The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-08-21
TALES Of TIE REFUGEES
HUMANE AND LIBERAL CHINESE
MAGISTRATES.
Major Siao theoretically Repels AS
saults of the Mob and Gives Safety
and Protection to Missionaries.

|
largest number of Chinese refugees
since the outbreak of the Boxers began,
no less than three different parties be-
ing aboard her this trip. The largest
party is headed by DR.. and Mrs. j. Go
forth who were mem ers of the party
with DR.. PC. Leslie Tho were attacked
by the Chinese rabble in the Honan
province. DR.. Goforth still carries a
bad wound in his head received at the
| hands of the Boxers i'm this fight Miss
j. j. Dow. NJ. d. and Miss NJ. ]. Nc
lntosh were with the Lesies when the
latter fled from their mission at Chu
Wang over to Chang Te-fu to join the
mission of DR.. Goforth Miss NJ. Pyke
was also q member of the post at the
latter place with DR.. Goforth. In addi-
ton to these refugees the wife of Dr.
Goforth and their five children are also
on the China.
Rev. and Mrs. T. NJ. Holmes and three
children and Rev. and Mrs. c. e. Bous-
! field and child of the American Baptist
| mission came from the province of Tsih
King. Miss Galloway and Miss G.. Taft
are from Chung Kang, a place near.
| Shanghai.
Nearly every one of the group had an
experience with the Chinese rabble and
1t was with the greatest difficulty that
| the missionaries escaped with their
lives. Nearly all of them had to leave
their goods behind Rev. and Mrs.
Bousfield and child were the guests of
Rev. and Mrs. Holmes at Kiu Hwa du-
ring the middle of July when the out
| break against them occurred.
1--WE were living with the Holmes on
the hill outside of the town" said Rev.
| Bousfield this morning when we were
warned one day that there was a party
of Chinese robbers coming to loot our
| place. Both Mr.. Holmes and myself
wanted to remain in the house but our
| "a
that we go down to the town where the
Military Magistrate, Major Siao a Chi
| nese had promised to protect us. We
| finally decided to go there and though
the mob had come about the place and
! tried to do us harm, we succeeded in
reaching the town. The mob still came
after us and even forced the gate
of the mission. SO desperate did our
| situation become that it was necessary
! in order to escape with our lives to
| climb over the rear fence and hurry to
! the yamen, the official residence of the
magistrate.
Notices had been posted by the ma
gistrate telling the people not to harm
us and to refrain from committing de-
| probation but within a short time these
| proclamatiOns We're torn down and
others substituted by the rabble calling
on the people to destroy all the foreig-
ners. SO Infatuated did the mob become
| the yamen. Major Siao had by this time
! gotten goo troops together and he was
! determined to impress the mob with the
| fact that they should not indulge in
| rioting and storming the gates of his
residence. He distributed magazine
rifles and told the soldiers to fire unless
the men dispersed. This had the desr-
ed effect and the Chinese Immediately
went away from the yamen. The ma
gistrates urged us to remain for they
| Said they We're willing and able to pro-
! tect us but we feared that the rabble
would rise in even greater force so we
| decided to escane from that province
by going down the DIN Dong river. A
boat little larger than an ordinary life
| boat was secured by the magistrate
and moored close to his residence. The
| mob learned of this and went down to
the boat with the intention of attacking
and killing us when we attempted to
| board her. By clever ruse of the ma
gistrate we escaped all of this danger.
I'VE were placed in chairs and carried
/ by roundabout route to point mile
or so lower down the river and the boat
was sent down in charge of number
| of soldiers under the command of the
magistrates brother The mob was un-
| able to keep pace with the boat and we
succeeded in getting aboard before they
came up. For the ensuing four days we
were in this boat hurrying down the
river toward Shanghai. We had very
| little excitement during this trip until
we reached the town of Flu Yang near
| Hang Chow. Here we left the boat and
I went across the town to take passage on
tug for Shanghai The Chinese mob
had become aroused against the mis-
sionaries and foreigners and it gathered
| in large numbers to attack us The Of
| ficers sent troops to guard us however
and we succeeded in reaching the tug
and boarding her with out being in
jured. Shanghai was reached in two
| days and we took passage home.
we have only the kindliest feelings
for the magistrates at Kin Hwa. They
| were noble men and they eXerted them
selves to the utmost to protect us and
| to quell the rabble. l do not think that
the first attack upon us was made by
the Boxers but some of the rougher
element of Chinese took the opportunity
| OF committing robbery"
The Goforths were Joined by the
Leslies, Miss Dow and Miss Mcintosh,
at Chang Ti-fu, thirty miles from Les
lies station at Chu Wong. Miss Taft
and Miss Galloway, being stationed
| only short distance from Shanghai,
did not experience any particular dam
ger from the mob or the Boxers, being
able to make their escape in safety to
Shanghai.