Those who suffered most, as! usual in war, were the countrypeople. Many have met their death, more have been wounded, and} all have lost their homes. Some! shocking sights were to be seen.
Siecawet throughout the day. Farmers with bullets in their faces, the bodies of men and women lying hunched up in the road, and others: walking about sufferers' from minor injuries. Thousands upon thousands of refugees poured into the village throughout the day, secking pr tection from the Catholic fathers.
The priests have given up all the available space they have to these people. The school house,—the convent and all the outbuildings are filled with them. The men are not} being assisted, simply the women. and children, as the fathers feel that the men should be able to shift for themselves, and to assist them would be to tax their own resources: to impossible limits.
As soon ay news of the fighting reached the French Police in the morning, armed men_were sent out to the boundaries. Three of the Imost important bridges over Siccawei Creek were destroyed, barricades were put up on the others, and armed policemen and marines were placed on duty. Io is significant that all these men, marines, Chinese ud Europeans, were supplied with steel helmets.
The Observatory's Danger What is causing the Catholic fathers a considerable amount of] anxiety ix the safety of the Observatory, one of the most} famous in the world. The—two, guns already mentioned—were stationed in wood just behind the Duilding, and some of the shells which fell short missed it by a very, Tittle distance. Fortunately Chang does not appear te have any artillery fon this front, otherwise damage would almost certainly have resulted to all the Catholic buildings. The priests have been granted armed! guards of Marines.
The situation at the Arsenal rather complicated matters early' inthe morning, though it, cleared Inter in the day. Hitherto} Chang Yusi-ming and Sun Chuanfang had been apparently working, in harmony, Chang actually suppl ing Sun with ammunition from the Arsenal. When hostilities broke lout yesterday, Sun had over 1,000 troops at the Arsenal, to 500 of Chang's men. Though at first they] seemed inclined to resist, the 500 ultimately decided to give way, which leaves Sun in charge of this most important point.
The position was further complicated by the presence of some 5,000 soldiers belonging to the defeated army of Chen Yao-sun, who have stationed themselves at the axe of Tousewei, just behind the Siccawei firing line. These _men appear to have very little fight left Lin them, however! and declare themselves neutral, After the gruelling they have been through, it seems:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.