The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-09-12
KU CHENG's HORROR.
Testimony Taken Before the Anglo.
American Commission.

ny the br1UlSn anu Aln0flCdu SONefIucuuS
TO Investigate the Ku Cheng massacre of
August 1. REACHED Foo Che on August
10, Suiko two days later, and Ku Cheng
on August IL, without a shadow of moles-
tation from! the barbarous hordes alleged
by Chinese officials to have established a
reign of terror throughout the province.
The commission consisted of the Brit
isl consul, Mr.. R. W. Mansfield; the
American consul, Col. j. Courtenay Hlx-
son; the British vice consul, X. l.. b.
Allen, from Padoga anchorage; Lieut..
Evans of the u S. S. Detroit; the Rev.
V. W. Bannister, representing the English
church Missionary Society, and DIR.
Gregory of the American M. r. Mission,
and an escort of but one hundred Of the
viceroy's alarmed and poorly disciplined
soldiers, a circumstance which supports
but feebly the Chinese contention that
the massacre was entirely beyond official
prevention, owing to the country being
in revolt
This defense is regarded by all British
and American residents in Chinese terri
tory as quite as faroical as the commission
unsupported as it is, by any display of
British or American force, and indigna-
ton runs high at the apathy displayed by
these governments in regard to the massa-
Gre. 1t is argued that the official defense
is untenable as by Chinese law system
of mutual responsibility prevails, all pub
lie officials being held personally response
BILE for the commission OF crimes within
their jurisdiction, whether they are leglt-
fol X hi orr no and VlElt00
with the penalties attached in the event
of their falling to apprehend and punish
the criminal in person.
The commission had, at last advices,
received the statements OF three witnesses,
DIR. Gregory of the American mission at
Foo Chow: the Rev. H. E. Phillips and
Miss Hartman of Ku Cheng. the latter
two having been eye witnesses OF the lear
full scene of August l.
REV. MR.. PHILLIPS STORY.
The Rev. Mr.. Phillips tells how he was
awakened at in the morning by shout
ing in the direction of the stewards
house. He at fist thought it was chill
dren PLAYING; but soon recognizing the
voices of excited men, he dressed hastily
and went over
81 was met few yards from my dwell
ling he said 'tby native friend, who,
while throwing his arms around me to
detain me, told me that the yegetarlans
had come l shook him off and went on
and soon came in sight of the house, from
which forty or fifty bandits were CARRY
ing loads of plumber, their leader holding
aloft small red flag could see moth
ing of our Europeans, and, as I was in
full view of the rioters, | crept up hill
in the brushwood and concealed myself
behind two trees, from twenty to thirty
wards from the house. There L could see
everything that could be seen. AS L
could see no foreigners, concluded they
had escaped, and as to go down was Ger
tain death, l thought it best to wait
where | was.
ssAfter minute or two the retreat horn
sounded and the vegetarians began to leave
first, however, setting fire to the houses.
Ten minutes after this every vegetarian
had gone. came down and looked about
the front of the house; but could see
nothing of any one. l feared something
dreadful had happened, as ! heard the
yegetarians as they left say: Now all the
foreigners are killed. l just then met
one Of the servants, who told me the CHI
nese were in the house in which Miss
Hartford of the American mission was
staying. | found Mr.. Hartford's daugh-
ter, Mildred, with serious wound on
one knee and another severe cut. When
1 had washed these, turned to MIR. Stew
ards son. who was fearfuily hacked ana
cut everywhere Then Miss Codrington
sent me message that she, too, was in
the house found her in fearful con-
ditiou: but with cold water and rags we
managed to stanch the bleeding.
"She begged me not to wait, as she
thought Topsy Saunders was still alive
then rushed to the back of the house, and
found the bodies OF Miss Saunders, MISS
Steward, Miss Gordon and Miss Marshall.
The latter was awfully cut, her head be-
ing almost severed. but beyond the
wounds given in the struggle the bodies
were not mutilated. Later | found Miss
Coonb's body at the foot of the hill in
front of the house, where it had evidently
been thrown. AS then l could see no
signs of Mr.. and Mrs. Steward, Miss
Saunders and Lena, the nurse, we hoped
they had escaped, and would return to the
house where the Steward children and
Miss Codrington were. Presently Miss
Hartford arrived She had received cut
Under one ear, but had been saved from
death by native Christian.
81 learned late that the five ladies' of
the Eczema Mission Society, who lived in
two houses which form the Ku Cheng
Sanitariu1n, after futile attempt to es-
cape, got out of the back end, but were
Immediately surrounded. Some of the
vegetarians were inclined to spare them,
but were ordered by their leader to carry
out their orders Kill and spare not
HI ad they been able to escape into the
house there seems little doubt they would
have been saved. A great misfortune
was that only two were dressed.
"Mr. and Mrs. Steward weres killed as
they sprang from bed. Lena, a nurse
died while protecting the baby, whom
Kathleen managed to carry out of the
house, though not before the baby's eyes
had been cut out. Miss Nellie Saunders
was also knocked down at the nursery
door when going to help the children,
and as we afterward found the remains
of burned body there we had little
doubt that it was hers. For long time
we thought Mr.. and Mrs Steward had es-
capped, but later found their bodies, or
rather ashes, in what had been their bed
room. The Ku Cheng people seemed to
have had, as a whole, no hand in the at
fairs, though doubtless four or five veg
etarian families were concerned. The ma
tives say the vegetarian band came from
the east TOAD of Ku Cheng city; many
from AngLong and Adeng- Bang, Wlthln
thirty or forty miles Of Ku Cheng.
MISS HARTFORD'S NARRATIVE.
Miss Hartford says the whole terrible
owen tbirty minutes, and