The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-22

We can never lDdnk you anu the uC1i
friends in Hawaii enough, or be abe |
to make you understand the depth of
gratitude in our hearts for all you have
done for us in this time of great dis
tress During the summer we have
cared for seventy-fiye refugees from
China-mostly missionaries-of all de-
nominations, several nationalities; all
ages, both sexes, all stages of illness
some very i'll. We have been too busy
to write, and have had printed
lengthy letter giving some accounts or
them, few of the escapes, and a few
extracts from letters written by Chi
nese Christians, some to my refugees,
and some to me.
To reply to these letters would inn
peril the lives of the writer's, so desper-
ate is the situation even now. All these
refugees had lost nearly their earthly
all; were completely stripped. Some
had too small salaries to meet cost of
living in Japan (nearly three times as
much as in China). The help they
needed has been great and many-sided,
land but for the timely aid so gener-
Iously extended by the kind friends over
there, who must have been inspired by
the Lord Himself to do for us ex-
traordinary things at this time, we
should have been unable to do what we
have done for so many, and many
hearts thank the Lord for you all and
ask Him to bless and reward you for
your kindness.
/ have only been waiting for the
needed TIME and strength to give you
la brief account of some of the wonder
full escapes and the marvellous provi-
dences guiding and guarding so many
of our refugees in their flight from
the blind fury oc the ignorant Chinese,
who were stirred up to drive Christ
} and His followers, with all other for
leigners, out of the Empire. AS / have
liSt a6 n GfnTioS
thrilling i have ever heard it has
seemed as though we must have gone
back, in time, beyond the medieval
J ages, as it seemed impossible for such
things to transpire in this late CEN
tury of the worlds history.
Rev. and Mrs. Gracey had to fly with
an infant two months old. The Chinese
J wet nurse had to be left behind How
! lcould a tiny baby survive such jour
. Iney of more than two hard weeks of
travel from the interior of China with
no means of sustenance? Another Won
derful record of kindness must be rec
orded to the lasting credit of Chinese
sympathy. That little baby was fed
Iby over twenty Chinese mothers on its
way to safety, and it arrived in good
condition after it's perilous journey.
MARVELLOUS ESCAPE OF PRIEST
This is one Of the wonderful histories
of persecution and escapes which has
Italian Roman Catholic, and after con-
version had been for some years in
connection with the China Inland Mis-
sion, working with untiring zeal. He
was seized by the Boxers, beaten I'M
conscious. and after about two days
recovered consciousness and found
himself lying on q pile of wood, satu-
rated with kerosene oil, prepared for a
bonfire. He succeeded in getting to a
friendly house and while crouching in
one corner the place was entered by
Boxers inquiring for a foreigner. The
family invited the Boxers in to eat and
they did not recognize their victim
taking him for a Chinese beggar, and
so he escaped, because their eyes were
blinded that they did not know him
Time would fail me to tell of all the
wonderful escapes and the brotherly
kindness of great numbers of Chinese
to our helpless. prosecuted missiona-
fries. These kind Chinese risked their
own lives in hundreds and hundreds OF
cases to help our missionaries to eS-
cape from their cruel pursuerS. i am
so glad to be able to record some OF
these facts TO the everlasting credit OF
the Chinese, for in the midst of SC
much barbarity and savage cruelty il
is SO refreshing to the spirit to know
that all Chinese are not like Prince
ITuan, the Empress Dowager and Their
followers, the Boxers, and truth com
| pels me to add that some of these KIND
| Chinese We're not processing Christians
although apparently under the infiu.
lence of the spirit of Christ, and ready
TO be gathered into the kingdom as
soon as China is settled so that the
missionaries can go back to teach
about the Savior of the world
NOW l HAVE TO RELATE A TER
RIBLE STORY.
OF all the provinces Shansi holds tn,
record for dlabolical massacres an,
barbarities a party of refugees from
Snansi escaped and arrived the latte
part of August, after encounterin,
such sufferings and breadth es
capped as VIII be difficult to find a par
allel for anywhere. The party consist
ed of four gentlemen, three married
ladies, four single ladies' and eigh
children. OF the nineteen who starte,
flve persisted on the way. These wer
late in escaping. Those who had bee
friendly TO foreigners had been perse
= cuted and many put to death The PEG
} pie had been terrorized and scarcel,
of one was left free to extend helping
8, hand when this party escaped Tn
IS story they tell is as follows: All wa
quiet in Pingyao up to the 25th of June
Inc magistrate was friendly, and ha
issued proclamation denouncing tn
Boxers and promising protection t
foreigners and Christians We wer
l""dic tIidt tneTe was trouble tn
route between us and Tien-Tsin, blu
did not know much as to what was go
ing on, or anticipate danger. On tina
Jay, however, We received a letter fror
- ialyuan enclosing a copy of a procla
nation which had just been issued b
fu Hsien, the governor, in which tn
people were informed that China wa
at war with foreigners. and that a
oreign devils must be destroyed. o
the back of that we learned that GU
magistrate was having his fayora bl
proclamation taken down from tn
- walls, and that a mob had already be
gun to demolish our chapel in the cit,
Later on. in the evening. a mob al
rived at our house in the suburb. an
we were driven to take refuge in III
yamen. The magistrate declared /
could not help us. He had received o,
ders no longer TO protect foreigner
e. and bade us depart in peace A
length. in answer to our entreaties. +
agreed to send us to Taiyuan, $50
distant, under escort, SO we starte