Beleaguered in Pekin 23

Beleaguered in Pekin 23

Here his services have been appreciated most highly by those under whom

he worked, and his loss is a most grievous blow to all those who came

officially in contact with him.

 

He was one of the most promising of the younger members of the British

consular service, with which he was further connected in the person of

his uncle, Mr. R. M. Mansfield, H. B. M. consul at Amoy. During his

stay in Peking, David Oliphant had endeared himself to all who knew his

exceptionally even temper, readiness to oblige, and active mind. In

sport he was the leading spirit and manager, and he will be practically

impossible to replace in this capacity.

 

When the siege began he was among the first to go forward in the

defense of the legations. Untiringly he worked at fortifications,

vigilantly he watched at night. When a portion of the Hanlin Yuan was

occupied he was specially detailed for service there, and took part in

several brilliant raids in connection with the occupation.

 

It was while cutting down a tree here in an advanced position that he

was struck down by the enemy’s bullet, and his promising career cut

short. He died in the arms of his elder brother, Nigel Oliphant, of the

Imperial Bank of China. He is deeply and sincerely mourned by all who

knew him.

 

Another young man, Mr. H. Warren, student-interpreter, while on duty in

the Su Wang Fu, on July 16, was struck by a shell in the face; he was

very badly injured and died in a few hours.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER IX

 

_WORK DONE BY AUSTRO-HUNGARIANS—MR. AND MRS. CHAMOT_

 

 

[Illustration: August F. Chamot]

 

THE Austro-Hungarian detachment consisted of thirty bluejackets from

the cruiser Zenta. They arrived in Peking on June 3 by the last train,

together with the German detachment. Lieutenant T. Kollar was in

command, with Midshipman Baron R. Boyneburg von Lengsfeld and T. Mayer.

With the detachment arrived also Captain Thomann von Montalmar and

Lieutenant Ritter von Winterhalter, so that there were five officers

and thirty men at Peking. When communication was cut Captain Montalmar

took command himself.

 

In the legation there were only Dr. A. von Rosthorn and Mrs. von

Rosthorn, the minister having left on leave in April and Vice-consul

Natiesta being sick at Shanghai. His successor, Mr. Gottwald, tried to

come up in the relief expedition under Admiral Seymour. The detachment

guarded also the Belgian legation until the Belgian minister left

there, and came to the Austrian legation on June 16.

 

On June 13, a Boxer attack on the new mint and the Imperial Bank of

China was checked by rifle-fire from the east corner of the legation.

A second attack was made at night and was also repulsed. During the

search following the unsuccessful attack, several Boxers were killed a

few hundred yards to the north on Customs street.

 

The next day the traffic on the Chang An street crossing Customs street

was stopped by an outpost, and later on by a wire fence, in order to

prevent the smuggling of disguised Boxers into the legation quarter.

 

During the night the guard at the Belgian legation was attacked, but

beat off the Chinese. A patrol caught some suspicious people, who were

handed over to the Chinese authorities. A part of the French detachment

assisted them in their night watches at the barracks.

 

On June 20, the detachment was ready for marching, to escort Dr. and

Mrs. von Rosthorn, as no notice had been given to Dr. von Rosthorn of

the ministers’ new decision not to leave. On arriving, about 3 P.M., at

the French legation, Dr. von Rosthorn was shown by Mr. Pichon a letter

from the tsung-li-yamen to the ministers, promising them protection.

Upon this, Dr. von Rosthorn returned with the detachment to the

Austrian legation.

 

While all the posts were being reoccupied, and the bluejackets began to

re-erect the fortifications, which had been pulled down before leaving

to prevent the Chinese from using them, Tung Fu Hsiang’s soldiers, who

were well hidden in the neighboring houses, opened a fierce firing from

two sides at about 3.30 P.M.

 

The Austrian legation being entirely exposed, and untenable against any

serious attack, it had been understood that the _chargé d’affaires_ and

the detachment were to retreat to the French legation. This was done

under a galling fire, but there was only one man wounded.

 

The Austrians immediately hastened to a position in the barrier erected

by the French some one hundred yards south of the customs compound.

From that day they defended with the French the French legation.

 

The Austrian legation, after having been looted, was burned by the

Chinese on June 21. On June 22, the fire extended to the houses on both

sides of the barricade, and the latter had to be left. Another one

was built near the corner of Customs and Legation streets commanding

Customs street.

 

On June 22, owing to a false alarm, the Italian, French, and German

legations were left, but were almost immediately reinhabited, with the

exception of the Italian legation, which was already burning, as was

also their wall of defense commanding the east end of Legation street.

 

From that date Captain von Montalman directed the fighting of both the

French and the German legations, Sir Claude MacDonald having at that

time been elected by the ministers as their commander-in-chief.

 

The attacks on the French legation were, from the beginning, extremely

vehement, as the Chinese fully recognized the high importance of its

position. Had it been lost, the German legation, the Hotel de Peking,

and the Su Wang Fu would have been no longer tenable. The Austrians

shared in all the various services which the garrison of the French

legation had to perform. A strong barricade was built to command East

Legation street, and a sort of block-house was erected at the main gate.

 

Together with the French and Germans several successful dashes were

made in the neighborhood, killing and wounding a number of Chinese each

time.

 

On June 24 a detachment under Midshipman William Boyneburg took part

with the Germans in storming the city wall, which enabled the Americans

to reoccupy their former position on the top. The Austrians constantly

reinforced the Germans on the wall-front to the east, and after the

26th of June constantly had five men assisting Colonel Shiba at the

Su Wang Fu. Their machine-gun did excellent service as long as the

position behind the barricades could be maintained, and after this was

given up it was sent from time to time to Russian, German, and English

legations as needed.

 

When the French legation was under the hottest fires from north,

east, and south, only the western side being protected by the other

legations, the French took the northern and the Austrians the southern

line of defense, and were each under constant rifle-shot at only

twenty-five yards’ range. This they endured for weeks. On June 29 the

Chinese succeeded in making a break in the eastern wall on Customs

street, and set fire to the French legation stables; but they had not

sufficient courage to follow up the advantage gained with a rush. But

this necessitated relinquishing the barrier in the southern end of

Customs street and easternmost line of cover in Legation street, the

garrisons being under rear and flank fire.

 

The Chinese were gaining daily, or rather nightly, in making the

breaches in the eastern wall larger and more numerous, until they had

nearly razed the entire structure. Yet they gained no great advantage,

owing to the breaches being so well covered from the windows of

buildings and temporary defenses in the western part of the compound.

 

The fatigue endured by our people was most extraordinary. From July

1 daily shelling was endured, which riddled the roofs and walls of

every building in the compound, until the principal building and main

gateway, an imposing structure, were utterly demolished and became a

pile of ruins.

 

On the 8th of July the Chinese brought into position at about eighty

yards’ distance a three-inch Krupp gun, from which they commenced to

pour in a destructive fire on the eastern wall. Captain Von Thornburg,

with Captain Labrousse and Lieutenants Darcy and Kollar, all anxious

to locate this gun exactly, left their main barricade and proceeded to

a spot behind a low loopholed wall in their front, but had scarcely

arrived when a shell burst in their midst, a fragment of which pierced

Von Thornburg through the heart, causing him to fall dead into the arms

of his friends. He was sorrowfully carried to the rear, and at 2 P.M.

was buried with military honors, although the bullets were falling

thick around those who were thus honoring their comrade and leader. The

tears of sympathy on this occasion evidenced the sorrow of the men,

and the general esteem in which the fallen had been held.

 

After the death of Captain Von Thornburg, the command of the Austrians

devolved upon Lieutenant Von Winterhalter.

 

On July 13, at 6:45 P.M., the Chinese made a furious attack, commencing

with rifle-fire and shouts of “Kill! Kill!” This was intended to draw

all the defenders into their positions, and nearly succeeded, for after

a few moments the rifle-fire suddenly ceased and two mines exploded

with a great report, blowing up Mr. Morisse’s house, where Dr. Von

Rosthorn, Lieutenant Darcy, and Mr. Destelan, with four French sailors,

were stationed. Two of the sailors were never recovered, but all the

others were able to extricate themselves from the ruins with but slight

injuries.

 

Earth, stones, and dust were thrown high into the air, clouds of

heavy, sulphurous smoke rose from the hole in the ground, poisoning

the dust-laden air, and, at the same moment, to add to the horror of

the situation, two three-inch guns opened up on the main gate house,

sending in their contingent of iron hail from a distance of only eighty

yards.

 

This explosion compelled both the Austrians and French to retire about

thirty yards eastward behind a cover they had already partly erected

in preparation for a stubbornly contested retreat; but upon the

shell-fire ceasing, the combined forces made a rush later on, drove the

Chinese out of the main gateway, and reoccupied it.