The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-08-17

The letter below is from the Rev L.
w. Herring, a Baptist missionary, who
left North Carolina and has been lab
oring in the mission field in China for
the past light years:
July 31st 1900
.Dear Brothers and Sisters of Mason
boro:
Little did 1 think when / wrote you
last that by this time all the mission
aries in China would be driven out, yet
as / write this, all laboring inland nave
either come out. or are on the road 10
the coast-aII that are still alive, for L
fear many have been killed.
Fortunately we had come TO the
coast. We came away from home on
account of the continued sickness or
our baby. We were the last TO get
through the cana TO T1entSln
without being attacked. We were al
most attacked by the Boxers at TWO
different places. We had not been at
Pei Tai Ho long before fighting began
at Tientsin. There were about SD there
when the railroad was torn up betWee
us and Tientsin, and We had no means
of escape. Steamers never call there,
it not being a port
.aThe British consul at Tientsin got
a gunboat to go and rescue US, this
English gunboat took Us TO Taku. We
arrived there on "Wednesday after the
fight on Sunday. There We're about
80 warships of all lying
at anchor th"ere-beautiful they were
to look at that night, all lighted up
with electricity, but one could not help
thinking how they could deal out
death. Still they were pOWerleSS TO re-
lieve Tientsin, the city only a few miles
inland from them, where 400 or oOo Oh
their fellow countrymen were shut up
49, Lo;-~ Gra1 rrnnn nv Chinese TrO0DC
which surrounded them by the thou
sands. They lie manage after some
two weeks time to land enough troops
and big guns to take and re-
lieVe the situation. but until this day
they have not been able TO reheVe re
kin, only so miles away. Admiral Sey-
mour, with 200 soldiers attepted to
go to Pekin and failed. Now they are
waiting TO land a force of some 10000,
but in the meantime the 700 or 500 for
eigners go or so missionaries) there,
are probably all m~assacred-
THE American %gunboat, Nashville,
took US from Taku to Chefoo; we tar
ried there a few days, but the consul
was anxious for us to move on out or
the country The admiral had glVen
orders not to allow women and chill
dren to collect there, for the place was
liable to attack at any time. SO we
got passage on a japanese steamer to
Kobe, Japan.
The steamer was full of refugee
from a more northern port, and we
were crowded into the steerage, blu
any fare was better h remaining in
a place of danger.
After ten days We landed at Kobe
Japan, ~purposing to stay there and see
what could be lone about going back
to China in the fall.
The condition of our little invalid
boy decided us to do otherwise, That is
- H. ofH and ora
him into a good climate, now about thu
only hope of his which aftel
all was simply following the advlc'
given by our doctor before we lei
Ginning. / go with the idea OF comln
back to China in the fall if the war i
over and the country quiet. l vii
leave my wife and children in Tacom;
in that case, not only for the baby
health, but also because l might dar'
to go inland myself before l woult
dare to take my family. / feel 1t m!
duty to stay Within easy reach of Chi
ma, for if we a go back there in tn
fall. our little mission will need M
especially, being an older hand to hell
open up work again.
ION the other hand, if h war goe'
on for a year or two, and / see NOR
and more reason to fear 1T will, l viii
go on home in the fall, and have M
furIough, and go back to China wheI
the war is over.
II feel like after all we have beer
through lately, about the best thing We
can do anyway, is, to stop on the Pa
cihc coast and rest awhile.
II am tired, Lody, soul, and mind
and do not feel like going home jus
now. It is not that I do not want Il
see you all. I do want to see you, blu
in the right time, and when 1 can bs
OF some use.
In the fall, if I do go home, 1 shall
be able to help the pastors OF m!
churches some. ! do not hope TO nnC
much opening just now while China
missions are so paralyzed, to help for
ward the gospel mission movement
that is one reason why / feel my going
home at this time is in opportune; bu'
God may have something for me TO dt
that ] do not foreSee-
There are about so missionaries o.
different denominations on board thi:
steamer. Every homeward bound yes
sci is about full. The HudSonS OF oul
mission are aboard. The Dawes anC
Blalocks are in Corea, the Crawfords
Bostics, and Mr.. Tedder are in We
Hal Wei, a British port off the
coast; the leagues, Miss Marshall anC
Miss Bostic are in Shanghai, which il
still safe, and Mr.. King has gone home
also the Royals.
for truly they know not what the.
do What we shall find when all i
over i do not know.
w hea that our station, Ginning
has been plundered n burned, an
indeed, every station in Shantune
Dur property was worth no grea
amount, but it was our all, and som
things We're very precious to US; bu
we are taught to take joyfully tn
spelling Of our goods.
I'VE are hankf TO come of wit
our lives. Many of our fellow mission
aries are martyrs, and hundreds @
Chinese Observation-Disclosures is the great
er reward.
Faithfully your brother,
ID. w. HERRING
Address Tacoma, WaShingto
State"
The New Barracks for Fort Caswell
Mr.. T. T. Tyler, the contractor fo