Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-11-29
THERETREAT FROM WUCHANG
he Spirits of Missions for November.

The Spirits OF Missions for November.
Wuchang is behind us Deserted /! Not
q priest or deacon is there today and
almost none of our Christians. For the
first time in many years there is no SER
vice being held there and no clergymen
Oh that side of the river. 1t is sad be-
yond expression. The compound 10
empty the gate is sealed, the doors are
locked. We have been ordered to leave
Ey both Bishop and Consul, and have
obeyed, though feeling like truants and
towards.
For two weeks We have felt the ten
sion increasing. The very soldiers sent
to Iatrol the strests to protect US and
our converts openly reviled US. They |
said "0h, yes, We are here to guard !
you now but we are finding out, at
tho same time, all about you, where
and who you are; how to get at you;
and before long we shall come again,
but not to protect you" One guard,
invited iuto the gatehouse by one of
our gate-kePpers, ohatted away pleas
antly, accepted tina tea offered him and
then, when leaving the place, turned
and, with nasty leer and shake of the
old beard, you are the first We shall
kill when our time comes" and
walked down the harrow street, ours
ing ham.
| \ week ago, the Ficeroy issued au-
other proclamation, followed by one,
two days later, promising protection to
| all foreigners and their property, and
| threatening the people into quietness.
AT one place. some soldiers, as they
read these posters on the wall OF the
Eastern He'll Temple, cursed the Vice
roy openly and tore down the procla-
nation. The common people are badly
frightened by all these official docu-
menis, following one another In such
rapid Succession, and dare not open
their mouths. We do not even hear the
children calling out, as they always
have done, Foreign gentleman, give
me some foreign cash.. Still more
rarely does anyone venture Save under
his breAth) to mutter, foreign DEVIL "
But the new cry is heard. also spoken
euardedls, Kill the foreigner. Re-
vikings, however, We do not mind.
} The great cause for fear is rhe soldiers
!, They are but Wild lot, bent on loot
and piliage, and impudent and base
J beyond words. The Vieroy has kept
, them in check until now very well; we
} fear that he cannot restrain them much
longer He has 6, 900 or 5000 regulars
, in his various barracks In and around
, Wuohang, ordinarily; but now the
governor twhU is openly and strongly
, anti-foreign) has brought down from
7 Human great rabble of unframed, I'M
armed soldiers. and Is arming them Of
3 fast as BIZ can. They have been TOLD
that every battle in the North and
: every diplomatic move hiss resulted in
confusion Of foreigners and in the sue
! cess Of the Chinese. The effect upor
them is to make them impatient fol
r the time when they are to begin II
t this part Of the country, fUr they fee
4 assurid of the SUCCESS of Chinese arms
: Now that the fabulous tales OF tn,
q invulnerahility of the Boxers have beef
~ denied, the people believe another
It almost as childish. They say that Ger
!. tain women stand in front of the Bo6e
!. troops, and by a mere move Of littl
Q bit Of rope in their bands dash the for
eigners to the ground, whereupon th
y Boxers rush on and Stay the foI eigl
b devils. 1t ia by such absurd repoIt
that the Chinese are urged on. Tn
q people bellows them implicitly. III
!. governor Of Hupeh has hundreds q
smiths at Wuodang, making lows
y arrows aud old.fashioned arnor 70
J. these Hunanese soldiers. Chief anon
10 the weapons are seen jingalls, or Ion
X tsix feet 10 nine feetl thick guns, re
quiring two men to range each, an
g fired by fuse. Needless to say sue
d guns will do little harm against moder
10 arms; yet the ant-toreigners beliey
J. them better than the hated foreig
10 weapons.
Or We have been in a position there I
nj feel the pulse of the people, and
le know accurately their conditions. Cor
ot sequently We were not surprised whet
on July Goth, DIR. Wilcox, the Amer
I'd can Consul ut Hankow, warned US
y leave Wuchang and to make prerar'
or tions to 90 down river MS soon as poss
q. BILE. He said we stayed on at our ow
re peril, and that he was henceforth fri
Id from blame If we were injured in ar
~ way. Every day crowds were goir
ct down in the steamers, and large parti
as of people were arriving from distal
an places in the country. All COUNT
he workers were ordered In. Seventy fl
he are ON their way down from Chur
id King now. Forty three reached Hanko
after a three weeks journey fro
til Human, the other day. This iatt
ry party was robbed, even to their clot
th ing, and received rough treatment
ey the hands of the bitter HuDanese.
nd We decided that, in view of the gre
distress which Is sure to come up;
our Christians, we would advance tv
months wages, and advised them
prepare at once 70 leave for places
We the country. The converts are betwe
two fires. In case OF trouble they ca
,rt not go on board the gunbnats. 4
49, foreigners can give them no protects
- whatever. Nor can they count on safe
r. or protection among their own familie
lev For their worst enemies are Those
~. their own household. Their kinsm
os and acquaintances will not recogni
nd them IN these days, and hurl the bitt
ar iemark: eve told you SO at the til
10. you entered the foreign church. Y
for prefer to eat the foreign doctrine; nj
mo- take the consequence.
re The exodus of the Christians beg
60 July 9th. Early in the morning 10
ID chief men of our congregation at
a,r Marks came to me They we're bad
~ frightened. They said that day by d
ar. the prosecutions were increasing, M
he now they scarcely sentured out on t
ed street at all. They saw clearly tn
"a trouble was al hand, and asked ear
-" estly for advice and counsel. The
was little that could do. | advis
them to move away somewhere, a
gave the needy ones little assistar
he in meeting their travelling eypens
OIL But they would hardly be comforts
They went to st. Sayiour's 10 Il
at, with Mr.. Hwang. Their fright spre
30; t. the people ON the compound, q
30; these began to come to talk the mat
81 ttun m,