The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-10-13

Twenty Wounds on His Peeson-Hs was
Tortured FsarfniIy - Experiences OF
Other TravsIers-whas the People OF
Thibet are LIke-Dearth of Females.
New York, Oct 1.-THE Herald says
From Broadway 70 Thibet: from Her
aid square 10 the Sacred Temple Of Bud
dha; from the the Tenderloin TO the
roof Of the world;;'-it's a long stretch
ism. il?
How many oe you remember having
read dispatch the other day announc-
ing that Henry Savage Landor, the well
known explorer, had just returned 10
| India after a terrible experience in Thi-
bet? How many of you read Of his tor
rure by hot irons, of the horrors Of the
stretching log, of how ne was chained
for eight days? How many Of you un-
derstood the full import OF the lines. ev-
en- did your eye chance 70 note them in
hurried glance through your morning
paper?"
"Thibet?" you say. "Why, that's a
little country tucked away somewhere
in the map Of Asia. Come TO think OF
it, it's part of the Chinese empire.
And there your knowledge Of the coun-
try probably ends, and your interest in
! it as WELL unless you are student Of ira
vel, or have liening toward ethnology.
In the latter even you have undoubtedly
| heard Of the mysterious city of Lhasa,
ofh han Gov rrria :, a
endeavored to get within its sacred
walls.
Henry Savage Landor was one Of those
| intrepid spirits who, in their explora-
| tons. are as eager in thier search for
| the unattaina ble as are children who
| cry for the moon. When he crossed
| those gigantic mountain walls. aptly
termed ''the worlds backbone" and en-
| tered the plateau Of the Lamas, he fully
knew what ne might expect. He had
before him the experiences Of others,
extending back to the year 1900. when
Marco Polo was the first European to
enter Thibet.
He eralized the two-fold difficulties Of
Thibetean exploration. He knew the Pc
culiar geographical position Of the con-
try, we'll nigh inaccessible from the
NORTH west and south, presented great
dangers. He also knew of the policy OF
exclusion followed by the Chinese, a
policy solely aimed at and enforced
against representatives Of the white
race.
But he wanted to see for himself He
knew that every other accessible por-
- lNLA 10
field Of the explorer and he wanted to
go where he wasn't wanted and he knew
he would not be tolerated. Other ex-
plorers had set their faces toward the
city of LhaSa and been forced back.
Only three white men, so far as is
known, have ever entered its sacred
portals. No eyes other than theirs and
those Of the Mongolian have ever wit
messed the splendors Of the Temple Of
Buddha in which lives the great Dalai
Lama, the most opulent person in the
world.
Landors' followers also knew the dam
gers that beset them. His retinue
dwindled down little by little, until two
coolies remained TO share mis- privations
without appreciating his triumph. The
details Of his experiences, received only
since his return to Bombay. are meagre
to a degree. But it is natural 10 infer
that ne had accomplished his purpose,
that he had entered the city Of Lhasa,
and that he had barely escaped with his
life.
We are told that he was arrested as a
spy, or for treachery. That is the US
- o4r ;y,
guarding the mysteries Of their ancient
city. In previous instances, however,
the explorers nave been met before they
reached the city by the embassies Of the
Grand Lama and prevailed upon to turn
back. This was the experience of W.
Woodville Rockhill on both OF his expe-
dtions. Heinrich Hensoldt claims 10
have resided in the Thibetan capitol for
a period of nine weeks. and was in daily
communication with the Buddhist scho-
lors and high dignitaries of the court Of
Dalai Lama.
ROMANCE OF THE LAND.
Previous to this two Russian explor-
ers, named Menkhohdjinoff and Oulan-
off, made a journey Of two years and
nine months through Tibet. in the
course of which they they are said TO
have not only penetrated 10 the city OF
Lhasa, but actually had an interview
with the Great Dalai Lama. The few
other explorers who have dared the per-
lis of this Wild land in the clouds, the
.oo5er Dokpas. the Chinese guards and
the Thibetan soldiery have only sue
ceeded in struggling through dreary
Of of off
nate snow. rain and hail, and finally re-
turned laden with experience only.
Il is reasonable 70 suppose tina, Lam
dor gained an entrance TO the city OF
Lhasa. for the desp3 tches set forth that
the Grand Lama was implicated in his
torture. We are told that he was first
sentenced TO death. and after having
been burned with red hot irons. was ac-
tually carried 10 the place OF execution.
Almost at the last moment the execu-
ton was stopped by the Grand Lama.
Who commuted the sentence 10 torture
by the stretching log, baroarous ma
chine in the form OF a rack. How he es-
capped after eight days OF untold agony
has not been made public. but ne finally
made his way back 70 Bombay, showing
twenty-five wounds as the result of MS
torture
All OF this happened in the l.i,e coun-
try tuckei away somewhere in ;he map
% Asia alittle country exceeding 70n.-
900 square miles. II map OF Tablet
were cut out and placed over that O..
the United States. drawn on ,ne same
scale. if would cover all ne space be-
tween New York ard Denver on the one
hand. and mos, of that between Chicago