Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-11-14
BRAVE MISSIONARIES.
Their Rescue from Death by ApParen
Frovidential Interposition.


Frovidential Interposition.
1t Is clear, bright morning in the sum-
mer of 1924, but the sun that shines so
brilliantly upon Rangoon looks down upon
a strange and startling spectacle, writes
David Ker in one of his New York Times
BurInah letters The whole town seems to
be out of doors, and every street is a surg
ing sea OF wild faces livid with fear or black
with rage. All along the rude defenses
which face toward the river a mob of
ragged Burmese soldiers are swarming like
ants over the crumbling earthworks and
hRlf-effaced batteries, piling up rusty cam
non balls and dragging honeycombed guns
to and fro as if preparing for the coming of
an enemy. Such is, indeed, the case, for if
you look in the direction whittier their
scowling eyes turn restlessly ever and anon
you will see far down the broad, winding
river, towering high above the dark mass
OF jungle that clothes its banks, the white
sails Of several stately men-of war, with
the British flag waving above them The
"white-faced beasts" whom the royal Tom
Thumb of Burmah has so long insulted and
deied have come at last to demand satisfac-
tion in earnest
But the thickets thrOng and the loudest
uproar concentrate themselves upon the
great market near the landing place. where
a roaring whirlpool of gnashIng teeth and
glaring eyes and clenched hands and
brandished weapons and woish yels boils
and eddies round two unarmed white men.
bound, helpless, splashed with mud and
bleeding from many bruise. but still wear
ing look Of quiet and fearless calmness
that contrasts very strikingly with the
bowling fury of the human wolves around
them. Missionaries and men of peace
though they are, they have in their veins
the bold American blood of the warriors of
Bunker Hill and Valley Forge, and now.
saved from instant death at the hands of
the mob only TO perish by the slower and
more deliberate murder of so-called claw"
they stand amid this riot of demons as calm
and undauntcd as ever.
When the doomed men are dragged be-
fore the Raywoon (GOvernor) of the city that
worthy Nero is somewhat at a loss what to
do. To any consideration OF mcre humanity
he is as insensIble as an English work house
guardian; but, being u shade less ignorant
than the imbruted ruffians around him, he
knows that the white men can fight, and
that If they should take the town the mur-
der OF these two victims viii. be fearfully
avenged But his feeble remonstrances are
drowned by the bloodthirsty yell of the rab-
bic, nd the Governor, like a second Pilot.
the clamor Of a ruffianly mob The two
prisoners are sentenced to immediate
death and orders arc given to carry them to
the place of execution and behead them
forthwith.
The words Of doom are hailed with a roar
of savage JOY, and the sea of fierce faces
and tossing arms poured out of the narrow
street in one great wave, sweeping along
with them their victims, behind whom
stalks the executioner himself a gaunt.
scowling, frIghtful creature, with no cloth
ing save blood d-stained cloth around his
loins, the hideous spots on whose wolfsh
face mark him as one of those miserable
criminals who have redeemed their own
worthless lives from death by accepting
the degrading Office of innicting death upon
their fellowmen. As the ghastly process
sion moves onward the wretch hourishes
his broad-bladed knife above the heads of
the doomed missionaries, and at every rep
etition of this grim pantomime howl of
cruel triumph rises from the savage throng
around them.
But even in this deadly peril with the
shadow Of the grave deepening around
them, the two brave Americans never
finch for a moment. All the taunts and
curses Of the murderous rabble move them
not whit, and when they reach the place
OF death their only words are: Brother,
we shall meet again in Heaven" The Gov
ernor gives the fatal signal, the crowd falls
back TO right and left, and the grim heads
man approaches his victims with brand
lshcd knife and forces them down upon
their knees.
''Where is your God, now. Christian!"
cries the savage, with a jecriug laugh. You
say that He is all powcrful-let Him save
you then if He can"
" If it be His WILL" answers one of the
self-devoted heroes, " He can save us even
now"
The dauntless words are scarcely uttered
when there comes roar as If the earth were
rent In twain-a thick gust Of hot, sitting
smoke makes all as dark as highland in
the grim hush that followed is heard the
crash of falling roofs, mingled with shrieks
OF agony and cries of terror. When the
smoke clears away the two Americans find
themselves kneeling alone amid the vast
space which was lately so crowded. Far in
the distance their cruel enemies are fleeing
like hunted sheep, while few PAGES off lies
the headless corpse of the savage execution
or, struck dead by an English cannon-ball,
but still clutching in his stiffenmg hand the
huge knife which was to have drunk their
blood.
What follows IS the mere mockery of q
battle. The valiant Governor and his officers
have already taken 10 their heels and the
feeble and unskillful fire of the few who at
tempt resistance is speedily crushed by the
tremendous broadsides of the English men
of-war. An hour later the British blue
jackets pour into the town, only to find it
already deserted. and bear back with them
in triumph the two gallant missionaries
who lived for many years after IN toll how
God had remembered his servants in their
snpaaf naa1