They will bring reinforcements,

and continue their efforts to prevent the Boxers from firing, and they

trust the foreign ministers on their part will restrain their troops

also from firing.

 

July 17, A.M. Sir Claude replied to the effect that the foreign troops

had all along acted entirely in self-defense and would continue to do

so. But the Chinese must understand that previous events had led to a

want of confidence, and that if barricades were erected or troops moved

in the vicinity of the legations, the foreign guards would be obliged

to fire on them.

 

July 17 P.M. The Chinese replied, reviewing the situation and ascribing

the present hostilities to the attacks previously made by the legation

guards. They noted with satisfaction that a cessation of firing is

agreed to on both sides, but suggest that as foreign soldiers here have

been firing from the city wall east of the Chien Men, they should be

removed from that position.[Illustration: Scene at a street corner in Tientsin]