The Portland daily press., 1870-08-23

The Tientsin Massacre.
| Letters from Tieutsin of the 23I of June
gives full particulars of the awful massacres of
foreigners at that place in January AID June
last. In the first named period a fierce at
tack was made on the French and English
missions at Hong Kaw and number of the
former were outrageously treated. Their
houses were burned and one clergyman killed.
The French Minister at once demanded repa-
ration and punishment of all persons engaged
| in the disgraceiu and inhuman violence. The
| churches and missions were rebuilt. actual in
Identification made and several of the known
| participants were beheaded. For a time ev-
| erything remained quiet, but educated China
men said openly that in a little time they
would kill every foreigner in China.
A concerted plan of action was agreed up
| on by these barbarians under the plea that
foreigners were in China for the purpose OF
| kidnapping young boys aud girls, killing them
| digging out their eyes, mutilating their per-
| s,stewing portions of their bodies in huge
caulJron, and packing in tin cans, after which
| they shipped them to Europe and Amerca for
| medicri purposes, the preparation beinga sure
| panacea Tor battling diseases. OF course such
infamous reports were known by the officials
to be has lies, but they repeated the tales, and
on the same day, June 9th, the several gov
ernors OF all the Northern Provinces caused to
be hoisted official notices taking cognizance of
the rumors and giving official color and sane
ton thereto. In every village, hamlet, fishing
station, and city did these notices appear on
the walls and temples The consequence of
| this official notice was to cause great alarm
| among the lower classes, and to so intensity
their bitter hatred OF Europeans. On Sunday
June 18th, the mutterings of trouble assumed
hostile shape by the assembling OF a large
crowd ofnatives nnder the walls of their ma
tive city, about two miles north of the foreign
settlement, and in the immediate vicinity of
| the French settlement. The crowd INDUCED
in fiercesscreams and howls, beating of tom.
toms and gongs, and assaults of the servants
OF Europeans and such native Christians as
appeared on the streets. The tumult continued
on the 10th and 21st,and about noon of the lat
| Ter day the assault was made resulting in the
| deatn OF fourteen women, seven men, sixty
| four native Christians, and sixty children.
The dead were horribly mutilated and the Con-
| sulate Cathedral and Outbuilding soon burned.
When the attack was made, the French Con-
suls, Henri Fontanier, M. Simon, his secre.
tary, M. Centres, Chancellor, and Monsieur
and Madame Thomasson were at lunch. The
crowd approached and made demands for the
| consul to proceed to the mission and compel
| the sisters to turn out the children. The
bowls were almost deaiening, and in a few
minutes stones began to shower on the build
ing, some breaking the windows and falling
on the dining table, breaking dishes and scat
ternS food about the room. Upon this the
consul and his secretary arose from the table.
put on their size arms and regulation hats,
and going to the wall which surrounded the
consulate, attempted to reason with the ex-
cited crowd. They were met with voley af-
| Ter volley OF sticks and stones, and finding re-
| monstrances vain the gentlemen went out by
| the rear gate and, pursued by the bowling
| mob, sought the yamen and demanded an in
slant interview with the governor. 1t was
| granted. What occurred lat that interview
| we have no means of knowing except from
| Chinese Information. A Chinaman named
Ting says that Chung How treated the
consu! most contemptuously and even spat
upon him when he reproached Chung How
with lack OF faith and cOnnvance with the
priests of Buddhist. The servants were Or
dered to e2pel him, and did so violently. In
the scufile revolver, which the secretary had
in his hand, was discharged into the floor.
The doomed men then sought the street, and
attempted to reach the consulate. Mr.. COu-
tres had meantime escaped, and concealed
himself in the top of a temple, where he wit
messed what trauspired, but as they turned
the corner leading brave attacked the con-
sui, and in an instant hundreds more had
Joined the assailant, and in less time than it
takes to record it, they had cut, hacked, and
literally torn their bodies almost past recog-
milton. Blood Orce having been shed and
two high officials slain, these braves knew no
fear. With maddened bowls they again
sought the Consulate. At the gate they found
priest whom they instantly killed. NJ
ThOmassen was then caught as he was bar
ring the gate and cut down. Madam Thorn
Assem- then came to the wall, and the crowd
rushed at her. She drew two selfcockng re-
volvers and killed forr or five Cinnamon before
she was overpowered.-Her struggles were
of no avail, though and she was immediately
murdered. Every house servant at the con-
sulate, native priest, and two Canton men
were killed, and then the place was set on
hire. In an hour the consulate, cathedral and
out-buildlngs were mass OF ruins. The bod
les of the priest, Monsieur and Madam Thorn
assen were thrown into the river, where they
were recovered the next day. The crowning
act vi the drama. Meantime, alter NJ Foun-
tanier had been slain crowd numbering sew
era thousand had crossed the bridge of boats
and surrounded the mission. The doors
were instantly wrenched from the gate and
the crowd filled the enclosure with horrible
hOwls. A native Christian priest who at
tempted to guard the door was seized and
torn limb from limb. Nine of the sisters
were then collected in the large school room.
their clothes torn from their bodies They
were placed Oh their heads and cut with
knives in the most savage manner, and out
ragged beyond belief. Yet alive, they were
ranged side by side along the room, their
cheeks gashed, lips and nose cut, eyes scooped
from their heads, their breasts cut, and abdo-
men ripped open with large cleavers. Their
limbs were cut and broken, and in ten min
utes naught remained but their disfgured
bodies Every cruelty which it was possible |
Ior the most savage barbarian to conceive of |
was perpetrated upon these weak, defenceless |
ChrlStlan ladies'. When there was no more |
10 40, hre was applied to the massive build |
Inss, and IN little time they were burned.
olXty or seventy children who had souoht |
refuge from the mob in the cellar were burned
10 cruel death. Afterwards six boxes con-
tanning the charred and maneled homes of
sisters were forwarded by Ching How to the
English Consul. As soon as the slauobter
commenced news OF it was carried by the |
friendly Chinese TO the main settlement and
instantly means of defense were taken
There were lying at the levee the American
steamship Mancha, Captain Steele, and the
English steamship Aprm, besides two barques |
and three schoOners. Inasmuch as the deck |
of the Mancha commanded theentire leyee
and the main street leading to the city. it was |
deemed best to centralze the means of de- |
fence, and eleven mounted guns were pro-
cured. and guns, rifles ard pistols were secur-
ed The ladies and children hurried on |
board. The citizens resolved into a patrol |
guard. The gunhoats arrived two or three |
davs later, and there was no further disturb |
anceS.