Murder of a Protestant Missionary.

Bruce Herald, Volume VII, Issue 642, 20 October 1874, Page 3

Murder of a Protestant Missionary.

The following version of the inurdef of Mr Stephens, a Protestant missionary in Mexico, is taken from the 'New York Evangelis t' of the 30th April, 1874. The editor of it cays the account of it is a translation made from the Spanish, out of a Becular newspaper published in Mexico : — " With, profound sorrow and indignation we re« cord a simple and truthful statement of the events that took place in Ahualuco on the 2nd April. About one o'clock in the morning of that day a little group of men, seemingly intoxicated, gathered in front of the house where Mr John Stephens, the missonary, resided. In the midst of that group two musicians were playing the violin, with no other object, it would seem, than to signal the hour in which the bandits were to meet and commit, in the name of religion, one of those crimes which dishonor humanity, and at which the world is horrified. The group, which Kb first was small, very soon grew to a multitude, among which were raised the cries, ' Long live our parish priest I* ' Death to the Protestants !' At the same time stones were thrown at the door and windows, and shots were fired which alarmed the town, which was ignorant of the cause of the unexpected and scandalous mob. When more than two hundred men were gathered, the rabble furiously attacked the deor of the house. When young Stephens comprehended that this was not simply a scandal produced by the vapor of wine, but really an attempt to sacrifice him, he took his Bible and told three parties who were with him in the house to seek their safety. One ascended to the flat roof with difficulty and there escaped ; another gained the Btreets by going over a fence at the back of the house ; the third did not escape from the house. The unfortunate Stephens, imperfectly hid upon the roof of a shed, awaited events. When the bandits at last burst open the door, breaking it in pieces, and raging, rushed into the house, seeking the inmates, brandishing their arms, muskets, pistols, daggers, clubs, &c, constantly yelling ' Long live our parish priest !' ' Death to the Protestants !' Part of the mob entered the cattle yard, and as among them were mingled the guards of the town itself, Stephens thought he saw a ray of hope, and descending from his hiding place, presented himself before them, begging them to protect him. The protection they gave him was to discharge their arms upon him, riddling his breast, and cutting to pieces his head. He fell with his Bible in his hand, and hia lips pronounced not a single word against his cruel murderers. During this tinae part of the mob killed Mr Stephens' companion who did not escape from the house. Part of the assassins then went to the churches, and with peals of bells solemnised the victory, while another portion of them made a bonfire in the public Plaza of the Bibles, books, and papers that belonged to Mr Stephens. The editor of the Mexican paper goes on to state that Mr Stephens had only been three months in Ahualuco ; that he bad formed a congregation amongst the humbler classes of society, and founded a school for boys, and describes him as a man who was always aftabletand bweet tempered, and sometimes shared his food with necessitous children.

Dean Ramsay says that the Earl of Lauderdale suffered from insomlia, and baffled the doctors. They could not get the earl to sleep. His son, who was " simple," said : " Sen' for that preaching man frae Livingstone, for fayther aye sleeps in the kirk." It was done, gays the Dean, and with the best result.