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| Mobile Woman Write Home Of ^ World TravelsInteresting Trip En-1 joyed InChina By Mrs. Foreman7,fThrills and dangers in the Chinese bandit are recoiinted in the letter of a Mobile girl, Mrs. Armstrong Foreman (Eunice Armstrong), whose parents, Mr. and Mrs. P. E. Armstrong, have just received a letter telling of her experience in getting to the Great Wall recently. The train In Which Mrs. Foreman was a passenger was commandeered by Chinese war lords and she and other passengers were forced to make the rest of the trip in a _ freight car filled with troops.1-(Mrs. Foreman writes:After having made the trip first by motor to Chuglung-Tsing, and by train further on and finally by donkey about two miles to the wall itself we found there was no train. China is like that. One day the train runs, the next it doesn't. The various war lords are always commandeering trains to move their troops. They simply stop the train, march the passengers off and drive off, leaving you to make the best of it.Well, after waiting from 12 to 4 in the afternoon without lunch, we finally saw a freight train coming and by pointing in the direction in which it was gong and naming the town where we had left our car, found out it Was going there. It was a troop train, together with the freight. The troops were in box cars with a stove in the center, all of them sitting and lying around on the floor. So we piled on and did likewise, and the train moved off at a speed of around 10 or 15 miles an hour. I was too miserable to care whether we got there or not or whether we were held up or what. It was bitterly cold going to the Great Wall, but the marvelous view across Mongolia was ample reward. We walked along the wall to one of the higher sentry towers and could see for miles and miles. But I lost the heel to my shoe and the wind was sweeping down from Mongolia at 4 terrific gale, bringing dust, so I could scarcely see.When we got off the train several men with donkeys followed us, so Miss Byme and I took donkeys. But I finally had to get off as it was so cold and windy I could not keep my seat. When I got off, two wild looking Chinese sprang up from nowhere, each taking me by the arm and wouldn’t let me go. They tall td and gesticulated and as there ( nothing else I could do, I walkfi on with them. I could see tne others up ahead. However we came to a ravine and the Chinese pulled me in that direction while the others had gone up the trail.So I just decided it was all up with me, because I had tried to follow the others up the trail, but the Chinese would not let go, so I felt my time had come and really didn’t much care, It was so cold. I had no resistance whatsoever.However It developed that this was a short cut and when we got around some big boulders we saw the others toiling along the trail towards us. Later I was thankful to have my two guards or whatever they were because the going was so difficult, I could not have made It alone. They simply pulled me along with them. What k day!It was an extremely dangerous trip to make. What with going to the Ming Tombs so late it was dark when we left and that is the bandit area. It is miles from nowhere and no road, the car simply blazing a trail around boulders and in and out of ravines.A perfect opportunity, but perhaps it was too cold even for bandits.The main tomb Is hi a terrible state of delapidation. Last year the graves were torn open and valuable jewels stolen. We saw the grave and only Mr. Nichols and I had the nerve to go in. Bats were flying in and out of the doors and it was so gloomy and dark inside we could scarcely make out the celling and the tops of the pillars high over our heads. There were strange noises.But anyway we walked in and when we walked up on the tomb which was heavily canopied, I struck a match and leaned over to see into the grave itself. I clung to Mr. Nichols* lapel and he held onto the door which w hanging by one hinge. All of sudden I heard a loud Crack! Bang! and was frozen iiv my tracks. But it was only the door which had fallen off. Needless to say Mr. Nichols and I dashed out of there like all possessed! We didn’t even stop to tell the others but kept going with the others right behind. We got out of the inner and outer walls and into our car before I could catch my breath. Hardly a word was spoken for some time because the others got nearly as gTeat a frightMWe arrive at Hong Kong at 7 o’clock tomorrow morning. There is a quarantine there against the passengers from Shanghai for smallpox, so fortunately I have my certificate from Dr. Andrew Henderson of Mobile in my passport. Otherwise would have to have another vaccination. They don’t care if you already have a scar—they don’t know how old it is but I have Dr. Henderson’s Letter dated, so it will be right.Mrs. Foreman left Mobile in a the middle of December, taking . o the trip around the world which 8
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The Mobile Times
Mobile, Alabama, US
Tue, Apr 03, 1934
Page 3
Full Page
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NA, NA 16 Sep 2023
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