The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-21
ESCAPE DEATH
BUT NARROWLY
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must have told an interesting story of |
the trouble In Tien-Tsin. DR.. Leslie. who |
passed through here on the America Ma |
ru, was one OF our Honan missionaries !
and a mighty plucky man he was, too. |
Mr.. Jameson. one of the American engi- |
neers who left Honan with US and who
was one of the party who afterwards sep
arated from US, was in Shanghai ahead
of US and was most kind and generous to
us in our trouble. We arrived in Shang-
ha; without anything. We are all most
to have escaped with our lives.
1 assure you, but We have heard awful
stories of the fates which have befallen
SEINE of our brethren, and it very natural
ly fills our hearts with deep, inexpress-
lille sorrow"
HOLMES EXPERIENCE.
The Rev. Mr.. s. D. Holmes has an en-
ti1ely different story to tell. His Is a
story of friendship, not of hate; a tale
of help and not of hindrance. He is a
missionary of the American Baptist Mis-
sionary Union and was working at Kin
hwa Flu in the province OF Che Kiang,
where he has been laboring with his wife
for the past seven years. Mr.. Holmes
story, in brief. is as follows:
"All the Chinese were very friendly to
US up to within a very little while before
We left the place for Shanghai. 1t was
not until some of the Chinese who had
witnessed the deeds of the Boxers had
come into our district and spread the
me ssage of death to all foreigners that
the Chinese Of our district were worked
up to the idea of DISCRIMINATING the mis-
sionaries.
"They were very unfriendly to US after
that and watched every opportunity of
doing us harm. But, remarkable to say,
the Chinese magistrates of the place
were very friendly to us and assured US
of their protection. My family and my
self and Mr.. Bousfield and his family
were stopping at the mission at the time.
| Major Sio, chief of the magistrates in
Kinhwa Fu warned US that a message
had been received to the effect that all
missionaries, all foreigners, were to be
destroyed. He warned US that our lives
were in danger and that we were likely
to be set upon by the fanatical mob at
any moment almost and done to death.
Major Sio. in fact, offered the protec-
| ticn of his quarters to us and guaranteed
| to take care of us. We had been great
friends, had called on each other, and
taken tea and cakes together, being very
coed friends, indeed. Not only was Ma
jor Sio our friend, but the two other
most prominent officials in the place were
decidedly in favor of giving US protection
and did everything in their power to help
u1 in our great trouble and make our
lives safe from the Infatuated masses.
at was not long after the Chinese were
notified through messengers of the doings
of the Boxers and the message of death
to foreigners taht they began to harass
Ius. A mob, fully armed, tried to force
thet gate of our mission. Mr.. Bousfield
and 1 went out to the gate and discharg-
ed our rifles into the air in order, If pos
sible to frighten away the crowd by show
ing that we were in possession of fire.
arms. They gave up the attempt to
force the gate. Then the magistrates
came to plead with the mob.
when the magistrates arrived on the
scene the cathedral doors were thrown
open to receive them. They came into
us-and the whole mob with them-a most
ur fortunate accident. Well, without go
ing into the details, after being very thor
: oughly robbed, we eventually managed te
escape from the country with the assist
iarce of the friendly magistrates. We got
: over the rear walls of our premises ant
escaped by a back way to the quarters Of
Major Sio. The Major had only ten SOL
diers with him at the time, but sent i'm
mediately for more and gave us an es
! cort. We had hard time of it before
, ,getting away; the mob wanted to get a
us, they wanted to kill us, but the Major
, protected us, and his few soldiers charg
ed the crowd again and again, often Kill
ing several of the enemy. Then the sol
: diers captured several prisoners. Th'
mob tried many times to burn the build
ings of the mission, but it would not burn
Finally they did succeed In burning thu
: verandas, but that was all. 1t was Sat
utday, July IA, that the most of this trou
D BILE was going on. Then we escaped.
1--WE did not have to go to Shanghai fo
/, Major Sio promised us ample protection
etc ,oI WITH hn N
about 300 soldiers by this time. But w
were afraid that at any moment We woult
be likely to be cut off from a chance t.
escape and so we went. We We're in nee'
of some money; the Major handed M
; 500. Surely it was a remarkable case o
friendship on the part of these three Chi
4 nese, Major Sio and his two fellow Off
Gals.
q Major Sio sent his own brother ant
e two of his most intimate friends as a per
2 scnal escort with us to Shanghai; he al
. so gave us twenty soldiers, ten of thi
: number saw us all the way through t
Shanghai. Fortunately, on arriving II
!, Shanghai we found the treasurer of on
e society there and were able to get som
i me ney for necessities. We also reward
I ed the Chinese soldiers for their service
e and made presents to the brother an
9 friends of Major Sio.
Il think If any story should be publish
e ed. it should be this one, for here is
e case of wonderful kindness on the par
e Iof the Chinese at time when 1t wa
s not expected. Let us give them credit fo
= this one good deed; there may possibl
: have been similar services rendered: the
are guilty of enough awful crime as
t s-let us give them, therefore, especia
r credit for this act of humanity. 1t
y very strange when you consider that 1
t reality all of China is at war with tn
S rest of the world