The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-09-28
ACROSS A CHINA DESERT
For Months A Band of American Mis-
siOuaries We're Pursued.

London, Sept. 24-The American
missionaries, j. H. Roberts, MARI
Williams, William Sprague, Mrs
Sprague and Miss Virginia Murdoch
who escaped from Kalgan, province of
Chih Ii, China, in June. we're chased
across the Cobb desert. Thence they
Travelled by way of Siberia and hsv.
just reached London in good health.
They will proceed Immediately to the
United States.
Mr.. Williams, who has worked IN
China for thirty-four years. told of his
experience. 1t appears that the first
assault upon the mission compound at
kalgan was made during the night of
June 10, when yellow mob attempted
to batter. down the gate with stones.
Seeing the uselessness of remaining
the missionaries, in the course of the
night, evacuated the compound and
proceeded to the magistrates yamen.
The following afternoon they were
ordered to leave, the magistrate de-
claring that he feared not only for the
missionaries safety, but also for his
own yamen, if he continued to pro-
tect them. After allowing the Ameri-
cans to draw their money from the
native bank the magistrate furnished
them with fifty soldiers as an escort
through the.great gate in the wall into
Mongolia.
1--WE had no idea then ofthe:terribe
journey which awaited us, continued
Mr.. Williams. 1--WE had no notiono of
having to escape across Siberia and
purposed only to remain in some place
of safety and return.
For eight days we Travelled over
nothing except sand. The airwas like
that of an oven and suffering was
intense. The animals had no grass
and nolwater, and marching in the
daytime was impossible. At a few
isolated wells Mongols were encamped
in the vicinity and they refused to al
low us TO draw water, fearing wewould
poison the wells.
After thirty-eight days of terrible
anxiety we reached Urga, on the other
side of the desert. We presented a
sorry spectacle. The Russian consul
general was most kind. He gave up
to us fourteen rooms in the consulate, !
but, to our dismay, he told us we
must leave forthwith as there were p
AtIFafrgl oil - = 4. l
hood, who might be hostile. He also |
warned US that tens of thousands of |
Mongols were gathering for re-
ligious festival and that if we valued |
our safetywe had better clear out with
out delay.
"a fortnight later, August -, we
reached Kiakhta and remained there !
till August 81.
I'm the meanwhile Mr.. Tower, |
United States ambassador to Russia, |
obtained permission from the authori-
ties at st. Petersburg for our journey
over the Siberian railway. Arriving
at Irkutsk September ., we took
train and reached st. Petersburg Sep
TENDER 49,"
at is impossible to speak too
highly of the great kindness of the
Russian officials. Everything pos
sible was done for us by them. even to
Offering us money. On the TRANSIT
berian railway, though it was choked
with troops and closed to civilians.
the authorities provided Il reserved
car for us. We passed immense num-
bers of troops, apparently conscripts,
hastily collected. They wore no uni
forms and some had no guns. All of
them wore straw hats.
"At the United States legation in
ST. Petersburg we expressed the opin-
ion that Russia was preparing to
seize Manchuria; but we wereinformed
that the American legation had been
assured tnat Russia had no such in