The looting of Tientsin--The residents--A special case--A day’s free
hand--The only punishment--A study of the looters--Tommy Atkins and
Jack Tar--The friends at home--Good-hearted devils.
Tientsin native city had fallen; next came the looting! What an amazing
sight!
[Illustration: BRITISH BLUEJACKETS RETURNING INTO THE SETTLEMENT AFTER
THE BATTLE OF TIENTSIN]
Hardly had the gates been thrown open and the Allied troops found
their way into every nook of the town, than Chinese portable property
that had any value began to change hands. American, Russian, British,
Japanese and French soldiers ran here and there, poking their noses
into every doorway, the door, if not open already, being soon kicked
open. The foreign residents of Tientsin, knowing the town well, had
an unfair advantage over Tommy Atkins and the American boys, who had
to feel their way about, whereas the residents, especially those who
had not distinguished themselves in the fighting line, lost no time
in making for the Mint, the Salt Commissioner’s palace, the Viceroy’s
Yamên, or the nearest silk or jewellery store, where they knew that
wealth was accumulated, and where they helped themselves to anything
that took their fancy. _Sycee_, lump silver, and bar gold were
preferred.
It is difficult to decide whether looting is at any time right or
wrong, but in all fairness it must be kept in mind that the case of
Tientsin was a special one. The main portion of the city was already on
fire, most of the houses had already been broken into and looted by the
Boxers and Chinese soldiers, and presently every thing that remained
would be destroyed by the flames. It certainly seemed a pity to let
so much beautiful and valuable property be wasted. Was it not, then,
the lesser evil to allow these men, who had fought hard, to reap what
benefit they could from the misfortune of others, especially since “the
others” were doomed to misfortune in any case? To prevent looting was
impossible. The authorities, therefore, seem to have followed the only
sensible line, by giving the soldiers and marines a day’s free hand.
The accounts of the looting published in England and America were not
accurate, and seemed to be mostly written by persons who had some
ulterior motive in showing the soldiers of some one nation or another
at their worst. I maintain that, if looting is to be looked upon as a
crime, the soldiers of all nations, none excepted, disgraced themselves
alike. The Russian, the British, the American, the Japanese, the
French, all looted alike. They one and all were looters of the very
first water. I say it and I maintain it. But, on the other hand, I
cannot see that in this particular case of the Chinese war looting was
a criminal offence. On the contrary, it was the only way by which the
natives could be punished for their outrages on our men, women and
children; and, degrading as it may seem to those who had no chance of
taking part in it, there is no doubt that the only portion of this war
which will cause the Chinese some future reflection will be the burning
and looting of Tientsin.
[Sidenote: A STUDY OF LOOTERS]
[Illustration: A GATE OF TIENTSIN--LOOTERS AND FLAG OF TRUCE]
Personally, a study of the looters was extremely interesting, and
afforded me more pleasure than anything I could have carried away.
It brought out the characteristics of each nationality and of each
individual in a most extraordinary manner. Considering things
generally, and barring exceptional instances, the looting was done in
a most pathetic way. Naturally, there were cases of violence, murder,
and assault, but they were only few and far apart. Let us take, for
instance, the British Tommy and the bluejacket. The first thing they
did on entering the city was to start on a wild chase after fowls
and ducks in the backyards and side lanes. Tame humming-birds were
not always spared. This done, and the prospect of chicken for supper
assured, Tommy Atkins laid his hands principally on embroidered silk
gowns and articles of jewellery. The native application of the latter
he did not quite seem to understand, but with the help of his naval
mate, who had been about the world, generally managed to decipher the
puzzle.
“My! Won’t my girl be happy when she sees all this!” was the very first
thought of Tommy and Jack about the loot. “She’ll know right enough
what to do with it all.” And the pockets of Tommy and Jack were soon
stuffed to bursting with silver-gilt combs, small carvings, hairpins,
elaborate ornaments for the hair, and silver charms of all kinds and
sizes, of which Chinese chests of drawers were brimful. “These ’ere
silks are rather awkward to carry,” remarks Jack, scratching his head,
after trying in vain to bring together the two ends of a cloth on
which he had piled enough silk garments to clothe a whole army. But
Jack had made up his mind that he was going to present the gown most
handsomely embroidered to his sweetheart, the next best to his old
mother, since in her old age her sight is getting bad and she will not
see the difference, another, the one lined with fur, to his brother
John’s wife, and one, all of brocade and gold, to old Mr. Smith, who
once lent him five shillings (which, by the bye, he never repaid, but
which he does not deny that he still owes). In fact Jack, overcome by
his sudden wealth, entertains a fixed idea that on his return to his
native land he is going to give some memento or other to any one that
likes to have one, “for people at home,” says he, “value these ’ere
China curios more than anything in the world.” In his mind’s eye he
can already see the barren walls of his humble home decorated with the
costliest brocades cut into small pieces and squeezed into a sort of
butterfly shape, or forming rosettes over the ends of the mantelpiece,
round the looking-glass, and draped on corners of blurred photographic
enlargements of deceased relations.
[Sidenote: A FIXED IDEA]
[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE ARSENAL AND ARMOURY--CITY WALL SEEN FROM
INSIDE.]
At home much abuse has been showered on poor Jack and Tom, and it has
not always been remembered that in fighting the Chinese our men ran
by no means a slight risk of being skinned alive, or decapitated, or
boiled in oil, or receiving a touch of the death of a thousand cuts.
Indeed, many a white man and woman had been found brutally mutilated or
beheaded, and it is well to recollect that those unfortunate soldiers
of the Allies who fell prisoners to the Chinese were invariably
tortured in the most infamous fashion, their bodies when eventually
recovered being headless and bearing marks of brutal treatment.
It seems hard, in the face of privations bravely endured, that Tom and
Jack should be so much blamed for taking property which practically
belonged to nobody, since it had been abandoned by the rightful owners
and was about to be destroyed. In war between civilised nations,
looting is without doubt a crime to be severely condemned and punished,
but in the case of a nation like the Chinese, who have no national
pride, no respect for any government or law, nor for the life of others
or of themselves, there seemed no way of punishing them except by
touching their pocket. This the Allied soldiers certainly succeeded in
doing extremely well.
To return to the British soldiers and marines, it was interesting to
watch them, the younger ones especially, loot, loot, loot, not for
themselves, but for the friends and relations at home. One could almost
safely say that 75 per cent. of the looting by individual soldiers was
not done for the sake of lucre, but merely to obtain mementoes. There
was much good-nature shown, even generosity, if the term can be applied
to the giving away of stolen goods, by looters to spectators. If one
happened to admire any particular article in the bundle of a soldier,
he usually begged you to accept it as a present. Several times I have
seen payment refused for curios in the possession of soldiers. “Yes,
take it,” they would say persuasively. “Take it; I know where to get
more.” There seemed to be no alternative.
[Sidenote: NO ALTERNATIVE]
[Illustration: THE WEI-HAI-WEI REGIMENT RETURNING FROM THE ATTACK ON
THE NATIVE CITY (SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE FALL OF THE CITY)]
Tommy or Jack on the loot was extremely communicative. He was under
the impression that all round him were his friends, while no doubt
could be entertained that he was the friend of everybody all round. His
manner may have lacked polish, but there is no denying the fact that
Tommy and Jack were good-hearted devils. They may have had their little
faults--no man ever lived who had none--but, looting or no looting,
there was something very agreeable about both of them, and in regard
to character they were as fine fellows as ever wore a soldier’s or a
sailor’s uniform.