Fast, wick our correspondent de-inde who looted with Kao Lu-chang, but was not allowed even to see him! They are well acquainted. erning to the relief. Thie continues the story, the siege have ing lasted at time of writing days, Since I wrote you on the 14th, there has been very ttle actual change in the seriousness of this awful situation, Many more troops have arrived and there are said to be some 29,000 now around or out some dozen miles from the city to prevent the escape of these scoundrels when driven out, So far as T-can sce there is a determination not to allow them to escape, is the 12th day they have held th city and we hear there is great suffering. in. the city, hunger " and cold, and sick and wounded. The medicines of the so-called Chinese Red Cross Society in the city are reported all taken by bandits, Yes terday a company of Red Gross people arrived from Pengpu, claiming to have about seven doctors, but many things have been claimed in past two weeks that it is dificult to know what to believe, There are many needing attention in the city, Dut these people probably cannot reach them at all, "There has been muh talls about "making up" and setting the brigands out and several times it has been done in words, but failed to turn to deeds, Dr, King and Miss Barratt were still safe in the city yesterday morning and Swen Tien-ying has, they say, given strict orders for the Protection of both ours and the Roman Catholic places. There are reported about 1,000 people on our place, many of them wounded and many others sick, but Mrs. King is overrun in just looking after the wounded.
One proposition the bandits have made is that we foreigners-and the city gentry oxcart them out 100 ith the assurance that they will not be attacked in that distance! The people on this side are most unwilling to have this done, "Yet there is not full agreement among even the military as to how to pro coed. There is evidently jealousy among the leaders, They have used ammunition and talk enough to have opened a half-dozen ities, if properly directed. They seem very well equipped with almost every i, but are lacking in just the 18 needed most. ladies are minent danger in three ways, first from the inward shooting fat random into the city, second from being taken out as' captives when these people do go, and third from suffering from hunger and sickness if this situation continues many more days. The telegraph operators have run away twice and 1 am not sure that they are here now. Two weeks ago today was our Intest mail delivery and the two leading men of the Post Office have been unheard from except that the head man is reported as having gone into the city the day before the entrance of the robbers and the second man fives. in the near our place. The head man is probably with the Catholics, Yesterday morning when' I went to military and civil headquarters, 1 mile from our home, where two or three times a day, a captain came running in nearly out breath saying that a certain regi ment leader had entered the city at the southeast corner and another Srom another point and that south and east gates had been opened and that troops were rushing into the city. I was the happy bearer of this news along the street as I returned, is I am asked constantly B "What is the news?" But when I returned to headquarters at all this was reported a fabric tion!, There was not much fighting last fight, or at least not nearly as severe as it has been several nights. The Catholic priest came from Kwoyang Friday: to see and plead IME FOREIGN LADY CAPTIVES, Dee. 22, The situation is still most stre-nous. Comparatively little fung Jduring the night, The latest pro: Posal I know of yesterday was that tufei should bet allowed to go 10 li out with their hostages without being attacked. To this the citizens were willing, but I could not find out from them or anybody else what Kao Lu-chang thought. The last word we had from his Tsan Muhchang was that the bandits now holding the city were at liberty to out when and where they liked, implying that he had no disposition to negotiate. Swen, the bandit chief, sent word bya Catholic priest yesterday that he was willing to come out by the North Gate to a conference with us and the Luchang lor his appointed representative. He jand tt st actually came to the inside of the North Gate on Sund: night to talk with me, but officials on this side were very unwilling for me t0 go and so all drags on vexingly! I wired again yesterday evening desperate. Foreigners city threatened murder." T have now learned that the Catholic Girls School was burned and some of the girls taken away! There has been ammunition enough used to break open many ities, it seems to me, if properly directed, There was great excitement Inst night in this enclosed village over fear of fire, The tufei have made desperate efforts to get this place burned which is now an armed camp,, Weqause they think they can then escape north. Swen jhas expressed his desire to go to Kueitehfu, I suppose to rest a few days! He wrote me that this was his object. in coming to Pochow, rest awhile, but now he seems well vested and ready to go if he can!
The two American Indies and one Englishman (the Catholic priest) were still safe in the city yesterday afternoon. We have had no word out during the night oF this morning.
11 am, Tuesday.
T am ogum at Headquarters of the Civil Authorities and there is no further word from the tity, and these people here still do not know what the Luchang's plans are.
I sent a letter in Chinese this morning at 9 o'clock to Kao Lue chang that men of two nationalities here had tried thrice to see him, but in vain, and that now word had come that unless the tufei are released very soon they mean to murder the remainder of the citizens in the city including the two American Indies and the one British, and since he, Kao Lu-chang, declines to make any proposal" on which we can consult with the other side, in case these three people of other nationality are murdered or taken away, he must accept the responsibility.
We are simply waiting in the most awful suspense and cannot: even learn of any plans he has to relieve the awful strain.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.