Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-08-09
Murder of English Missionaries
in China.

An awful tragedy occurred July 81, in the
town of Ku Cheng, located on small stream
in about the centre of China, and in district
inhabited by wild Mongolian tribes. The
Chinese who have been much excited against
foreigners during and since the Japanese
war. rose in mob and mastered the English
missionaries. The following dispatch to the
London Telegraph gives the fearful summa
ry: s'Ihe names of the killed are Miss Elsie
Marshall, Miss Annie Gordon, Miss Bessie
Newcombe and Miss Flora Stewart, all of
the English Zenana Mission; Miss Nellie
Saunders. Miss Topsy Saunders. Rev. DR..
Stewart and Mrs. Stewart of the Church Mis-
sionary Society. Five of Mr.. and Mrs. Stew
arts children were killed and two survive.
One had one knee broken and the other, a
! baby. lost all eye. The following were saw
ed: Miss Hartwell of the American Mission;
Miss Codrington of the English Zenana Mis-
sion, and Rev. H. s. Phillips, of the English
Church Missionary Society," It is believed
that the government officials, if they did not
encourage. did not interfere with the mob.
The U. s. State Department has received the
following cablegram from United States
,, Consul General Jernigan:
SHANGHAI, AUGUST 6, 1885,
"Hixon, United States Consul at Fooch ow
wires:
"'American mission property at Yum Flu
has been burned. Details of Ku Cheng mas
sacre horrible. Houses stealthily surround
ed and sleeping ladies and children speared
to death. Situation unsettled
The province of Fo Kien, in which are sit
uated Ku Cheng and Foo Chow, is in a state
of rebellion. The American mission house
at Fung Fook has been burned and gunboats
have been telegraphed for to protect the for
eign settlement there.
A LETTER FROM THE MURDERED MAN.
LONDON, Aug, 6.-The last letter. dated
April 8, from the murdered English mission
airy, the Rev. Mr.. Stewart, has been received
in London and describes the critical situation
of affairs at Ku-Cheng Mr.. Stewert wrote
Ten days ago we were awakened at 4 o'clock
in the morning by a native clergyman who
crossed the river in order to bring us the
startling news that the Vegetarian rebels were
expected at daylight to storm Ku-Cheng. The
gateways of the city were being blocked with
timber and stone in order to prevent their en-
try. We had 100 men, women and children
| in our compound outside the town. We pass
ed a terrible time of suspense until daybreak,
when torrents of rain fell and the Vegetarians,
not liking the rain, postponed the attack.
All the missions party started to get inside of
Ku-Cheng The male and female staff in the
early morning, after crossing the river in
small parties in a tin boat, reached Ku-Cheng
wall, which had to be scaled with ladders.
During the three following days bodies of
citizens guarded the walls with prongs and
rusty swords. On the fourth day the gates
were opened and the Mandarin in command
conferred with the Vegetarian leaders. What
occurred during this interview we do not
know, but nobody believes we have seen the
end of this matter. Such serious affair can
not be so easily patched up and is probably
only begnn.''
Mr.. Stewards letter concludes: 'sAll the
women and children, on the advice of the
American and British consuls, will be sent to
the coast. The opinion prevails that if the
Jap-C Chinese treaty is arranged soldiers will
be sent from Foo Chow to arrest the leaders
of the rebels. But if it is not arranged, then
the Vegetarians will increase sufficiently to
make the rising success