The Portland daily press., 1900-09-17
DETAILS OF THE MASSACRE.
How the Portland Women Died at PaO
Ting Fu.

Tien-Tsin during the massacre at the
former point, the Rev. DIR. Arthur J.
Brown, of the Presbyterian board, in this
city, yesterday received the first detailed
account of the murders there to be re-
garded as trustworthy by missionary
0 t1icials in this country. Mr.. Lowre's in
formation is derived from a Chinaman,
whom he engaged to visit the scene of the
massacre, and under date OF Tien- Isin,
August 10, 1900, he writes:
1.-The messenger sent to Pao -Ting-F
returned yesterday afternoon, and reports
the houses burned, as we had previously
heard on June 30, and July l.. AMI every
one within, both foreigners and natives,
was destroyed. He brought no letter,
which makes his report less trustworthy
than l should like, but his information
on many points is so circumstantial, and
as to dates and order of events CORE
spends with the letters we had seen so
completely, that 1 fear it is substantially
true, especially since some of ths details
are matters of easy verihcation as soon as
communication is opened with Pao-Ting
Flu.
After some narrow escapes from Box
ers, who line the river, and are found in
every village from Pao-Ting Flu, h
reached the brick kiln one Ii from Mr..
Bagnalli's house, and about equally dis
tant from the American board buildings
Here he has a relative who is not
Christian, of whom ne intended to In
quire what he could, and shape his course
accordingly. The occupants of the kiln
were astonished to see MIN, his face being
SO we'll known about the city. They told
him that the place was swarming with
Boxers, there being a camp at the south
gate and two others within the city at
two OF the temples, ana that all the shops
had hung out Boxer flags to indicate
their submission. For him to deliver the
letter to the shop which had indicated
would be certain death.
"They then said that on June 80 the
Boxers and Imperial troops had sudde My
surrounded the north suburb, our mis-
sion. and after firing upon the buildings
with signals and rifles rushed in and de-
stroyed every one, both native and for
eigner.
when pressed by me for particulars as
to who were lost, my messenger said that
his informant was not an eyewitness Of
the attack and only reported what he had
heard from others. But on the following
day Gully u surging crowd attacked
the American Board Mission, setting fire
to the main gate as they endeayored to
batter 1t down.
"Mr. Pitkin, from within, endeavored
to defend the place with his weapon, but
soon fell wounded in the side, and was
killed with a sword blow on the spot
Miss Morrill, and Miss Gould were taken
into the city and put to death in one OF
the temples in the southwest corner. The
elder pastor, Meng, was also bound and
murdered In the city at the Temple of the
Five Sacred Animals.
Meanwhile Mr.. Bangall had seized the
opportunity to flee out OF his back gate
toward Tien-Tsin. but, with Mrs. Ban
gall and the little girl. was oyertaken at
Liu Yeh Mao, about half a mile di slant,
led bound into the city and put to death
there.
1.-THE messengers Informant, who is
his relative also claimed to have seen all
this himself, as did a crowd Of onIookers.
The foreigners had sought protection at
the Projects yamen some time
previous, but had been refused an asylum
three on the ground that to receive them
would endanger the Projects own life so
they were obliged to go to their own
homes. Even had they remained together
IN one compound they must have met a
similar fate, for the soldiers joined the
Boxers in the deed of darkness.
"He reports that the Boxers then set
about utterly demolishing the mission
dwellings, at least those of the south su-
burb, paying barrowmen sixty real cash
for one hundred bricks torn from the for
eigners' houses. This was eagerly seized
upon, and the buildings were soon
levelled to the ground, with the exception
Of Mr.. Bagnall's, of which the lower
story was left standing, and was seen in
that condition by the messe niger as he
passed to the kiln.
''rhe Roman Catholic cathedral was
similarly razed to the ground and the
very foundations were dug out and
carried away. After hearing this sad
tale, his meal eaten and some travelling
necessaries received, he set out about one
p. m. for Tien-Tsin, where he arrived af-
ter an absence OF seven days. He left my
letter to the cash shop with whom we
used to deal, in a crevice OF the timbers
OF the kiln, to be produced in due time
from there as proof that he made the
journey. There was no Christian far OF
near to write the reply 1 had stipulated
should be the only evidence recognized by
me as positive proof of his having reached !
Pao-Ting-Fu, and in consideration for
which he was to receive fifty dollars and
expenses.
II am inclined to believe his account in
the main, however, and conclude that we