The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-07-17
The Massacre I'm China.
THE RECENT DREADFUL SLAUGHTER OF
CHINESE cHRIsTIANs-10,000 VICTIMS
SACRIFICED.

THE RECENT DREADFUL SLAUGHTER OF
CHINESE cHRIsTIANs-IO,000 VICTIMS
SACRIFICED.
The French periodical, Missions Cath
oliques, gives us the first authentic and
detailed narrative of the recent massa-
ere of Roman Catholic native converts
in China. The account, as translated
for the London Tablet, relates that the
massacre broke out ON the 25th of Feb
ruary, when the literates," as the per-
scouting party is called, opened the
campaign by ~beheading two men in the
service of Pere Doare, and a Christian,
whom they then threw into the river.
The same day they burned the three
villages of Trun-Lam, Nio-vinh, and
Bau-Tach, and massacred the mhabl-
tants that were in them. Those. who
succeeded in escaping to the woods
were hunted down with hounds, brought
back and killed OH the following day.
The river was covered over with bodies
floating down it from the side of Lareg.
At that time the murderers were mas
sacring the ChristiansB the parish OF
Holven, and were burning their villages:
Those who took refuge in the cliffs of
the neighborhood were hunted down
and burned alive.
The Grand Mandarin of Justice Was
at the market of Sa-Nam with 500 sol
diers, but remained an inactive tspecta-
tor OF the massacre of the Christians of
Nam-Duong, only a few OF whom were
able to escape.
: The literates, who were the heads
of the militia appointed to massacre the
Christians, say that the work OF exter1
mination carried out under the eyes OF
41tn 1To1t4n nj n Q 1xac annonptol hnfUnnn
the court and the l~iteTates, and was
done in reprisal for recent events. The
Mandarins. have just received orders
from the court not to employ any other
means save those of persuasion to stop
the murderers in their career. One of
the chiefs, who had Just caused two
Christians to be murdered on the high
road, went on the parade before the
Governor of the citadel, by Whom he
was dismissed with honor On his re-
turn twenty women and children fell
under the sword of this maj and his
followers. He had just come from offer
ing sacrifice to the Goddess of Prostitu-
ton, to whom a famous temple that
stands near the road is dedicated.
In several localities they take an en-
tire family-father, mother and chill
dren-bind them together with bamb0os,
and then fling the bundle of living hui
mainly into the waves. First, however,
they take care to cut OIL the mans head.
The multitude of dead bodies thus, fas-
tened together in groups of from eight
to ten block mp the principal river, but
to the great surprise Of everybody does
not send forth any bad smell. There
are, then. five parishes, containing near
ly 10000 Christians, which have to be
bio ted out of the mission, namely;
Lang-Thank-HuEen 5Nam-Duong Hoy
Yen, and Doreg-Thank Many of the
victims died in the midst of flames "a
yillage.of more thanf4D Christians was
attacked by the ~lifeTHtes, and soon9be-
came a, prey to the flames. Amongst
these 400 Christians there were 1870, more
or less, who succeeded ia saving them
selves by taking refuge in a large viii
lage near by. iTae 3remainder-about
three hundred-weFe nearly all nfassa-
cred. .sg5f
Two3smalI villages of Christians, sit
uated two hours walk from the place, at
which Ithen was, were hemmed in by
the pagans. The Mayor visited each
house, numbered the Christians, and
forbade them, under threat of the most
severe punishment, to go out of doors.
a. few of the Christian women attempt
ed to go to the markell to keep -tllemsel-
YES from starving They never return
cd. Some pagan women that went with
them say that the Christian women
We're captured and beheaded. Twomen
from one of these same villages hazard
ed a fight duringthe night. They cross
ed the great river by swimming,i and
came to me to tell their misfortiInes.
"Alastp writes Archbishop Gautier.
from whose. letter. this information is
chiefly derived, 81 could do nothing but
weep for them, being unable to do any
thing to suce0r them. Two or three
days afterward IL learned that all the.
mem in that village had had their heads
cut off but the women and children
We're spared. lAnd, as their houses were.
inteTmingled with thnse Of the pagans.
it was forbidden to burn them down.