The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-06-12
Major John N. Could Received a
Telegram
Saying All Well at Pao
Ting Flu.
Who the Boxers Are and What
They are Doing.

There are several Portland people or
those who have relatives here who are In
Northern China right in the midst of the
country which the Boxers are ravaging,
and naturally great deal of anxiety Is
felt here concerning .he situation there.
At Pao Ting Fu which Is about days
journey from Pekin are located Miss Mary
5. Morrill,, daughter of Rufus Morrill, oil
this city, and Miss Annie A. Gould,
daughter of Major John Nj. Gould OF this
city. These young women are located at
an American mission in this town oil Pao
Ting Flu, and with them are Mr..
Ewing and family, DIR. Merritt and wife
and Mr.. Pitkins and wife. Within few
miles OF Tien Tsin Is located Mrs. Stella
Perkins, wife of DR.. Perkins, who has
relatives here. Mrs. Perkins Is
physician and her maiden name was
Stella Akers, she being niece OF Paul
Akers and her husband DIR. Perkins Is a
distant relative of James p. Baxter.
Naturally in these days of great dis
turbance in Northern China the friends
of these missionaries watch the papers
with great anxiety. A few days ago a
letter was received from Miss Annie
Gould dated Pao Ting Flu, Chihili, China,
April IL, 1900. In this letter Miss Goold
VIZ ote as follows:
II do not know how much of the cur
rent Chinese news is printed at home, SO
1 have no idea of what to explain, and
what to take for granted. Within year
sect called the Boxers has arisen. They
claim to worship god who lives on
sacred mountain in Shantung and he
possesses them at times so that they are
invulernable, neither sword nor bullet
can harm them when they are protected
in this way. Their god is spirit so they
have no images, but the members of this
S ,ct have strip OF yellow paper with Ger
tain characters as their emblems, and
they burn yellow paper as an Offering. l
do not know the significance of this.
Their syowed object is to destroy every
thing foreign and to protect and exalt the
dynasty During the fall and winter they
raided Shantung, chiefly destroying the
property of Catholics, sometimes taking
prisoners, for whom they demanded ran
som, at other times levying blackmail,
Finally they turned their attention to the
Protestants and u good deal OF damage
was done, hundreds being left homeless.
At last the Chinese walked up enough to
send soldiers and their presence has kept
peace-on the surface Now they spread
all through Chihili and there are camps
on all sides of us. About month aS o
Mrs. Pitkin planned to go with Miss
Morrill, to Ching Liang Chic, village
fifteen miles from here. At the last min
ute Mrs Pitkin was unable to go so Miss
Morrill, decided to wait a few days hoping
they could go then. Next morning 1t was
blowing a gale, clouds of dust and gener-
ally bad weather. 1t seemed kind Of
Providence for we heard the next day
that the Boxers We're in two villages be-
tween here and Ching Liang Cheng, and
II the foreign ladies had gone there might
have been sr,ous annoyance for them and
the Christians, II not real danger. The
uncertainty as to what.they might do has
kept Miss Morrill, at home from her
country tours, and she has devoted her
time to the translating of some leaflets
for our girls and to visiting our women.
She has twenty eight women reading
with her. On all sides are rumors and the
heathens are dreadfully afraid to have
anything to do with us. Our west suburb
day school has fifteen or more pupils but
when Miss Morrill, went yesterday there
were only three, all children Of Chris
tians Thel Presbyterians in the north
suburb have day school with fourteen
to eighteen pupils, but their numbers
have dwindled. Our Bible women say
that many are afraid to receive them. We
heard of one village where the fear and
superstition came to such pass that
they threw away their kerosene oil and
destroyed tin oil cans and all utensils
made OF foreign goods. One of our church
members in that region is a small peddler
of needles combs, etc. No one wanted tC
buy his foreign needles. The Chinese
third month is given up to u fair and
usually on the 18TH. Sin Yeh, noted
Chinese physician, who was deiied was
taken out of his temple for an airing and
the devotees marched in procession escort
ing him all through the city and back to
his temple, two miles from the city. The
Boxers when raiding other places have
taken advantages of the market helo
every few days that they might be abb
To mingle in the crowd without being
suspected. The officials were afraid tina
the usual procession might excite thu
people and that there might be dis