October 10, 1895.]
THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON ANPING.
THE EXPEDITION LEAVES
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[SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DAILY PRESS.""]
AMOY, 4th October, 3.20 p.m. The Japanese expedition left Kelung to-day for the Pescadores, where it will divide into two sections, one landing to the north of Auping and
one to the south,
fi
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
The prefect and other mandarins escaped during the early morning, but carried nothing with them; everything about the houses gave evidence that defeat had not been thought pos- KELUNG.|sible. Many retreated to the coast at the harbour of Rakon and taking possession of junks made After the occupation a battalion of infantry the rest of their journey by water.
soldiers towards Cangee to the south, being and a troop of cavalry followed the retreating obliged to ford one stream of considerable size. The heavy rains had then commenced and soou the stream become of such size that they could not return. The Chinese, reinforced from the south, then returned and made an attack, but were defeated, although the Japanese did not dare advance, as all supplies had been shut off on account of the storm. As soon as the storm abated and the river had become fordable, they recrossed and took up their position to the north of the river, where they are now.
THE JAPANESE ADVANCE IN
FORMOSA.
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[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT WITH THE JAPANESE ARMY.] CHANGWHA, Formosa, 21st September. Although it is rather late to dwell on the sub- ject of a battle which occurred on the 28th of last
Cangee, where the Chinese month, I wish to give a few details that has gathered, is about 35 miles 126ps are now not yet been published regarding the capture of
Here at Changy and hirom Tuinanfoo.
wha two Chinese officers who this place, for it was effected by anoth
were casparport s
aptured are living very comfortably and wil Nome bits of strate cleverest
will be sent to the mainland the first oppor- egy that has perhaps been isplayed in the whole war; and as it was the tunity. They say that the force from the main- rst engagement in which the famous Black land taking part in the Changwha fight con- 1 lags" have had a hand, it may prove of inter-sisted of ten camps or 5,000 men. es t to many who prophesied that in the "Black After the taking of Changwha the sickness Flags
the Japanese would meet a real reached to an alarming extent among the opponent.
Japanese. Before reaching the city nearly Changwha, the big inland city and one of the seventy streams of different sizes must be forded, most important on the island, lies three miles and with insufficient food, as the supplies in from the sea, in a plain scarcely above its level. many cases could not be forwarded, the troops To the east lies a range of hills and crowning are in a much weakend condition. As there one of these overlooking the city is a fort had been heavy rains for several days Chang- erected by the Chinese, protected by four 12 hwa was almost flooded, and as there is no centimetre modern guns, with a great number method of draining the city it could hardly of miscellaneous relics intended years ago for be called a very healthy resort for soldiers nse, but now practically useless. To the north, already nearly ill. Work was commenced at about three miles distant, runs & mountain once to bury the dead Chinese, but it was stream which at this time of the year is con- necessarily slow and it was a week before all verted into a surging river. It is upon the were disposed of, many having been found con- two banks of this river that we find the Japa-cealed in the underbrush and in the river. The nese and Chinese troops on the 27th; the stench from the dead bodies was terrible and Japanese to the north hidden by fields of sugar practically poisoned the air. The effect was cane, which covers the district, the Chinese quickly felt, for, from the highest officer to the to the south, partially protected by entrench lowest coolie, all were affected with malarial ments newly built. It had always been the cus- fever and one third of the whole division were tom to ford the river at one point where it was incapacitated. Only the very serious cases were known to be comparatively shallow and here taken to the field hospital, although they num- the Chinese had their force; for if "blong olo bered 824 and of them 82 died. Of the hospital custom" the Japanese would certainly cross at corps of one chief and five doctors, three were the same point. But the Japanese have a re- incapacitated, so that two were forced to look putation for dropping old customs and they did after the large number of cases. Sixteen out of so in this case. One detachment was left to in- the forty-one nurses were incapacitated and four terest the Chinese at this point and one column had died. But after the bodies of the Chinese
were all buried and a few days of of the main army very quickly crossed the river about 1,500 metres higher. About midnight, in the shadow of darkness, this column again di vided, one detachment crawling along through the sugar cane to get to the rear of the fort on the hill and the others following along the low land to place themselves between the Chinese troops guarding the river and the city. At daylight the Chinese were on the alert and opened fire on the few troops left across the river as a decoy At the first shot the Japanese troops, whose presence had not been discovered, rushed down yelling and shouting, to the great dismay of the Chinese, whose force mustered about thousand. They fled as they could, but many were killed as their retreated,
At the same time the column that had secured a position to the rear of the fort made a charge with fixed bayguets, to the great surprise of the garrison, who retreated by climbing over the walls and escaping down the hill towards the city. The retreating troops had now all gathered in the city and as the Japanese gained possession of the fort they evidently came to the conchi- sion, it was time to escape; so fleeing through the city they were about to seek retreat through the south gate when they were paralyzed with fear to find a detachment of Japanese troops closing in from the south. Many escaped, but others of the terror stricken soldiers ran to and fro about the city, while the Japanese fired upon them from the fort above. The Japanese then reached the city and climbed over the walls, as the gates were barricaded, making their en- trance without opposition. The streets were littered with soldier's uniforms and equipment and three hundred and seventy donil boilies were found about the city and two hundred and fifty outside.
er
0
had driven away the dampness, this awful perica,
dry weath of sickness passed away and the he. although now about 100 a day alth improve back to Taipelifu. The sick where being ser walk are carried on a stretcher bo are unable f coolies with one noncommissioy three Chinesh each squad, and one Japanese ed officer with
Coolie with eac ten stretchers.
The Japanese dead are ca ashes buried in graves markedimated and th nwith a memori board.
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3.1
The Chinese were buried holding twenty or thirty, b large trench sphere had affected the bod were cremated.
b after the atm
s the remainde
de.
south of Chang industriously guards are neede
All is peaceful for a distane wha and the entire north. Ne and the farmers are working of old. The people seem to tented and are ever thought of doing question is practically settle more Japanese coolies will be and probably r
'30
al
as
0-
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18
el perfectly coly making money than the ie
The cool
sent for.
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es
265
with two, thus giving them $1.60 for a few hours' work. Cash is almost out of trade, and the Japanese cent and small silver prices seem think of work short of a dollar a day, and three to be the principal medium. No coolie will coolies whom I endeavoured to engage to carry apiece, and stuck to it. my chair for a half day's trip wanted $1.20 Of course commodities would be many thousand Chinese who would have gone up in consequence. No doubt there sincerely regret to see the Japanese leave now.
The following news is from Chinese sources in the south and is considered reliable, if such is possible-
to endeavour to secure more troops.
A relative of General Liu has gone to Canton
The soldiers from one of the camps who were loud in their condemnation of General Lin for
being forced to fight the Japanese deserted their camp and left in junks for the mainland.
A Chinese merchant from Singapore arrived in Amoy and succeeded in getting a consider. able amount of powder shipped to Formosa for General Lin.
A mandarin
was sent from Tainanfoo Amoy on the 13th to purchase powder.
Many spies have been sent to Taipehfu as merchants, carpenters, &c., even some being employed by the Japanese as writers in the Government House.
160,000 taels were delivered to the rebels by an English merchant steamer at Anping, to 1 aid in the rebellion.
General Liu endeavoured to escape, claiming that he wanted to go to Foochow to secure additional troops and more funds to continue the war, but his people, who are watching him very closely, would not allow him to go, saying he had all the troops he needed and they had supplied him with funds and that he must stick by his troops.
It is the opinion of the Chinese throughout the country that the Black Flags are very much frightened and do not want to fight.
savages to allow him to retreat into their ter- ritory, but they refused. He then endeavoured to punish them and several were killed.
General Liu endeavoured to arrange with the o
The savages have shown the greatest friend- liness to the Japanese and have turned the guns the furnished them by the Chinese upon Chinese themselves instead of upon the Japanese as intended.
KELUNG, 3rd October. Wishing to join the southern expedition I left Changhwa or the 23rd September for Taipehfu, taking a chair as the roads are most Impassable for a horse. On the second morning we reached the Taikai river and found it im-
for boats, and accordingly fording was ont of possible to cross, as the current was too strong the question. It was a simple question of wait and it was three days before any one ventured to cross. It was then that two Japanese coolies 3 plunged into the stream to swim to the opposite bank, but the powerful surging current drew them under. and they were both drowned. A later attempt was made to get some horses across, but they met the same fate. On the fourth day the water was perceptibly lower and a line was secured from each bank and a Chinese boat made trips all day. About thirty streams were forded before we reached Teck- cham (Hsin-chu-ku).
The engineering corps have been doing good work in building roads, and work will be com- menced extending the railroad south to Tai- nanfu at once, and it is expected that a con- siderable portion of it will be built this fall.
At Teckcham we took the railroad, the forty miles to Taipehfu, ending our two hundred and fifty miles journey on the 28th.
General Takashima is in command of the day and to-morrow for the Pescadores. There it southern expedition, which will leave here to- will divide and a southern expedition under command of General Noge will land, it is my opinion, at Pong-lian, a harbour about 30 miles
Fifteen to twenty thousa Chinese coolial are engaged altogether and w pay they are receiving thereth the very liber securing any number. In is no difficulty fal difficulty is to pick out thosect the principy wished, and to tis 10 aud prevent the fights that
occur among Chinese for the work.
For carrying one package six or eight miles about forty cents is paid, the whole family engaging in the work; a group consisting of the mother and daughter struggling along with one package swinging from a shoulder pole, two small boys with another package similiarly
Many streams must be forded, and at Tan- carried, and the father and perhaps another son | kang is a very large river which must be ferried.
south of Takow. There is not expected to be any camps at this place, although five miles south at Che-tong-ka there were formerly soldiers; however, further south there is known to be two camps. The travelling toward Takow, which is of course the objective point, will be extremely difficult.
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