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!

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]

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]

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]

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.