The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-08-09
AWFUL .BUTCHERY
Particulars of Massacre Of Chris
tians by Chinese.

ings-Chinese Government May Have
Difficult Questions to Answer.
LONDON, Aug. 5.-The massacre of mis-
sionaries near Ku-Cheng commenced early
on Thursday at Wha-Shan, near Ku-
Cheng. The houses were fired, and eight
ladies, man and child were killed and
several were wounded, two probably
mortally.
Chinese troops have been dispatched to
the scene. The British and American
consuls will at once have an interview
with the viceroy.
The Chinese are repeating their old tao
tics of cutting telegraph communications
A two-column letter from Hankau, on
the Syu-Chuen mission outrages, pub
lished by The Times this morning de-
.clares that officials are at the bottom of all
anti-foreign agitation and that Chinese
people themselves are quite friendly. The
letter suggests that if the powers tried
little benevolent retaliation it would prove
an infallible cure.
The Standard, in it's editorial on the
Ku-Cheng outrage, says: We must speak
to China in manner which cannot be
misunderstood Not only must the muir
derers be punished, but stern example
must be made of the officials whose neglect
permits such outrages
The Standards special from Shanghai
says that the news of the massacre was
suppressed for three days by the Chinese
officials j. Courtney Hixson, the Ameri-
can consul at Fu-Chau, with several
volunteers, went to the scene in steam
launch, and brought back the wounded
Americans. Their experiences, the dis
TOW II ~
was the least painful of the sufferings of
the butchered women. The indignation
here is intense. A mass meeting will be
convened. The mandarins will endeavor
to throw all the blame upon the secret
societies, but it is known that they were
Encouraged by Responsible Officials.
All those who were killed were British
All the Americans escaped. There was
no provocation for the outrage. The per-
petrators were the Vegetarian society
Rev. MIR. Stewart, wife and child We're
burned in their house. The Misses Vel |
low and Marchall two sisters named |
Saunders, two sisters named Gordon and |
Stettie Newcombe were murdered with |
spears and swords. Miss Codrington was
seriously wounded about the head, and
the Stewards eldest child had kneecap
badly injured, while the youngest had an
eye gouged out. Rev. Mr.. Phillips,
with two Americans, DR.. Gregory and
Miss Hartford, were both wounded, but
arrived safely at Fu-C hauh- Flu. The pre-
feet of Cheng-Tu, who was a member of
the committee of inquiry which ex-
amined into the former outrages upon
in that region. is seriously
implicated in the Cheng Tu outrages.
About the vegetarians.
The Times says of the above: Rev. Mr..
Stewart resides at Ku-Cheng and super
intends the work of the procedures of
Ku- Cheng and Ping-Nang. Rev. Mr..
Stewart, writing under date of February,
1896, described how sect known as Veg
tarians, taking advantage of the war,
prang into vigorous life and committed
numerous outrages, and became so formid-
,ble that the converts wanted him to or ]
yanize and arm. He concludes his letter I
as follows
1 have just learned that 5000 of these have
enlisted in the last six months. They are
mostly OF the lowest order, and at the present
time, the reins of government practically
in their hands.
The Times comments editorially on the
as follows: The Ku-Cheng out {
RACES will justly form the subject of strong I
to China by England, and
by America also. 1t is quite
possible that the outrages are due to en-
FILTERED feeling against foreigners, engen-
dered by the calamities of the war; and that
the mandarins believe a blow must be
struck now or never to frighten foreigners
against availing themselves of the conces-
sions granted under the recent Chino
Japanese treaty.