The San Francisco call., 1898-12-16
MISSIONARIES PUT TO DEATH
TWENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE
 MADE HOMELESS.
Three Bands of Yumantse's Rebels Stacking Villages and Murder ing Natives Friendly to
 Foreigners.
Special Dispatch to The, Call

TACOMA Dec 15-The steamship Empress of India brings news of massacre of Catholics and native Chris tians by rebels of Szechuen province, China. under the notorious outlaw, Yumantse. This rebel and his follow CTS have rendered 10000 native Chris tians homeless in Central China and taken over sixty lives, including those of several European missionaries. Six thousand Catholic refugees have gathered in the city of Chungking from the surrounding country. The value of property already destroyed by the rebels is reckoned at 5,000 0O0 taels. France is making a claim for this amount in re- paration for the destruction of property belonging to French missionaries.
 The Yumantse rebellion has been in progress nearly year. Mandarins and other authorities of Szechuen have main tained their policy of doing nothing to suppress him so consistently that Yu- mantse has now gathered an armed force of 5000 men about him. These are divided into three bands.
 The first, under Yumantse's com mand, appeared before the city of Yu- inchuan late in October. The city's gate was shut against him, whereupon he demanded that two prominent Catholic missionaries be given to him. These were publicly beheaded outside the citys gate. They were offered their lives if they renounced their faith, but had the courage to accept death rather than apOStacy.
 His third band is raiding the valley of Kialing River and has destroyed all the Catholic buildings there.
 The rebels maintain excellent discip- line, paying for everything they require of the natives. They wear a uniform with a character for ''Avenge" upon it. Their avowed object is to rid China of foreigners and stamp out their religion.
 Yumantse's men are still holding M Fleury, the French Catholic missionary, for ransom. Once they delivered him to the Chinese authorities on payment of a large sum and the next day re- captured him. Now they demand a larger amount. The telegraph line from Chungking to Chengtu has been cut and other depredations committed.
 French pressure has become SO great that the authorities of Szechuen are now determined to end Yumantse's depre- dations. Instead of sending a large armed force to capture him, however, they have offered him an office. honors and money as a bribe to disperse his men and give up Fleury. Orders have been issued to pay him 100000 taels and to retain 1000 of his men in the imperial troops and give Yumantse himself a military place if he agrees to their pro- posal. Business is so completely par alyZed throughout Szechuen that foreign chow are urging that a foreign mili- tary expedition be sent into that west ern province to capture Yumantse and restore order.
 Dispatches frcm Canton report that Viceroy Tan has received instructions from Picking to purchase from the Russo Chinese Bank 500,000 Russian Berdan army rifles, with accompanying ammunition, for the arming of Chinese troops throughout the empire. This amounts to the unloading upon China of half-million obsolete rifles which the Russian army cannot use The price demanded for the Berdans is five taels per rifle and twelve taels per thousand cartridges It Is announced that the arming of the Chinese troops in all Manchuria will commence imme diately, the rifles having arrived. Last August the Tsung Ii Yamen refused to buy these rifles, but recent events have induced the Empress Dowager to ac- Quire them,