THE MURDER OF MISSIONARIES IN CHINA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2295, 24 February 1898, Page 55

THE MURDER OF MISSIONARIES IN CHINA.

THE SHANTUNG OUTRAGES. Information of the terrible murder of Garmau priests at Yenchowfu, Shantung, was brought to Sydney by the last China steamer. It appears (say 6 the Telegraph) that a trcubleaoma band of ruffians, the " Tatao Hui," or " Great Sword Society, " had been manifeating a threatening attitude for some time past, and had on several occasions shown decided signs ot hostility fco the missionaries, but not such as to lead them to suppose that any unusual violence was meditited. However, the Superior in charge of the mission felt it necessary to warn the missionaries, and it was found that his words had nob been unheeded. No trouble bad bteu experienced with the officials, and the people were generally well disposed. ! Somewhat over a year ago this '* Great Sword j S ciety " looted the mission premises and assaulted the fathers in charge. The attack became a matter for Pekin, aud ib was settled more or less satitf actorily, and without recourse j to any naval demonstration. The robbera were j nv-sti of them arrested, and were severely pun- i ished. Nevertheless, not very long after ivard*, it became painfully evident that the gang was too powerful, too well' organised to b? overawed by such feeble measures as the officials were able to put into operation or to enforce. Then came ihe murder of November 1, when the mission premises were surrounded by a howling mob only too evidently beat on mischief. Ib was late at nighfc, and the small community had retired long before, aud were only awakened by thfr escifced natives bursting into tbe mission. While the plundering was b=ing carried out by oae party, another bub 1 ss numerous band made for the fathers them- j pelves. In the excitement one of theta, an ( elderly man, managed to get away, bub Fathers i Henle and Nie3 were knocked down, and murdered as they lay on the ground. When their bodies were discovered' by their terrorised native servants taey were lying almost where they fell. There was very little clo'hing left. This had nob been deliberately torn off so much as cub to pi j ces by the countless stab« which had- been inflicted. When the Mood-soddened remnants of clothing were removed it was found that there was scarcely space to lay a shilling on any parb of the body without covering a wound. From head to foot both bod e-i had been stabbed through and through. This in itself seemed to show that not only was the murder fully premeditated, bub thab revenge, aud not merely murder, was the motive. Plunder was a secondary consideration, and ib is not at all improbable thab the rowdies and loafers of the place, as distinct from the "Tatao Hui," shared in the looting. Rarely has mutilation been carried to such an extreme ; indeed the ntxt and the last would have been dismemberment ; bsyond that barbarism could scarcely go. The German Foreign Mission is under the j charge of Bishop Anzer, an opulent Bavarian, j who has devoted the whole of his large private | fortune to the establishment; and maintenance | of the mission, of which he was one of the two founders. At present he is iv Europe, and by a singular co'ncfdeuce he was-— and may be now— :in Berlin at the time of the murders in Shantung. i The murdered missionaries were comparatively young men. Father Henle had been seven years iv China, and was 35 years of age. Father Nies had only come to China late in 1895, -and was 26 years of age. They were both zealous men, broad-minded and tolerant in their views, and natives of Bavaria. The outrage has caused profound sorrow among all the missionaries working in the provjnee, bub long distances separate buern. and even up to now ib is quite possible that many are working in their respective districts in ignorance of all that has taken place.

The Wellington cifcy valuation is £396,712, an increase of £17.54-3 on the previous year. In the mouth of January thera wore 1987 men employed on co-operative works in the co'.ony, a considerable reduction on previous mon'hs. Serious damage is reported by bush fires at Omaha, Kaipara, Te Arai, and North Albertlaud, Auckland province. Some of the settlers have sustained severe losses. One fire swept the country from Topuri bridge to To Arai. Anorher fke did much damage inland from Mangawai. Several million feet of timber have been destroyed. At a meeting of the Aboriginal Protection Board in Sydaey, it was stated that seven aboriginal children, although clean and decently clad, had been refused admission to a public school at Wollar, owing to the protest of parect<? of European children. As ifc was stated tbe Minister for Public Instruction had sanctioned the course taken the board decided to ask the Minister if it were so. One oi the German Emperor's Cari«tmsts presents to each of his three eldest sons was an exquisitely cbnsed pabre-, engraved with his own monogram. Tae blade of the one given to the Crown Prince bears on one side the deiicafeion, " Your strength belongs to the Fatherland. Wilhelm Rex to his son Wilhelm, Christ-mas, 1897 ; and on the other, " Trust in God ; defend yourself fearles-ly, that your renown and honour may endure, for he who dares courageously to trust in God will never be driven from the field." Prince Eifcel Fritz's s word bears a cor responding inscription, and the motto, " Fearless and true." Prince Adalbert's is inscribed with the words, ''Never draw this sword without reason, and never sheathe ifc'withoub honour."