Connecticut western news., 1874-08-21
MASSACRE IN CHINA.
Ten Thousand Native Christians slaugh- "- tered.-BloOdy Scenes and Heroic Suf-
 Rarfn1.

Ten Thousand Native Christians slaugh- r. tered.-BloOdy Scenes and Heroic suf- ferins.
 The French periodical, Missions CatAoziques, of the last of July, gives the first authentic and detailed narra- tive of the recent massacre of Roman Catholic native converts in China.
 The account, as translated for the ere broke out on the 25th of February, when the " literates," as the persecu- ting party is called, opened the cam paign by beheading two men in the service of Pere Doare and Christian, whom they then threw into the river. The same day they burned the villages of Trun. Lam, Fio-Vinh and Bau-Tach, and massacred the inhabitants that were in them. Those who succeeded in escaping to the woods were hunted down with hounds, brought back and killed on the following day. The river was covered over with bodies floating down it from the side of Lareg. At that time the murderers were massacre ing the Christians of the parish of Holven, and were burning their vil- lages. 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 800 soldiers, but re- mained an inactive spectator. of the massacre of the Christians of Nam Duong, only few of whom were able to escape.
 The hterote8, who were the heads of the militia appointed to massacre the Christians, say that the work of extermi- nation carried out under the eyes of the mandarins was concerted between the Court and the literotes, and was done | in reprisal for recent events. The man. darius 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- l turn, twenty women or children fell un. der the sword of this man and his fol. lowers. He had just como from offer ing sacrifice to the Goddess of Prostitu- tion, to whom 8 famous temple, that stands near the road, is dedicated.
 In several localities they take an en- tire family--father, mother and chil. dren-bind them together with bam- boos, and then fling the bundle o1 living humanity into the 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 block up the prlnci- pal river, but to the great surprise of everybody does not send forth any bad smell There are then five parishes, containing 10000 Christians, which have to be plotted out of the mission namely, Lang-Thank-Huyen, Nam Duong, Hoy-Yen, and Doreg- Thank. Many of the victims died in the midst of flames. A village of more than 400 Christians was attacked by the l5terates, and soon became prey to the flames. Among these 400 Christians there were 120, more or less, who succeeded in saving themselves by taking refuge in large village near by. The remainder, | about 300, were nearly all massacred. Two small villages of Christians, situa- ted two hours walk from the place at which l then was, were hemmed in by the pagans. The Mayor visited each house, numbered the Christians, and forbade them, under threat of most severe punishment, to go out of doors. A few of the Christian women attempted to go to the market to save. themselves from starving. They never returned. Some pagan women who went with them say that the Christian women were captured and beheaded. Two men om one of these same villages hazarded flight during the night. They passed the great river by swimming, and came to tell me their misfortunes.
 "Alas," writes Archbishop Gauthier, from whose letter this information is chiefly derived, CT could do nothing but weep for them, being unable to do anything to succor them P Two or three days afterwards learned that all the men in that village had had their heads cut of, but the women and chil- dren were spared. And, as their houses were intermingled with those of the pagans, it was forbidden to burn them down.