Lively times again in Peking. A riot, that has had serious consequences, inasmuch as it has stopped all work on the famous much-talked-about, much-written-about, yes, even much-telegraphed-about, Lu-Han railway, has taken place. Last Sunday afternoon Mr.. Cox, Engineer-in-Charge, residing at Fengtai, 18 & from Peking, in company with Mr. Campbell of the British Legation and Major Radcliffe, English Army, went on a trolley car to Lukou Bridge to inspect the railroad bridge nearly completed over the Hunho.
Dpon arriving at the bridge they found about thirty soldiers, Kansu men of General Tung Fu-hsiang's command, parading back and forth at pleasure over the ridge. When they saw the foreign party they still remained on the bridge and would not leave when requested, breaking out instead into abusive language in which the customary An otfcer arriving, Mr. Campbell persuaded Yangkueitze" played 2 prominent part. him to order the men away although he retested they were not under his command.
who party then crossed the bridge and inspected the work. On their return the mob of soldiers had pevawnes ie [sneed in their hands which they promptly began to tre, Mr. Cox and Qapt, Norregaat, the en-neers, were Severely cut about the face and ead, the Captain having an artery cut in his forehead which bled profusely. Fearing their lives were in danger Captain Norreoard drew a small revolver and fired two Shots at the soldiers, upon which they fled, taking their wounded with them. The Flouse and taking Mrs, Norregaard and her marty then proceeded to Capt. Norregaard's ith them retreated on the trolley to Fe where the assistant surgeon in the railroad hospital tied the artery in Capt. Norregaard's forehead and dressed the cuts and bruises for both men. Mr. Cox at once issued orders calling in all the engineers and stopping all work on the Lu-Hau route.
The soldiers in the meantime having their blood up attacked the house of Mr. Dunstan, English engine-driver, west of the safely in an engine to Fengtai. 'Then these bridge and looted it, Dunstan escaping inhuman wretches fired a volley into the native employees' quarters, instantly killing one poor coolie and wounding others. Then, after cutting the telegraph wires to Paotingfu, they retired to their quarters. Tu the meantime Mr. Campbell returned to the British Legation and laid a statement of the affair, signed by all the foreiga articipanta, before Sir Claude Macdonald.
Claude at once called a meeting of the Diplomatic Corps, which took place on Puesday morning at ten o'clock. A remonstrance was sent in to the Tsungli Yamen against the mobilisation of these rowdy troops in or near Peking, and the Yamen promised to give attention to the matter but up to this writing no definite answer has been received. Sir Claude has alo taken some independent action with reference te the three Englishmen involved. The Chinese are quite frightened as to the effect this riot will have, so the Empress Dowager commissioned ELE. Hu Yii-fen, Governor of Peking, to proceed at once to Lukou Bridge, examine the reported wounded soldiers, as well as; question the Witnesses of the affair, and promptly report to Jung Lu the result. Hu Tayén at once secured' the services of Dr. Robert Coltman as a surgeon to examine the men claimed to have been shot by Captain Nor-regard, and proceeded{by special train to Lukou Bridge.
'THE SCENE, 'Here he was met by two red button Generals named Wang and Sun, and a regiment of Kansu cavalry. HE. Hu left the train and proceeded om' foot to the spot at the bridge where' the -riot took-place, and calling the two bridge watchmen who were witnesses to the assault, questioned them closely as to every incident connected with it. These two watchmen fearlessly told their story in spite of the presence of several hundred soldiers from the cam and idlers who had been attracted by the special train, and the dozen or two of silk-robed mandarins who accompanied His Excellency Hu.
Their story corroborated exactly the story told by the English party. ELE. Hu then adjourned to the village near by and seated himself at the only inn available" and ordered the three Generals in command of the regiments thereabouts to appear before him. In about twenty minutes they arrived. Each had a red button on his hat and s peacock feather. One was named Wang, another Ho, and the third Chang. 'These' men were haughty in the extreme and only slightly bent the knee to His Excellency Hu and were not at all frightened when he announced he was specially sent by the Empress Dowager to report on the riot, One of them boldly spoke up and said Prince Ching had already sent a man, who had examined the wounded soldiers an would report to-the Prince direct, H.E. Ha told he did not care who else had seen the men—he had come by orders of the Empress Dowager to see them himself and he must do so.
General Wang replied that the men were too seriously injured to be moved. H.) Hu said that they were to be brought, no matter in what condition, upon stretchers, and at once.
General Wang then called out loudly to his attendants la the court-yard: " Bring the wounded men on stretchers!" Then there was a deep murmur outside and then a voice sang out in reply: "Can't be done—the men would die." General Wang looked at Hu who calmly replied "Bring them anyhow." General Wang then shouted out in 'a ferocious tone: " Bring them if it kills 0 them, what are you afraid of, there are no Kang Yii-weis here!" Then the conversation was taken up between Hu and the haughty Mahomedan Generals on riots in fois railway was Chinese property, was run eneral. HE. Hu explained to them that
in the interests of China, and it was the duty of China's Generals and China's soldiers to protect its employees and assist rather than deter them. He was interrupted by a violent denial from one of the Generals, who insisted that railways far from being a benefit to. the country bad been a curse to it. That the price of rice had risen Freatly since railways had been inaugurated and continued to remain high, and that much misery and famine had been the result, Moreover, narly more foreigners had come and would come, even foreign sol-month foreign Legations had each diers, as he was well aware that in the last
but he smiled grimly at his colleagues and remarked: " Chéh-chi-kopweohung-ypng" (these few can be of no service), or in other words, "we can make short work of them if it suits us." HE.
was quite taken aback at this fun onslaught of anti-railway talk as he himself isan ardent advocate of the immense importance to the State of everywhere reaching railroads, jis heated discussion was interrupted by the entrance into the court-yard of two stretchers borne by six men each.
Dr. Coltman carefully examined the first ly' man and reported he was not shot at all, had a slight scratch on his back and had the appearance of having been choked rather-severely, 05 his neck was swollen and somewhat discoloured. If the scratch on his back had been caused by a bullet it had not entered his body. On examining number two he stated that he had been shot in the shoulder by a small calibre pistol, that the bullet had mnetrated the muscles of the shoulder and lodged under the pectoral muscle of the chest, and that either man could have walked in easily and need not have been carried, Farther that neither had any constitutional disturbance and that a few days would suffice to make them well. He advised sending them to the railroad hospital at F8ngtai, which was done. The Director-General Hu and the doctor then returned to Peking, upon reaching which H.E. Hu made haste to report to Jung Lu, What will be dono remains to beseen. Certain it is if these Kansu men and their intensely anti-progressive Generals are allowed to go into the Hunting Park, as intended, to the number of twelve thousand, the guards now at the Legations here might as well be withdrawa, for all the use they would be in case of emergency. As the General remarked they are purchig-yung. More anon.
28th October.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.