Omaha daily bee., 1874-06-22
THE MASSACRE IN CHINA.
The Recent Dreadful Slaughter
ofChinese Christians--Ten
Thousand Victims
Sacrificed.

tic and detailed narrative of the re-
cent massacre of Roman Catholic
native converts in China. The ac-
count as translated for the BOndou
Tablet, relates that the massacre
broke out on the 25th of February,
when the CELEBRATES" as the persecu-
ting party is called, opened the cam
paign by beheading two men in the
service of Pere Doare, and a Chris
ton, whom they then threw into
river. The same day they burned
the three villages of Trun-Lam,
Nio-Vinue and Bau-Tach, and mas
sacred the inhabitants that were in
them. Those who escaped to the
woods were hunted down with
hounds, brought back and killed the
following day. The river was COW
cred over with bodies floating down
it from the side of Lareg. AT that
time the murderers massacre
ing the Christians of the parish Of
HOlven, and were burning their vii
lagos. Those who took refuge in the
cliffs of the neighborhood, were
hunted down and burned alive. The
Grand Mandarian of Justice was at
the market of Sa-Nam with 500 SOL
diers, bat remained an inactive
spectator of the massacre
of the Christians of Nam-Duong,
only a few of whom were able to es-
cape. The ~literates,
who were the heads of the militia
appointed to massacre the Chris
tians, say that the work of eXtermI-
nation carried out under
the eyes of the Mandarlns,
was concerted between the court
and the l~iterates, 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 persua-
sion to stop the murderers in their
career. One of the chiefs who had
just caused two Christians to be MUIR
dered on the h%ighroad, went on the
parade before the Governor of the
citadel, by whom he was dismissed
with honor. On his return twenty
women and children fell under the
sword of this man and his follow
ers. He had just come from offer.
ing sacrifice to the Goddess of Pros
titution, to whom a famous temple
that stands near the road is dedi-
Gated.
In several localities they take an
entire famly-father, mother and
children - bound together with
bamboos, and then fling the bundle
of living humanity into the waves.
First, however, they take care to
cut off the mans head. The null
titude of dead bodies thus fastened
together in groups Of from eight to
ten block up the principal river, but
to the great surprise Of everybody
does not send forth any bad smell.
There are, then, five parishes con-
tanning nearly 10000 Christians,
which have to be blotted out of the
mission - namely, Lang-Thank-
Huyen, Nam-Duong, HOy-fen and
Doreg-Thank. Many Of the VIC
Tins died i'm the midst of the flames.
A village of more than 400 Chris
tians was attacked by the literates,
and soon became a prey to the
flames. Among these 400 Chris
tians there wers 100, moro or less,
who succeeded In saving them
sell rs by taking refuge i'm a large
village neal by. The reminder
about 300-were nearly all massa-
cred.
Two small villages of Christians,
situated two hours walk from the
place at which / then was, We're
hemmed i'm Dy the pagans. The
Mayor visited each house, numbered
the Christians and forbade them,
under threat of most severe punish
ment, to go out of doors. A few of
the Christian women attempted to
90 to the market, to keep them
selves from starving. They never
returned. Some pagan women that
went with them say that the Christ
ian women were captured and be-
headed. Two men from n of
these same villages hazarded a flight
during the night. They crossed the
liver by swimming, and came to
me to tell their misfortunes. "Alas!"
writes Archbishop Gautier, from
whose letter this information is
chiefly derived, az could do moth
ing but weep for them, being unable
to do anything to suooO them. Two
or three days afterward l learned
hat all the men i'm that village had
had their heads cut off; but the
women and children were spared.
And, as their houses We're inter-
mingled with those of the pagans,
It was forbidden to burn them
down"