The Boxer Rising : a History of the Boxer Trouble in China
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(Qurnell Uniuersity ffiibtary 3tl?ara, UStm fork CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GIFT OF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF 1876 1918 Cornell University Library DS 771.S52 The Boxer rising :a history of the Boxer 3 1924 023 150 737 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023150737 THE BOXER RISING: A History of the Boxer Trouble In China. Reprinted from the "Shanghai Mercury." SECOMB EDITION. r er-v9Qg€L' '» Printed at the Shanghai Meeodry; Lid. % fa IV 1 i i AUGUST, 1901. ,,;|) s & \s| \t5o Sk*»<lk«^ >U^«-^| CONTENTS. Preface to First Edition i do. Second Edition .. viii History of the Boxer Movement 1 The Beginning of the Outbreak ... 17 The Scene of Strife 29 Eye-Witness's Narrative 31 Story of the Taku Forts Bombardment 33 The Ladies and Children at Taku ... 37 Adventures of Tongshan Refugees 38 The Disturbance in East Shantung ... 41 The Siege of Tientsin 43 Escape of the Shantung Missionaries 48 News from Chefoo 53 Affairs in Wenchow 55 Native Account of the Situation ... 58 The Situation'at Chefoo 65 The Murders at Kuchau ... 67 News from the Yangtze 69 The Situation in Szechuan 71 Wenchow Affairs ... 73 The Fighting at Newchwang 75 A Native's Experiences in Peking 80 KlATING 83 The Trouble at Amoy ; , 85 Shansi Missionaries 87 The Position at Tientsin 89 Tientsin and Peking . 91 Tientsin Notes 95 The Siege of Peking 98 The'Taking;and Occupation of Peking 113 Plan of Peking 116 The Cathedral Siege. in "Peking 117 Tientsin to Peking.by Boat .... 121 Peking Day by Day 123 The Pao-ting-Fu, Expedition 131 ; Thrilling Experiences of C.I.M.;Missionaries in Chihli 133 Copy of Letter'Written by the Late Mrs. Atwater 175 Memorial Service of Martyrs at T'ai-Yuan-Fu 178 PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. view of the dramatic events which have transpired tN in China during the past few months we have thought it would meet the wishes of the readers of the " Mercury " to reprint the special articles which appeared in our columns describing the various acts of the drama which has passed before our eyes, and thus permit of their being preserved in a more permanent and convenient form than is possible in the columns of a newspaper. There has been no attempt to specially pre- pare the articles for publication in their present from and they are printed as they originally appeared. We have to express our thanks to all those, our correspondents' and others, whose contributions are now republished. While it is perhaps impossible to fix any date as being the beginning of the Boxer trouble, the announce- ment of the burning of a station on the Lu Han line on 17th May, which appeared in the "Mercury" of 29th May, may be said to have been the first indication to the general public that a rising which had for its object the expulsion of foreigners from China had really broken out. Previous to this, on 21st May, the Foreign Minis- ters at Peking had sent a joint note to the Chinese Coverment calling attention to the Boxer troubles, but PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. it cannot be said that even the signatories themselves fully realised the extent or design of the plot. From this time events followed each other with startling rapidity. On 26th May, the Boxers burned the stations on the Railway beween Peking and Paotingfu, and Feng- tai station and works were burnt, and railway communi- cation between Peking and Tientsin was of course in- terrupted, while the Belgian engineers and other refugees from Paotingfu had to cut their way to Tientsin, where, after terrible sufferings, most of them ultimately managed to arrive on the 2nd June. Communication with Peking being temporarily restored on the 29th May, the Minis- ters sent for guards of their nationals for their respective Legations, and on the 30th these commenced to arrive at Tientsin. On the 31st May British, American, French, Russian, Italian and Japanese guards for the Legations left Tientsin by rail, and reached Peking safely, but their presence was only the signal for renewed outbreak with increased violence, as a great incendiary fire oc- curred in the native city of Tientsin on the 1st June, while two missionaries, Messrs. Norman and Robinson, were murdered under circumstances of shocking bar- barity. On 5th June railway communication between Peking and Tientsin was finally cut. A large composite force was landed at Taku on the 7th June and on the 10th Admiral Seymour left Tientsin with 2,000 Allied troops to attempt the relief of the Legations, while at the same time all communication by telegraph between the Ministers and the outside world suddenly ceased. On the nth June the Secretary of the Japanese Legation was murdered in the streets of Peking, and on the 20th, PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. the Foreign Ministers having been ordered by the Tsungli Yamen to quit Peking and been promised an escort, Baron von Ketteler, the German Minister, who was proceeding to interview the members of the Tsungli Yamen on the subject, was. brutally murdered in the streets by an officer of the regular Chinese troops. Meanwhile the extent of the rising and the complicity of the Chinese authorities had been recognised by the Foreign Governments and preparations were com- menced by all the Powers who had embassies in Peking for the despatch of troops to China. On 14th June Admiral Seymour was completely cut off, the railway having been destroyed behind him, while communication between his force and Tientsin was impossible. At the same time the position at Tientsin had become most critical, the native city being completely in the hands of the Boxers while all the Christian Chapels in the city were burned and many native Christians murdered. On the 1 6th June the Allied naval commanders, considering the attitude of the Chinese troops as threatening, de- manded the surrender of the Taku forts, but in reply to the ultimatium the forts opened fire on the foreign gun- boats in the Peiho river early on the morning of the 17th. However, after a fierce fight between the gun- boats and the forts, a magazine in one of these latter was blown up by a shell, and the other forts were taken by storm. On the same date the Chinese commenced the bom- bardment of Tientsin, and the situation there became most critical. Two attempts to reach Tientsin from Taku failed, but a third attempt on 23rd June was IV PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. successful, and the position then became less desperate, although the Chinese Boxers and regular soldiers remained in force in the neighbourhood, and the bombardment from the native city continued. Admiral Seymour, who had managed to force his way till within 25 miles of Peking, found further advance impossible, and was compelled to retreat, a task of the utmost difficulty and danger, but on 26th June, being joined by a small force from Tientsin, he succeeded in returning there in safety. Foreign troops had in the meanwhile been arriving at Taku, and it was found possible to reinforce Tientsin, the strain on the defenders of which was very severe. Messages from Sir Robert Hart, Sir Claude Macdonald and Mr. Conger had been received through native runners about the end of June and the beginning of July, and these all reported the situation of the Legations as desperate. On the 9th July the Japanese captured the Tientsin Arsenal, and on the nth the Allies made a combined attack on the native city, which was captured, but not without heavy loss. For some considerable time no communication had been received from Peking, and this ominous silence gave rise to the gravest fears for the safety of the besieged foreigners, a wild rumour of their massacre even at one time being generally credited. In the Far North, at Blagovestchensk, on the Amur River, the Chinese had made a fierce attack on the Russians, and came near to being successful in capturing that city, and this diversion had the effect of temporarily stopping the despatch of Russian troops from Siberia to Taku, while attacks on the railway in PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION'. Manchuria occasioned the Russians considerable trouble, with the result that ultimately the Russians bombarded and seized Newchwang. Appeal for mediation in the name of the Emperor of China were made first to the Emperor of Japan, and afterwards to the other Powers, and on 22nd July Li Hungchang landed in Shanghai, and attempted to open negatiations with the Allied Powers through the Foreign Consuls, but at first with but little success. On 5th August the advance on Peking commenced, the Chinese being attacked and routed by the Allies at Peitsang. Next day Yangtsun was captured and occupied, and on the 9th Hosiwu was reached, and on the nth Matou. On the 14th the Allies were outside the walls of Peking, which was entered and the foreig- ners rescued on the 15 th August. At this time the centre of interest shifted to the South. For the protection of Shanghai the British Government sent a body of Indian troops, and these arrived at Woosung on the 14th August, but protests having been made against their landing they did not immediately proceed to Shanghai. However, at the request of the Foreign Consuls the troops—three regi- ments, Baluchis, Rajputs and Gurkhas—were landed on about 600 French on the 1 8th.