Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-09

op.
The French periodical, Mission.
Cttholiques, gives Us the first authen
tic and detailed narrative of the recent
massacre of Roman Catholic native
converts in China, to which we have
already briefly alluded. The account.
as translated for the London Tablet.
relates that the massacre broke out on
the 2jth Of February, when the liter
ates, as the prosecuting party are
called, opened the campaign by be-
heading two men in the service Of Pere
Doare and Chr' eian, whom they then
threw into the +,yer. The same day
they burnt the three villages of Trun-
Nam, Mo Yinh and Bau Tach, and
massacred the inhabitants that were in
| them. Those who succeeded in escap-
ing to the woods were hunted down
with hounds, brought back and killed
on the following daYs. The river
was covered over with bodies floating
down it from the side of Lareg. At
that time the murdcrers were massa-
creing the Christians Of the parish of
Hoiven, and were burning their villa
ges Those who took refuge in the
cliffs Of the neighhorhood were hunted
down and burned alive. The grand
mandarin of Justice was at the market
Of Sa Nam with 500 soldiers, bat re-
mained an inactive spectator Of the
N .ssacre of the Christians of Nam
Duong, only few Of whom were able
/ to escape. : The literates who
were the heads Of the militia appointed
to massacre the Chrisiants, say That the
work Of determination, carried out
under the eyes Of the mandarins, was
concerted between the Court and the
literates; 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
0ne of the chiefs who had just
caused two Christians to be murdered
on the high road. went on Jhe parade
before the Governor Of the citadel. by
whom he was dismissed with honor.
/ On his return twenty women or chill
den fell under the swords OF this man
and his followers, He had just come
from offering sacrifice to the Goddess
Of Prostitution, to whom 3 famous
temple that stands near the road is
! dedicated
In several localities they take an
entire family, father, mother and
children, bind them together with
bamboos, and then fling the bundle OF
living humanity iuto she waves. First,
however, they take care to cut off the
mans head. The multitude Of dead
bodies thus fastened together in groups
of from eight to ten blocks up the
principal river; but. 10 the great sur
prise Of everybody, does not send forth
! @uT bad smell.
There are then FIVE parishes, con
! tanning nearly ten thousand Christians,
which have to be blotted out Of The
mission. namely: Lang, Ihank-iiuyen,
Nam Duong, Hoy-Ien and Doreg
Thaak Many Of tha victims died il
tle midst of the flames
A village OF more than 400 Christians
was attacked BY the iiterates and soor
became a prey to the flames, Amongs
these four hundred Christians there
were one hundred and twenty, more OF
less, who succeeded in saving them
selves by taking refuge in large vii
lage near by The remainder about
,arce hundred were nearly all massa
cred.
Two small villages of Christians, SIT
uated two hours walk from the place
at which l then was, were hemmed in
| by the PagaAs. 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
attempted to &c to the market to keer
themselves from starving. They nevel
returRed. Some Pagan women whe
went With them say that the Christian
women we're captured and beheaded
Two men from one o. these same vii
lages hazarded a fight during the
ul2nt they crossed the great river by
SWIMMING, and came to me TO tell then
uislortunes. Alas writes Archbishop
Jauthier, from whose letters this infer.
uIatien is chiefly derived:
Il could do nothing but weep with
them, being unable to do anything tC
succor them. Two er three davs after
wards | learned that al! tie men II
that village had had their hesds cut off
bat the wemen and children wer,
spared And as their houses were in
terlningled with these Of the pagans
1t was forbidden 10 barn them down.
I new understood the extent Of The
danger that threatened myself and the
viilerc in which was living. l never
ceased hearing confessions by day an5
by night. Everybody came to confes:
to prepare for death. for everybody
was expecting to be killed, Those dear
/ Chr. tians were fully resolved to obey
the holy will Of God and to shed theil
bloed to obtain the conversion of their
tnurlerers. Sometimes, in fear le i
they should not have time to make
their confessions separately, they hur.
rIed to me IN large numbers, and fall