RECENT RIOTS AT SHANGHAI.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12902, 13 February 1906, Page 7

RECENT RIOTS AT SHANGHAI.

A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION. Miss Ethel Halley, matron, of Shantangroad Hospital for Women, Shanghai, has given in the course of a letter to her father in Melbourne some interesting particulars of the recent riots at Shanghai, which were the subject of cable messages of December 27th and following days. Miss Halley writes as follows:

"Young China is beginning to feel its feet, and wants to walk alone and can't, so kicks everyone who comes near. The first kick was the American boycott, which was pretty bad, and still is. Then there was a. of disagreement between the native magistrates and the foreign ones in the mixed court, because the foreigners would not allow witnesses to be tortured. Then the foreigners insisted on female (■Chinese) prisoners being confined in the English municipal gaol, because they were so badly treated in the mixed court cells. This means loss of ever so much squeeze to the officials, and was cot lo be stood

The climax .was reached, when, about-two weeks ago a telegram was received at the central police station saying a woman was coming down the rivet with 15 kidnapped girls for sale here. When the trial came on the woman, with some others, were remanded to the English gaol, and the girls ordered to be sent to the 'Door of Hope' (a home for -such elajpe girls). The mandarin, however, ordered all to go to the mixed court cells. Of course the British magistrate would not give way. One of ■the mandarin's men hit a police inspector over the head, and was in turn hit by aii English constable, and there was no end of a row, and the mandarin in a rage left the court. All sorts of incendiary meetings were held by native guilds, and things looked bad.

" Sunday evening, just as I was 1 - on before-dinner duty, my hospital cook handed me a paper printed by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, ordering all the shops in "tie settlement to be shut, and all natives in foreign offices to absent themselves till the British Government had dismissed the British assessor and police inspector who -had to do with prosecuting the kidnapper woman. As cook gave it to me she saidj 'To-morrow we shall not be able to getany food.' Dr C. took this paper ta the central police station, where they already had one, which, however, had not been correctly translated by their translator. The chief of police thought it wise to prepare for a fuss. True enough next morning the fuss came. Foreigners not knowing what had happened, and starting for their work, were dragged from their motors, rickshas, -carriages, and banged about-. Dr ;M. L. had his motor ruined, and his face cut. Dr M. had his brougham windows smashed, and many people were injured. The volunteers and firemen were called out, .and at 9 o'clock men from the gOnboats landed and marched Tip the 'maloo' witty fixed bayonets. All the time, thongli I knew that there was some sort of fuss going on, I was quietly working away in my hospital till about half-past 10 o'clock, when Dr D. came and told me' how serious ■things w-ere, and how we might be killed at any moment. We were in a pretty •awkward fix—six women, four of them delicate, three small infants, and only one married man, Dr D. Dr C. had "gone out , earlier, not knowing there was a fuss, and we heard that he had been killed, though this proved to be untrue. Though knowing we were in great- danger, I somehow fejt quite collected, and tried to calm my terrified patients. I then T-flephoned to the police station, to ask if they had forgotten us, and shortly a- Volunteer sergeant with four Sikhs came to guard us. Tilings have apparency calmed dowr., but moTe trouble is expect«l. and soldieis. with maxims and gatlings, are all about the place. I think the" mandarins got scared, as the shops opened next day. " I shall never, as long as I live, forget Monday, December 18th. 1905. It was an ■sternal day. I had the worst time, as I was alone in ihe hospital with 26 scared women'and children to keep calm. I had to keep cheerful and go about- my work as if nothing were happening, even when a mob' of rowdies were banking down tlie doors of houses in the lane below us. .and on seeing me through the windows called ' Kill the foreigner.' I sterilised and douched and cleaned the theatre, and did the thousand and one things of ordinary everyday life;, and - ; wondered if "it. were: for the last* time: the patients who were able to be up following me everywhere, and hanging. on< to me.. ' •