The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-28
BEWILDERED BY RUMoRs.
Foreign Boards Do Not Know Wheth-
err All Missionaries Are Safe.

FOre1Gn boards DO NOT AnOW Wneth-
err All Missionaries Are Safe.
NEW YORK, June 27-There was no
cable news received to-day at any of the
headquarters of the different missionary
boards regarding the situation in China.
There were many inquiries from relatives
and friends of missionaries. The chief
Protestant interests in the Cantor district.
rising. are those of the Presbyterian
Church. 1t has altogether thirty-three mis-
sionaries in the three stations of the Cam
ton district-Canton. Lien-Chow and Yung-
Kong. There are ITO native helpers. 1t has
twenty organized churches. with 2,s31 com
municants, six hospitals and dispensar,es. a
college in Canton and three churches with
native preachers. DR.. Arthur NJ. Brown. OF
the board, said to-day that no word had
been received from that district. Hong
Kong is near there, with a British garrison.
and the missionaries could retreat to that
place in case of trouble. The American
Board of Foreign Missions (CongregationaD
has two men and three women missionaries
in the Canton district. In Canton are Rev.
Charles A. Nelson and wife and Miss Nellie
M. Cheney.
TIL secretaries OF the foreign mission
boards and the friends of the missionaries
are getting more and more bewildered as
rumors multiply. A letter from DIR. Edna
G. Terry to her mother. dated April %. said
she would sail for home at the earliest pos
sible date. Mrs. Terry hopes that her
daughter is already or her way.
The report from Che-Foo, giving a list Of
missionaries safe there. caused the Presby-
secretary's office. said: mot one of our
missionaries is mentioned I'm the list, un-
less IL is Rev. Mr.. Lowrie. Our Mr.. Lowrie
is Rev. Walter. and he has been at Pao-
Ting-Fu, shut off by the Boxers. we
thought. We do not see why our mission
aries from Picking were not mentioned, as
well as those of the other denominations.
Nor Is IT easy to explain how the mission
aries in Picking escaped all the way 10 Che
Foo, over two hundred miles. without an
escort of troops. at a time when m
and the allies are hard pressed in that same
region. The only way they could have lone
il was by the help of the native Christians.
Perhaps these missionaries who are men
toned were outside Of the city at the time
they started for Che-Foo. Then. too. all
our missionaries in Shan-Tung province
were ordered to port. which must be Che
Foo. From the fact that they were not
mentioned we conclude that they have not
yet reached that city"
Rev. DR.. c. c.. Cregan, of the American
Board of Foreign Missions. said of the Con-
gregational missionaries who are reported
to be safe in Che-Foo: "Dr. w. s. Ament
is the superintendent of the mission at Pc
king, and when last heard from he was in
that city. His wife and family are I'm this
country. Miss Frances B.. Patterson is of
the Picking mission, and the last we knew
of her she was there. Rev. James H.
Roberts was stationed at Kalgan, I'm the far
north OF China, close to the great wall We
have had great fears for him and his as
s~istants. Rev. p. Sprague and wife and
Rev. Mark Williams. Rev. Charles T.. Ew-
ing. of Pao-Ting-Fu. has sent a cable dis
patch to his father-in-law, the Rev. Mr..
Porter. of Danvers. Mass. 1t said simply
Safe"
After giving this information DR.. Cregan
said: I'VE are getting more and more con-
fused as these dispatches come in. But so
far as we have any knowledge no Amer
lean missionary has suffered bodily injury
and there is nothing yet TO destroy our
hope that the life OF each of them will be
spared. Our government seems 10 be doing
all II can, and we trust that the Lord will
deliver our brethren out of the fiery fur
mace I'm which they are placed. We assume
that all our missionaries are safe"
At the office of the Christian and Mission
airy Alliance In this city IL was said that
there were thirty-two missionaries north of
Peking who could be reached only through
Picking or Tien-Tsin. None OF them could
be In Che-Foo. for on their arrival the
headquarters here would be notified.