THE RECENT MASSACRES IN CHINA

New Zealand Tablet, 16 August 1906, Page 12

THE RECENT MASSACRES IN CHINA

DETAILS OF THE TRAGEDY

The Manst Brothers here (wiites our Clnistchurcli correspondent) have received a letter from their Su-perior-General, giving details of the massacre of five ol their confreres in China, as well as that of two Lazanst Fathers, and the pillaging and burning of the mission property of NanU-han 8 . By the kindness of the Brother-Director, 1 am able to furnish " the Tablet ' with these inteicsting details, and also a true account of the incidents which weie the immediate cause thereof. In 1901, some malefactors, who were bitter enemies of the Christians, subjected to violent attacks the Catholic families of two of the villages in the province of Kiangsi, burned two oratories, pillaged sixty Catholic homes, and killed seven of their occupants. Notwithstanding the representations of Monsignor Ferrant, Vicar-Apostolic of Northern Kiangsi the attackers remained unpunished, and no reparation was made to the victims. The Mandarin Kiang h>ub-Prefect of Nantchang, who was deputed by the authorities to investigate the affair, liberated two of the principal offenders, and piomised impunity to the others who were brought to Nantchang. For having done so, a complaint was made against him to the French Consul-General at Shanghai, and to the French Legation at Pekin. On February 17, Kiang paid a visit to the residence of the missionaries, to confer with the Superior, (Father Lacruche, about some business concerning the district, and when this was concluded, he expressed a desire to discuss once more, the more important affair of 1904. He was anxious for a satisfactory conclusion to it, in order that he may regain the favor of his superiors, which apparently he had forfeited. It was arranged he was to come to dine at the mission house on February 22, in order to discuss it in detail with a view for a definite and final settlement. On the date fixed, the Sub-Prefect repaired to the Father's residence, but during the meal avoided speaking of the question he had come to discuss, dwelling instead on the annoyance he felt at being no longer in favor with his superiors. After dinner, he asked permission to retire into the library in order, as he said, to put his proposals in writing. After having done so in a letter which he ordered should be given to Father Lacruche, and after having given a secret order to a soldier who formed one of his bodyguard, he remained in the room. Not long afterwards, a servant, who was passing, heard groans proceeding from the room. Astonished at the unusual sounds, he looked in through the glazed door, and

saw Kiang lying on a chair, his neck covered with blood, and he still endeavoring to enlarge the wound he had made in his throat. Startled at such a sight the domestic ran to inform Father Lacruche, who on arrival rendered the wounded Mandarin all assistance possible. Without waiting for a conveyance,' which he engaged en route, the P'ather hastened to the residence of the Governor to inform htm in person of what had happened. It was a very serious matter for the Fathers, for according to Chinese custom, the missionaries could be ma.de responsible for the suicidal act committed in their premises. As the Father neared the Governor's house, he met soldiers who were already on the way to the mission quarters, acting, no doubt, on the news conveyed in the note which the Mandarin had gnen to the soldier. -The Mandarin remained at the mission, resting on a chair, on which was found a statement in his writing, asserting that he was dying to save the people of Siu-tchang, and because he was followed incessantly by a spirit that desired his death. During the night of Thursday and on the following day, there was an endless corning and going of Mandarins and soldiers, until the Cio\ernor issued an order that the body of the Sub-Prefect, who persisted in dying at the mission, so that the people would think he was assassinated, should be carried to the Governor's house. On Saturday, placards, decrying the Europeans, were posted all over the town. In the evening students and men on horseback paraded the streets, issuing invitations to all to be present the following morning at 30 a.m. at a great meeting which was to take place in order to discuss what means should be taken to resent the attack made on their liberty by the missionaries in assassinating the Sub-Prefect, and to

Uphold the Power of the Empire. The missionaries were cognisant of all that was passing ; they weie advised by some Christian fiiends to leave the town, but they weie confident that nobody would daie to injure them. The meeting took place on the morning of Sunday, Februaiy 20. The M^udauns who attended it uiged, so it is said, the people to abstain fiom violence, but their adwee was left unheeded. The eiowd, excited by violent discourses and by wicked calumnies that during two days had been spiead concerning the missionaiii's, proceeded to the mission quarters. The soldieis, who weie t>enl to guaid it, had no arms and offeieri no resist ence. In the twinkling of an eye, the house was entered. Father Lacruche, seeing what was going to happen, hastened to the chapel to iemo\e the sacied Host kept in the tabernacle, but failed to find time to do so. lie just managed to make his escape and took lefuge in the house of a friendly Mandarin. But he "Was quickly puisued by the ciqwd, who broke into the building, pillaged it, and seized the missionary, notwithstanding the protestations of the Mandarin, who asked that his hie should be spared and proniised a rewaid to those who would be instmmental in saving it. The following morning his body was found on the margin of a little lake situated in the interior of the town. At the mission there was stationed a young pnest, Father Mai tin. He was set upon, and received several stiokes on the head which rendered him unconscious. As he lay motionless on the ground, his assailants thought he was dead, and passed on. .Some friendly soldiers came and lifted him up. Fie then recovered consciousness, and was able to take lefuge in a soldier's house which was situated near the school. He was found there at 9 o'clock at night, when an odor was issued by the Clovernor, that he be cairied in a palanquin to a steamer, which was setting out for Kioukiang, the residence of the Bishop, Monsignor Ferrant. From the mission the infuriated mob made for the school, which was situated about a hundred yards away. The Brothers knew what was occurring, realised the dangers that menaced them, and so took means to escape. The ring-leaders broke into the house, sacked it, and then set it. on fire, so that Kj'.ily the four walls are left of "the once fine building that cost in its erection above £1000. The infuriated crowd were net yet satisfied, their rage clamored for more "victims, and so they directed their footsteps towards the third building of the mission—namely, the hospital, which was situated beyong the city, about a mile and a quarter from the Fathers' residence. On their way they came to a Protestant church, adjacent to which was located the residence of the minister, the Rev. Win, Wingham, who, unperturbed, observed them coming. The place was furiously- attacked, the residence was entered, and the minister with his wife and one of his daughters merci-

lessly murdered. A second daughter, who was merely a child, escaped, through the protection of her Chinese nurse, by whom she was hidden under a bed.

This Murderous Work finished, they resumed their journey to the hospital. There, were five Sisters in charge, who, when the sanguinary mob arrived, were having their frugal meal, quite unconscious of what was happening in the town, and, of course, of the danger they were in themselves. At the hospital were two Fathers of the mission, Fathers Kossignal and Salavert, who were both suffering from a severe attack of typhoid fever. The doors of the enclosure were immediately forced open and guarded. Father Rossignal fortunately recalled to mind that a lew days previously a portion of the garden wall had fallen in, and that the breach had bt'en stopped temporarily by a network of bamboos. To this palisade he instantly led the Sisters, through which they escaped, and then, returning to the hospital, placed his sick confrere on his shoulders, and, hurrying thiough the broken wall, rejoined the Sisteis with whom he sought refuge in a gaol, situated only about fifty yards away. Their flight .was well executed, for had they remained a few seconds longer, the mission would have had seven other deaths to deplore. Father Rossignal told Biother Joseph Vincent, to whom we are indebted for these details, that they had scarcely escaped through the hole in the wall when the infuriated mob bioke open the doors of the house, entered shouting death to the inmates, and began at once to set the place in flames. About 9 o'clock at night the Governor being infoimed of the danger to •yvhich they were still exposed, sent a body of 100 soldiers lo rescue them, and escort them on board a steamer that would take them to Kioukiang. The two Fathers wt-re clad in soldiers' dress, and the Sisters wrapped themselves up in secular cloaks, and, in this guise they marched with the soldieis to the little steamer that awaited them. On arrival thereat, Father Salavprt died from the fever, aggravated by

The Excitement and Exhaustion. he had suffered during the escape. But the maddened ciowd still thiisted for blood, and so they sought (or irobh victims, which they < found, aLis ! in the Biothers. According to details collected by Brother Antonin (\ ice-Provincial), the Brothers, when they found their lives in danger, took to flight, and went to the fortifications, where they a.^ked a petty ollic et to afford them protection, which he refused. They then directed their footsteps towairis the bank of the river, in the hope of procuring a boat in which they could cross to the opposite side ; but before they could embark, the crowd had reached the spot and made escape in that direction impossible. Not knowing any other likely outlet from the dangerous position in which they found themselves, they simply went as chance directed, and arrived at the edge of the pond, where they were surrounded by the furious populace. Brother Leon, the director, turned towards the maddened mob, appealed to them, and said :— ' Kill me, but do spare these others,' pointing to his Brothers. Suddenly the crowd uttered murderous cries, delivered blow after blow on the Brothers 1 heads, pushed ■ them violently into the pond, where they showered stones and other missiles at them, and added to their agony in every way they could. Brother Leon was the first to expire. - Soon afterwaids three others succumbed, but Brother Marius survived until the arrival of the chief Mandarin of the town, who said to him :—' Come out, of the water, and I "will deliver you.' The Brother turned his head around, made an effort to stand, but he fell to use no more. The bloody tragedy was ended,

The Sacrifice was Consummated. That same evening, or the morning following, by order of the Governor, the bodies were taken out of the water, dressed in Mandarins' habits, and placed in coffins. By his order also, they were accorded a public funeral, or rather a pagan one, at which assisted about twenty bonzes, the cortege moving along under triumphal arches, to the sounds of martial music. The corpses were brought to Kioukiang, and placed in the chapel of the mission. 'It is there,' says Brother Joseph \ incent, *I had the consolation, of being able to see and observe them. They were not disfigured, though they bore the scars of ~ many wounds ; their features were in no way contracted, but bore, on the contrary, the impression of the profoundest peace^— a reflex, we firmly hope, of that Which they enjoy in Heaven, as the recompense of their labors and sacrifices.

We (' Ni.Z. Tablet ') may add that on June 20 the Chinese authorities signed a treaty according complete satisfaction -to -France for the massacre of the six missionaries at Nantchang (Kiang-si Province), in February. China paid £'10,000 indemnity to the missions and a further indemnity to the relatives of the murdered men ; it also builds a memorial hispital and punishes the ringleadeis of the rioting. In addition, posthumous honors, which the people of Nantchang demanded, were refused to the Chinese magistrate whose suicide was the signal for the outbreak. The French gunboats in the vicinity of Nantchang were withdrawn when these arrangements were completed. .