Beleaguered in Pekin 9

Beleaguered in Pekin 9

The marines of the Newark and Oregon, of which we have fifty, that

compose the entire American force, are a sturdy lot of courageous,

devoted men. Sober, intelligent, cheerful, enduring, all of them are as

brave as lions. Sergeant Walker alone, at the South cathedral, killed

seven of the Boxers.

 

The district held by us is about a half-mile east and west on Legation

street, and is guarded by blocking the streets at the Italian legation

on the east and the Russian legation on the west. At each barricade

there is placed a machine gun. A diagram of the ground held will be

found on another page. June 19, yesterday, the tsung-li-yamen ministers

(four of them) visited the English, Russian, and American legations,

and begged the foreign ministers to persuade the relief guards that

we hope are coming to our aid, to return, assuring them that from

this time on the Chinese would prevent any further Boxer outrages on

foreigners, and that legation premises should be safe. They also said

the Empress was now sure that the Boxer movement was a menace to the

government as well as the foreigners, and that the imperial troops

would be ordered to shoot every Boxer on sight. As all the afternoon

our sentinels on the city wall saw Boxers in full regalia going at

pleasure among the native troops stationed about the ruined Chien Men,

we know that the tsung-li-yamen’s words were, as usual, a pack of lies.

 

A messenger arrived yesterday from Tientsin from Mr. E. B. Drew,

commissioner of customs, to Dr. Morrison, of the London _Times_,

stating that the railroad had been destroyed in the rear of the relief

column, and they were being driven back on Tientsin and away from us.

 

Surely our condition is desperate. Food is getting scarce. Boxers are

mixing openly with the Chinese soldiers, our own soldier boys are

getting worn out by constant watching, and no help is nigh.

 

July 18. On June 19, nearly a month ago to-day, the tsung-li-yamen sent

the foreign ministers word that, as the admirals at Taku had notified

the viceroy of Chihli through the French consul if he opposed troops

landing in any required numbers they would take the Taku forts, and as

this was really a declaration of war, the foreign ministers were hereby

requested to leave Peking, one and all, within twenty-four hours, and

proceed to Tientsin en route to their respective countries, a Chinese

escort for which was to be provided by the Chinese government.

 

As the railroad had already been destroyed all the way to Tientsin, and

the intended relief corps under Admiral Seymour and Captain McCalla had

been driven back without being able to reach us, and as we knew the

country between Peking and Tientsin was filled with thousands of Boxers

and hostile soldiers, it seemed patent to the most simple intellect

that to leave the protection of our legation walls was to invite

massacre.

 

But the intensely dense ministers, Sir Claude MacDonald, E. H. Conger,

M. de Giers, M. Pichon, and others, all excepting Baron von Ketteler,

the German minister, actually agreed to proceed to Tientsin on the

morrow with all their nationals, providing only that the Chinese

government would furnish transportation. The military officers all

declared this would mean the massacre of the entire community.

 

The ministers, however, would certainly have had us all thus massacred

had not the unfortunate Baron von Ketteler been murdered the next

morning by the Chinese troops while proceeding to the tsung-li-yamen to

consult about details. He rode, as is customary, to the tsung-li-yamen

from his legation in a sedan chair. When passing the entrance of Tsung

Pu street, just below the yamen, he was fired upon by a troop of Manchu

troops of Yung Lu upon the command of a lieutenant with a white button,

and was mortally wounded. His secretary interpreter, Mr. Corder, who

accompanied him, was also badly wounded by the volley, but, aided by

some friendly natives, managed to escape to the Methodist mission near

Legation street, where, after having his wounds dressed, he was sent on

to his legation. The horse coolie had already quickly galloped back to

the legation and given the alarm.

 

The folly of trusting our lives to the Chinese escort was thus made

clear, and the foreign ministers, dense as they were, could not but

realize that to trust themselves and their families to the tender

mercies of the ruffians who would be appointed to escort and murder

them and us, would be lunacy to a degree at which even they were not

yet arrived.

 

I had, in company with the correspondent of the London “Times,” early

in the morning of the 20th of June, in the most emphatic language,

represented the true state of the case to Minister Conger, only to be

met with the cold reply, as he turned away after listening to us, “I

don’t agree with you.”

 

But on receipt of the news of Ketteler’s death, a few moments later,

the United States minister “changed his mind,” and reluctantly admitted

it would be impossible to go to Tientsin, and that we must try and

defend ourselves in Peking until a large relief force could arrive to

rescue us.

 

Hasty preparations were then made to send all the women and children

into the English legation, which was the largest of all the legations,

as well as the strongest, from which to make a final stand.

 

In a few hours after the news of Von Ketteler’s murder a steady

stream of men, women, and children, carrying bundles, buckets, and

trunks, could have been seen pouring into the main gate of the British

legation, all with anxious faces. Carts, too, loaded with provisions

from the three foreign stores, were making the best use of the time

in transferring all the available eatables and drinkables within the

protection of the legation walls.

 

As the twenty-four hours granted us in which to hasten from the city

expired at 4 P.M., all used their entire energy as well as that of the

coolies and servants at their disposal, so that at the time specified,

when the Chinese opened a terrifying fire upon us from all sides,

provisions enough to last us several months were safely under shelter.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER V

 

_DIARIES OF THE AUTHOR AND HIS SON FROM JUNE 20 TO END OF SIEGE_

 

 

[Illustration: HSII YUNG I

 

Beheaded for favoring moderation.

Member of Tsung-li-yamen]

 

 

AT FOUR o’clock on the afternoon of June 20, 1900, all the foreign

women and children, and nearly all of the civilians of Peking and

vicinity, including the customs staff and the missionary body, had

taken refuge in the British legation. It was surprising to every one

to find that, in the time that had elapsed since the arrival of the

British marines, May 31, no barricades had been erected, no trenches

dug, nor any attention paid whatever to rendering the place better able

to stand a siege.

 

In talking with one of the British sergeants, and commenting upon this

utter neglect, he informed me that Captain Halliday had, a few days

before, attempted to improvise some barriers by means of dry-goods

boxes filled with earth, but had been so laughed at and snubbed by

Captains Strouts and Wray, British officers, that he had given up the

attempt.

 

Sir Claude MacDonald, the British minister, who is an ex-major in the

army, and should have instructed in this very important duty, was,

equally with marine officers, culpably silent.

 

The American missionaries, however, no sooner arrived than they formed

committees on fortification, sanitation, food, etc., and set actively

to work; and to them belongs, as every one agrees, the credit of

placing the legation in a defensible condition.

 

To Mr. F. D. Gamewell, of the American Methodist mission, more than to

any other one man, is due the success which has attended our defense.

His energy was simply extraordinary. From morning until night he was

to be seen superintending the filling of sand-bags, the tearing down

of houses adjoining our walls that might serve as cover to the enemy,

the building of barricades and strengthening of walls from the timbers

and brick so obtained, making loopholes at the proper places for firing

through and doing, in fact, everything that could have been done by an

army engineer of experience; all the time, too, under a galling rifle

fire from the outside Chinese army, under the command of the Kansu

ruffian, General Tung Fu Hsiang.

 

All the Chinese coolies, servants, cooks, and retainers of the

foreigners, to the number of over 1,000, were enrolled, given a badge

sewed to their sleeves, declaring their identity, and hours fixed for

their employment on public works for general defense.

 

Latrines and garbage tanks were arranged, and the place put under

proper sanitary regulation, supervised by Drs. Coltman, Lowry, and

Inglis.

 

A hospital was equipped under Doctors Velde and Poole, and a trained

nurse corps installed, consisting of several lady physicians and three

trained nurses.

 

The Holland and Belgian legations, being outside of the line of defense

adopted by consultation of the military captains, were abandoned, but

it was decided by the military to hold the French, German, American,

Italian, and Russian legations, until absolutely untenable.

 

With the exception of the Italian legation, these premises are still

in our possession, although the French and German legations are but

shattered wrecks, every building being full of holes from shells and

round-shot of the Chinese cannon, often fired at only two hundred

yards’ distance.

 

[Illustration: BUILDING BARRICADES IN GERMAN LEGATION

 

Without the barricades the defense would never have been successful.

Some very hard fighting was done in the vicinity of this barricade. The

lower portion was built of brick, with sand-bags on top and loopholes

left for the purpose of rifle firing.]

 

On the afternoon of that first day of the siege, F. Huberty James,

professor of English in the Imperial University, noticed several

Chinese soldiers upon the bridge, a few hundred yards north of the

legation gate. Without stating his motive to any one, although it is

supposed he intended to converse with them, and, if possible, find out

their orders in regard to us, he walked from the gate up the street

along the canal to the bridge. He had no sooner arrived there than

several Chinese soldiers, concealed behind the wall of Prince Su’s

palace, fired upon him. The sentry at the legation gate saw him hold up

his hands, then heard a report and saw him fall. He was seen to partly

raise himself, when several of the ruffian soldiers hurriedly ran out,

picked him up, and carried him behind the corner of the wall and beyond the reach of rescue. His fate was probably a hasty death at their hands, if, indeed, he was not already mortally wounded.