The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-28
.issionary's Wife
Tells OF The
Flight.
THE JOURNEY FROM
HONAN TO HANKOW
Mrs. StOkke's Account of Fear.
ful Experiences in
Orient.

Many missionary men passing through
from the Orient on the big trans-Pacific
liners for their homes on the Mainland
have told their stories of the trouble in
China. the brutality of the Boxers and the
wrath of the Celestials.
! Now it is a woman's turn. Here is the
story of a brave little woman missionary
who is a passenger aboard the Doric.
which arrived from China and Japan yes
terday. Her husband. Rev. K. s. Stoke,
had already gone ashore when Mrs.
Stoke favored an Advertiser reporter
with an interview aboard the steamer.
Mrs. Stoke Is an energetic, bright, sim
cere young lady. very charming and very
happy. Happy, Notwithstanding the ter
rible hardships through which she has so
recently passed. Her happiness Is never
theless very natural and easily explained.
Mr.. and Mrs. Stoke were only very re-
Gently married, so that this trip across
the great Pacific comes very near being
their honeymoon jourriey.
The reporter was lookng-f for mission
t aries with stories to tell. He saw on the
passenger list the name of the Rev. X. s.
Stokke. "Can you tell me where to find
Mr.. Stokke?' he inquired of a young
lazy standing al the rail gazing thought
fully towards Oahus beautiful noun
tains. II am his wife" she replied. MY
| husband has gone ashore" When asked
to tell her story of flight from the Chinese.
Mrs. Stoke gave an account Of the ex-
periences of herself and husband. The
story, though told simply and in answer
m ytaop Otfo hrn tc1t mt tHa hroxy
cry of the little woman, together with
the hardships and indignities with which
the missionaries were forced to put up
during their fourteen days of flight from
, the center of the province of Honan.
, 1--WE belong to the American Norwegian
Mission" said Mrs. Stoke, "and we had
a mission established al city called Ru-
ming, in the central portion Of the prov
/, ince of Honan. My husband established
: this mission about year and a half ago.
! 1t was the first mission founded in that
. part of the country. The Chinese there
. are exceedingly anti-foreign in their
9 sentiments, and never before permitted
:, the establishment of a mission there.
:, Others had tried 1t but had been driven
= out Of the country. My husband, after
. very hard work and considerable risk to
- himself, finally succeeded in gaining a
. footing there for missionary work. 1 was
only out there with him about three
- months. When were we married? .Oh.
, never mind that; that's not interesting
- news for the public; j will go On and tell
:. you about our experiences.
"a Well it wasn't very long after my
:. husband and l were together in Running
= that we began to hear of the enmity OF
- the Chinese for the foreigners. They
- hated not only because we were for
> eigners but because we were trying to
:. teach them the Christian religion.
III 1.-The Governor of the province of Ho.
nan is most decidedly anti-foreign in his
=, feelings and makes no secret of it, eth
~ iu er. He has issued proclamations agains
:. the foreigners and encourages the peoplt
IN against them.
When the 18th of July arrived we hat
G. been in danger of our lives for severa
u weeks and things were beginning to lool
- very serious Our mission was being at
Is tackled and had been stoned several times
once one of the gates had been smashed
~ in and the angry mob which had beel
-, surrounding US was almost upon wheI
:. the prefect of the district sent sil
soldiers. They were not much good bu
were good deal better than protec
tion at ALL On the day 1 speak of W,
thought that the end had about come
There was no help within many, man,
10 miles except the almost useless nativ
soldiers supplied us by the prefect of TIL
district
a, I'VE asked the prefect for an escort {
-, the next military city. We were boun
to escape If possible. The prefSct like
ay US no better than did the furious moi
Ill. but at the same time he was afraid tha
er' b. might be held responsible for our live
n If we We're once given over to the tende
ly mercies of the mob. Twas on the 13t
Sc of July that the escort we demanded wa
ic finally granted us. There was one othe
or missionary with at the mission at tha
TN time-a woman. The prefect. fearing h
IN would be held to account for any harl
Oh which might come to us, gave us fort,
ny two soldiers and We started out of the cit
mt of Running in our sedan chairs which "
lss had taken to Running with us from Har
OF kow. We were practically driven out
at the city Notwithstanding our, escort
re- forty-two native soldiers. The mob fo
m lowed US out, yelling and cursing ar
in Melting rs with stones and making q
10 kinds of threats against us.
I'VE were forced to leave all our belong
ngs behind us. : hey were stolen almo
an before we could abandon the mission
nd Those things which were not stolen we
sin demolished and by this time no doubt OF