Evening star., 1895-09-09
,KU- -CHENG'S HORROR
Testimony Taken Before the Anglo
American Commission.
STATEMENTS BY TIE SURVIVORS
The, Outrage the Work Of a Sc.
cret Society.
D TY OF A M E r 1 G A


VICTORIA, B. c., September 9.-Private
letters from Shanghai Just received here
announce that the commission appointed
by the British and American governments
to Investigate the Ku Cheng massacre Of
August reached Foo Chow on August 13.
Suiko two days later, and Ku Cheng Oil
August IT, without a shadow of molesta-
ton from the barbarous hordes alleged by
Chinese officials to have established a reign
of terror throughout the province.
The commits sion consisted of the British
consul, Mr.. R. w. Mansfield; the American
consul, Col. J. Courtenay Hixson; the Brit
ish vice consul, E. L. B. Allen, from Padoga
anchorage; Lieut.. Evans of the U. S. s.
Detroit; the Rev. V. w. Bannister, repre-
senting the English Church Missionary So
ciety. and DR.. Gregory of the American NJ.
E. Mission, and an escort of but one hun
dred of the viceroy's ill-armed and poorly
disciplined soldiers, a circumstance which
supports but feebly the Chinese contention
that the massacre was entirely beyond Off
cial 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 farcical the commits
sion, unsupported, as it is, by any display
of British or American force and indigna-
ton runs high at the apathy displayed by
tnese governments In regard to the mas
sacre. 1t is argued that the official defense
is untenable, as by Chinese law a system
or mutual responsibility prevails, all pub
lie officials being held personally respon-
sible for the commission of crimes within
their Jurisdiction, whether they are legiti-
mateiy blamable or not, and are visited
With the penalties attached in the event of
their falling to apprehend and punish the
criminal in person.
ha. mic l,,
celved the statements of three witnesses,
! Dr.. Gregory of the American mission at
Foo Chow; the Rev. II. E. Phillips and Miss
/" "Harman of ku Cheng, the latter two having
been eye witnesses of the fearful scene of
August I.
p Rev. MIR. Phillips Story.
The Rev. Mr.. Phillips tells how he was
awakened at in the morning by shouting
|. in the direction of the stewards house. He
at first thought it was children playing; but
soon recognizing the voices of excited men,
he dressed hastily and went over.
Il was met few yards from my dwell
ing" he said, "by native friend, who, while
throwing his arms around me to detain me-
told me that the vegetarians had come. l
snook him off and went on and soon came
in sight of the house, from which forty or
fifty bandits were carrying loads of plum
der, their leader holding aloft small red
flag. / could see nothing of our Europeans
and, as was in full view Of the rioters, /
crept up a hill In the brushwood and con-
cealed myself behind two trees, from twen-
ty to thirty yards from the house. There 1
could see everything that could be seen. AS
l could see foreigners, l concluded they
had escaped, and as to go down was certain
death thought 1t best to wait where was
: After a 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. 1 came down and looked about the
front of the house; but could see nothing of
any one. l feared something dreadful had
/, happened. as 1 heard the vegetarians as
they left say: Now all the foreigners are
killed. + Just then met one of the servants.
who told me the Chinese were In the house
in which Miss Hartford OF the American
mission was staying. 1 found Mr.. Hart
.fords daughter, Mildred. with serious
wound on one knee and another severe cut.
When I had washed these, l turned to Mr..
Stewards son, who was fearfuliy hacked
.andi cut everywhere. Then Miss Codrington
sent me message that she, too was In the
house. 1 found her in fearful condition;
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 l
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 being
almost severed, but beyond the wounds
given in the struggle the bodies were not
mutilated. Later l found Miss Coomb's
,hody at the foot of the hill in front of the
house, where it had evidently been thrown.
Mrs Steward, Miss Saunders and Lena,
the nurse, we hoped they had escaped. and
would return to the house where the Stew
ard 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.
II learned later that the five ladies of
the Zeena Mission Society, who lived in
two houses which form the Ku Cheng
Sanitarium after futile attempt to es-
cape, got out of the back end, but were
Immediately surrounded. Some of the veg
etarians were inclined to spare them, but
We're ordered by their leader to carry out
their orders: Kill and spare not Had
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 were killed as
they sprang from bed. Lena, nurse, died
while protecting the baby, whom Kathleen
mar aged to carry out of the house, though
not before the baby's eyes had been cut
out Miss Nellie Saunders was also knocked
dc wn 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 1t was hers. For
a long time we thought Mr.. and Mrs. Stew
ard had escaped, but later l found their
bcdies, or rather ashes, in what had been
their bed room. The Ku Cheng people
seemed TO have had, as whole. no hand in
the, aTIalf, tnOugn uOuDtleSS IOur or JlVe
vegetarian families were concerned. The
natives say the vegetarian band came from
the east road of Ku Cheng city; many
from Ang-Long and Adeng-Bang, within
thirty or forty miles of Ku Cheng."
Miss Hartford's Narrative.
Miss Hartford says the whole terrible af-
fair was over in thirty minutes, and that
the attacking party numbered about 100,
well organized under one leader. Her own
terrible experience she relates thus: "1
heard shouts and yells on the streets, and,
.auttinp, ON nv clnf hes [ rushed O the door