Overcome a Party of British and Japanese Soldiers.
Not always do the expeditions of the allies against the Boxers meet success, for according to advices received by the Empress of China to-day a small foraging expedition of Japanese and British were badly cut up by Boxers on January 15, not far from Shanhaikwan. The party, which numbered ten or twelve, started from Shanhaikwan on a foray and had arrived at the village of Lochunton. three miles from Shanhaikwan, when it was attacked by a band of 300 Boxers. The British and Japanese made a running fight of it. Five of the Japanese managed to get back to the camp at Shanhaikwan that night and another very badly wounded man was brought in after nightfall by Chinese. The remainder of the party were killed and their bodies were horribly mutilated. Two companies were sent against the village to punish the Boxers for the attack.
About Peking quite a number of brushes with the Boxers occurred in the first two weeks of January. In one of the expeditions Lieutenant McPherson did a brave act. He outdistanced his men while leading them against a temple, and, scaling the wall, found himself alone. He backed up against the wall and kept the Boxers at bay until help arrived. Two were killed with his revolver, but as he was out of ammunition he must have been killed had his men not arrived just in time.
The San Francisco Call, San Francisco, CA, February 7, 1901