The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-30

TOXIC, Japan, Aug. 1. via San
Francisco, Aug. 29.-(Correspondence of
the United Associated Presses)-An ex-
~traOrdinary instance of the readily-ex-
cited anti-foreigu infiammabi1ity of the
lower orders in China has just occurred
at SoochOw. On the 18th of July, some
foreigners. accompanied by their ser
wants, went for a short excursion from
that city. and arriving at the temple
of the Goddess of Mercy. i'm the suburbs.
entered into conversation with the
abbess as to the meaning of some
votive bags suspended in the temple.
The abbess explained that the bags
contained the names of children who.
on being attacked by smallpox, were
brought to the temple. and offered at
the altar of the goddess, after which
ceTemOny-supposed to save their lives
they were taken away, bags contain
ing their names being left in their
stead. While this conversation was
going on. a crowd of children collect
ed outside and began crying out
'FOREIGN DEVIL"
The foreigners took no notice. but
their servants rebuked the cnildren,
telling. them thai if they did not desist
the foreigners would catch them. The
children ran off in alarm, and reported
to their parents that foreigners had
come to seize them and carry them eff.
A panic quickly ensued. The alarm
was given, and, amid beating of gongs,
a large number of peasants and rcWd-
les. v~ariOusly armed. began to assemble
for the purpose of attacking the for
eiguers in the nunnery. Fo~TtuuaJely
the elders of the place succeeded in
quieting the tumuIt and the foreigners
got home without any knowledge OF the
fate they had SO barely escaped.
Bur the train had been fired. Rumors
were quickly spread that the foreigners,
then engaged in building i'm Chingyang,
wanted a number of children to bury
at the foundations of their new houses,
the ground being in~conveniently soft,
and were also about to steal all the
name-bags in the temples TO be used
as charms. A general
STAMPEDE OF FAMILIES
and children took place, some flying
from Soochow and others running to
It for refuge. Some boats. arriving at
a place fifteen miles down the river.
were seen TO be manned by persons
wearing tight jackets and Japanese
made straw hats. These were mis-
taken for foreigners come 70 seize lNe
name-bags in the temple at thai place,
and a rush was made for the temple.
The priests, closing the doors in ep-
prenension OF a riot, were accused or
having been bribed by foreigners, ard
in the sequel the temple doors were
broken, the priests badly beaten ana
all the name-bags recovered by the
people. who hen started en- masse TOT
Soochow. The mandarins are said 70
have made no attemDt to a'lay these
absurd suspicious. The story consul
+1Ites a striking commentary of the
ideas entertained about foreigners by
the lower orders in China. Everywhere
THE theory seems 70 prevail thal
Chinese children are special
OBJECTS OF FOREIGN FERoCITY.
A man recently arrested in Human
for kidnapping a child confessed under
bamboo torture that he had been hired
nv a foreigner. Had the magistrate
taken MIN ait his word. the mission
aries in the neighborhood would prOD-
ah1v have been murdered. But a
further application Of the bamboo IN
d1ced the man to withdraw his confess
sion