Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-08-23
LBTFBR FROM CHINA.
The Late Massacre at Tientsin.
AUTREMTIc ACCOUNT.


by gallant Jeffersonian, now an officer in
the service of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company. The author, we are pleased to be
able to state to our readers, has promised to
become irregular correspondent of the Spirit,
and we have no doubt that his letters will
prove an interesting feature of our paper:-
SHANGHAI, China, July 9th, 1870.
Editors of Spirit Of jefferson:
DEAR SIRs Il did not think that my frat
letter to your columns, would contain such bad
news as [ have now to chronicle. left
Yokohama, Japan, on steamer "Golden Age"
18th of june, arriving here the 4th of this
month, to find the entire town. Gnstead of the
enjoyment of their peaceable permits in the
highest state of excitement, caused by the
recent news of the horrible massacre of Eu-
ropeaus at Tientsin, China, about 800 miles
from this place, by the natives.
1t seems that on Tuesday the 2lst of June,
o Chinese mob, with the conniyance of the
Mandarin, and especially of Chupghou the
Governor of Tientsin, simultaneously attacked
the French Consulate, the Catholic Church
Mission, and the Hospitals of the Sisters OF
Mercy. 1t was at two o'clock tl,at'th assault
commenced. The French Consulate. Monsieur
II 7.
windows broken by stones, left the consulate
in uniform, and insisted ON being accompanied
by a petty Mandarin (who was looking on at
the mob without impeding them) to the
Ysmen of Chunghou. and there he demanded
protection for the Consulate, the persons who
were residents and himself; he also asked for
protection for the Sisters of Mercy and their
Hospital having heard they were in danger.
ChuDghou told him he could not protect any
of the persons named: remOnstrance took
place, and as the French Consulate held in
his hand a revolver, which he had brought to
protect himself, Chunghou got frightened and
left the 1oom The French Consulate then
addressed his demand for protection to another
Mandarin, but was told that nothing could be
done for him. Some alteration took place,
when one of the soldiers of the Yamen stabbed
the French consul i'm the thigh, and the blood
streaming from the wound, reddening his
white pants he rushed to the door, and hold
ing up the French flag asked leave to pass
Tue soldiers and mob seemed awed for mo-
nIent, but it was for moment only They
fell upon the unfortunate Consul pierced him
with spears aud swords, and after mutilatiDg
him threw his corpse into the river. Mean>
while, the mob, after allowing the French
Consul to go towards the Yamen, Immediately
broke open the Consulate and cruelty murder
ed NJ. Thomassin, aud the Able Ghevrier aud
another Catholic Priest. NJ. Thomassin was
an attache 10 the French Legation at Peking,
and had only arrived few days ago from
France, with his uewly married and beautiful
Young bride. The mob led On'by the soldiers
set fire to the Consulate, and the Church of
the Catholic Mission, and burnt all Of the in
mates that could not escape. Simultaneously
i ~ 4, 81,
mob and soldiers surrounded the Hospital of
the French Sisters of Charity. Having set
fire to portion of the building, they entered
the gutes aud dragged all the Sisters of
Charity into the streets. There they stripped
them naked, exposed them to the public gaze,
pluoked out their eyes, cut off their breasts,
ripped them open, dragged out their hearts
and deliberately cut them to pieces, and di>
vided portions of their flesh among the in
furuted mob. No European witnessed these
outrages on humanity save the poor victOms,
who in presence of each other, passed through
the terrible ordeal aud persisted without hope
of release; and without any support in that
extreme hour of misery and torment, save
their confidence in n merciful God. Chinese
spectators relate other horrors perpetrated on
these innocent ladies, that cannot be men>
toned. God alone aud the Sisters know all
they endured of mortal agony and bodily suf>
ferings. Their m0desty outraged, their purity
detiled, their poor frames torn nssunder, their
blood scattered and their lives destroyed by
savages whose murderous rage inflicted all
these and other Out1ages amidst scene of
horror, that alone would be too terrible to
encounter One short hour sufTiced to ex-
tinguish these noble martyrs OF charity
Their labors of love amongst the poor OF
1ien;sin for six years, was thus crowned with
bitterness and earthly shame-hy the very
people whom they had clothed fed and succored
and tended in the hour of.sckness and pesti-
lepae The ulutlated bodies of the dead
sisters we're thrown into the flames of the
burning binding. Mr.. N. Protopopof,
Pussian merchant. with his wife to whom he
had only been married two days, were met in
the streets by the mob and met with the same
fate, their bodies being horribly mutiated and
thrown into the river, where they we're re-
covered by their friends
~ ChaImaisou whiie endeavOring to get to
the reliet Of the sisters. was cut to pieces in
the streets lis wife hearing the death of
her husband, attempted at night to discover
his body but she being discovered was like
wise murdered. About fifty Cantonese men
who were suspected of being on intimate terms
with Europeans, were murdered during the
riot. There was no available force at Tientsin
to protect British property or life. Chunghou
had been requested four consecutive days pre-.
viously by the British Consul to use means to
prevent the outbreak or afford protection !;
and he never vouchsafed even an answer to
these official acquisitions, made to him as the
chief authority of Teutsn. From all can
learn upon Chunghou doubtless rests the re-
sponsibilty and blame of this murderous in
serrection, and it is to be hoped that condign
punishment will DC inflicted upon him for his
connivance at the slaughter of so many in
nocent persons. This horrible massacre did
not occur in the interior town, where there
might have been dispute of residence, but
it occurred in the treaty port, the very port