The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-07-03

ceed against them. This man had
only held office for a short time. He
vas inexperienced, and was promoted
through the favoritism of the EN-
peror. |
In October last. under compulsion. |
he sent a large force against the Great
Swords, who nad taken the field with |
the avowed intention of wiping out
the Christians. On October As. the
two armies came together. One hum
dred rebels were killed and many
wounded and the rest, including the
leader, fed.
The yictOrs returned. jubilant. to
the governor, who, however. far from
being pleased at their report, was
thrown into a fury. He degraded
three of them and sent a report to
Pekin that the socalled rebels were
merely a congregation of honest coun-
try people, whom the soldiers had at
tackled and masSacred without right
! or warrant.
linus at a single stroke the cover
nor paralyzed the action of every Of
fetal, making it impossible for them
to act as they clearly saw was best.
The leaders. who had skunk away af-
! ter the fight, quickly discovered that
the governor was on their side. and
within two weeks every man was in
his place again.
Henry ID. Porter, a missionary. says
that in the district of KaO-Tang. and
Pang-Gang there began a campaign
of pillage, arson and murddf which is
awful to recall. The whole county
west Of Chinanful, in this province.
and as far south as Shen-Chou. in the
province of Chilhi, famed up into an
anarchy at once. and the attack of
ruin was widespread. In many cOun-
ties Of Shan-Tung every Roman Cath
Ollie house was swept clean, and hun-
dreds of Protestant Christians suffer
ed. In response to appeals from the
missionaries, the miscreant Gu was
suddenly removed, and the famous
Huan-Shih-K'al, a friend Of Ii Hung
Chang, was sent to be the governor.
Before the authorities in Chilli could
be made to realize the real import
of the struggle 100 Protestant fami-
lies had been looted on the borders
Of the Yellow river. west Of the pro-
vincial capital. an equal number Of
Christians of the London mission in
Chilli had suffered, and fifty or more
congregational families had been at
tackled, despOiled or mulcted of money
under threats of loot and pillage. The
more serious Of these was at Chang
Ssu-Ma. in Chilli. and Ho-Chia-Tun. in
Shang-Tung. In the former the native
pastor was driven from his home,
while the chapel and school were
Quilted and despOiled. -Four families
were driven from home. and the neigh
bors dug up the concealed treasures
Of books and medicines and scattered
them to the winds. At the COngre-
gational mission. in Ho-Chai-T'un. a
r. hcn1 Of 900 ,nchn1 into +bo ,;ll,~o
Quilted the station residence, and
looted the chapel and the homes of the
helper and his brothers. besides rob
bing the adjoining homes of wealthy
neighbours. The terror was continuous
for months.
AS a climax to these outrages came
the murder Of a young church of Eng
land missionary named Brooks. a
smooth-faced. cheerful boy of p years.
In going to join a brother missionary
:. in Shang-Tung he passed through d
) village where a band Of thirty-tive
: Great Swords were at dinner. He
might have passed through in safety
had not a little girl raised the cry OF
t Yang Kweitze!' or foreign devil.
Instantly the rebels were upon their
, feet, and had surrounded Brooks
i, They pushed him about. called III
| vile names and at last, while some one
held him, others trust a hook through
: his nose to which a rOpe was tied
l They pulled him about here and there
to the immense amusement OF The
mob. At last the unfortunate boy
1 managed to eNtricate the hook anC
break away from his tormentOrs. He
started to run from the village, bu-
| three of the rebels got horse anC
started to ride after him.. They sOOI
succeeded in overtaking him. ant
/ then killed him with their words.
1t was this tragedy which aroused
: the British government to action
5 doubtless operated to prevent TIL
more energetic protest that woult
Z have otherwise been made. The nev
{ governor has not yet succeeded il
n suppressing the Boxers. \ few head
+ have been cut off and hung in cage
t by the highways to serve as a warn
t ing to the evil-dOers, and a numbe
Il of perpetrators of minor %Offense
against the Christians have been haul
e ed before the court of righteous judy
ment and sentenced to such punish
ment as wearing the cangue," bu
the reign of lawlessness still cOntin
n ues, if in less violent form. and ha
been the occasion of the joint note
r in which the American minister j
d said to have taken part, and in whicl
O the powers threatened to scnd troop
v to protect the mission unless the Box
j. ers are suppressed.