The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-18
A Returned Missionary Tells How
Himself and Family Escaped the
Fury Of a Fanatical Mob.
CAUSE OF THE UPRISINGS
AN UNPOPULAR vICEROY's EFFORTS
TO RETAIN HIS POSITION.
Robbed the People OF 100000, 900 and
Circulated stories That Foreign
ers Fried Children for Their Oil.


Among the passengers by the Empress
of japan were DR.. Stevenson and family,
missionaries at Sze-Chuen, China, who mar
rowly escaped murder at the hands of
natives in the first of the recent riots.
Dr. Stevenson belongs TO a Canadian Meth
odist mission and is now en- route to his
home in Milton, Ontario, having had to
leave China owing to the i'll health of
his wife, who was suffering from the ef-
fects CT the horrors.
DIR. Stevenson said that the vicious off,
cial system of the empire is responsible
for the persecution of missionaries. Left
to themselves the people of Sze-Chuen
were paceable and well disposed toward
them. The better class Of Chinese are
quick to appreciate their superiority in
many respects-in medicine for example
and DR.. Stevenson has had his hands full
attending to his numerous patients among
all classes. The viceroy of this province
may be regarded as a typical specimen of
this class. Receiving merely a nominal
salary from headquarters he made up the
deficiency from the pockets of the people
with such good results that in few
years he amassed no less than $50, 0c0.
He allowed his rapacity to get the better
OF his discretion and behaved so tyrannic-
ally that his own countrymen grew dis
gusted. The popular clamor was so great
that the central government was forced to
recognize the case and last year he was
disgraced But he could not be removed
until a successor was appointed, a process
involving considerable delay in China See
ing himself on the brink of political an
Inhalation he thought to regain favor and
make an enviable reputation by turning
the missionaries from the country. 1t was
afterward learned moreover that he had
secret instructions to that effect. All kinds
Of outrageous stories about the mission
aries were circulated among the people for
the purpose of securing their cooperation.
THE RIOTS AT CHENG-TU.
The missionaries had built hospital in
| Cheng-Tu, now destroyed, at considerable
| cost, and Mr.. Stevenson was one Of the
doctors employed. On the 2sth OF May a
| placard was posted declaring that for
| eigners fried children for the oil in them.
| A request was made that these placards
should be torn down, and few were taken
| down, though several persons objected.
! "Dr. Kilborn,' the Doctor continued, twas
| just filling Mrs. Jackson's teeth and was
doing some work about the dispensary
when we heard some children yelling and
throwing stones. This was about 4:30. We
sent our cards at once to nearly all the
Yamen. They were received. except one
sent to the Tsong Pdo Kiachi In, Human
man, who followed up his refusal with a
vicious proclamation. This man had been
cured of an ulcer in the leg, Of twenty
| years standing, short time before. The
crowd attacked the Canadian mission and
broke in the doors. DR.. Kilborn had a
double e-barreled gun and I had a Martini
| crowd dispersed in hurry from the gate
and left the opposite mudwall clear. We
fired three shots down into them, and then
ran right out into the street. We held the
crowd at bay until the chairman ar
rived, who promised to keep the street
clear, adding that the officials would soon
appear Good liars, but poor police. they
soon allowed the people to come right into
the gate.
"Again we cleared the street In little
while our wives wanted to see us. They
had picked up the babies in their night
clothes and ran to the hospital through the
dividing wall, and we soon heard crowds
beating on the hospital gates on back
street. DR.. Kilborh blew a big hole through
the top panel of the gate and frightened the
crowd back We now went into our dis
pensary building and tried to lock ourselves
in, but we soon heard the roar and crash OF
glass and panels on the dwelling side. We
made several vain attempts to escape into
an adjacent lot. We fully expected DEATH
but in short time man cured of opium
smoking found and told US we must
leave at once. He had found a hole In 'the
hospital gate. made by stone from a
rioter. One of my twin babies was taken
by a woman servant of DIR. Kilborn, the
other by the opium patient. My wife held
on to the little baby and / held the rifle
We all ran to the gates. There was just
room for one to get through the hole.
was one of the last to get out, and al
once pointed my rife at a man who was
yelling Tax szev (strike dead. He shut up
as there were only dozen or so by the
hospital gate. / was forced to resort to
this expedient several times. While we
were running out in the parade grounds a
brutal soldier kicked Mrs. Stevenson.
leveled again this wretch, and had he
tried to follow it up there might have been
another story TO tell. But he saw me and
stopped. After this my rifle was needed nc
further, and Ii was left the next day
Some rioter now has a gun for which
would be willing to pay him fine price as
| a relic.
Next day the party made its way tc
the China inland nilsson house, from there
they watched the destruction of the two
i old houses of the Canadian Methodist mis-
son- The people on the street promiset
them protection. but a mob collected. The
party, however, got away in chairs to thu
yamen. The place was barricaded. bu,
the mob broke in and DR.. and Mrs. Xii
born, Mr. and Mrs. Hartwell. the children
and Misses Brecbill and Ford escaped by
ladders over the back WALL They entered
. a small house and bribed the owners fo
thirty taels to conceal them inside the be-
curtains. For three hours they waited IL
J terror, while the work Of destruction wa
. ceeded in getting away
The same condition OF affairs prevailet
. | at the Episcopal and Roman Catholic mis-
| sions In all eleven places were looted an.
| the Inhabitants barely escaped with thei
| lives The Roman Catholic bishop wa
{. | next to the viceroys yaInen. and coull
. | easily have been saved, but on appeal 10
. help he was refused It, That night sav
tharty-one foreigners. mefi. women ant
l children, French and British. In the yamen
: homeless. their houses leveled or burned
! | with scarcely a whole tile left. A messag
5 was sent or to the Chung-king consul
5 but when the viceroy heard Of It. he or
8 | dered the operator TO Fetch it back, but wa
5 too late. and the news got through to Pc
king. The district magistrate took care o