The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-07

issue OF the Annals of the Propagation Of
| the Faith" which is published bi-monthl,
at st. Mary's Seminary By Rev. J. Freri
assistant division general of the associa-
tioE. will contain number of interesting
letters describing in detail the recent hor.
ribie massacres of Catholic missionaries in
China Father Choulet. superior Of the
mission of southern Manchuria, writes from
| lngtze tNiuchwanSD, under date OF July 3.
to Father Hinord, of the burning of Bishop
Gullon. Father Emonet, Sister Aiber;ina,
| and others, and of the desecrating of sa-
cred graves. He says:
II martyrdom and persecution were
| dreams TO me in my youth. today they are
| convictions. What ruins are piled, one on
| another. in our poor mission, Our churches
and our establishments are in ashes. And,
passing ever material losses-Bishop Gull
Ion burned alive. Father Enonet burned
alive. Father John Lii burned alive Sister
Albertina and Sister of the Holy Cross
burned alive with nearly 800 Christians in
the Church of Moukden il is
| heartrending
| Bishop Guillon, with his small flock
of Christians, held cut against the Boxers
for some time. When he saw Chinese SOL
| diers leveling cannon against the ca
| thedral he gave UP resistance and ordered
L
| He put on his pontificial vestments and
courageously awaited death. l have been
told that the Chinese soldiers numbered
! 2.0c0. with the eul-ta-je first mandarin
under the yiceroy) at their head
Those who have persisted have received
their reward from Ged; but wha; shall
we say of our poor Christians hunted like
wild beasts, of our virgins and orphans
seized as slaves and sold to pagans like
beasts of burden?
TO give You an idea Of the cruelty of
our enemies let me tell you about the
much-lamented Father Moulin. Having
| died on June "a of typhoid fever, he had
/, been buried twelve days when the post of
| Niuchwang- Ting was destroyed and the
church burned. Dsinterring and outTag
ing his body they cut off his head and
threw body and head into the flames that
were devouring the church.
In like manner on the farm of St Jo-
seph they disinterred Sister Helen, who
died fifteen years ago to burn her bones
and what was left Of her clothing.
In Moulden there is not a stone left
upon a stone. In -Kiafarg Chen
forty Christians fell while defending the
church. Father Alexander Hia. wh) vas
in charge OF this post, was taken priso-
ner. led to Moukden and decapitat. d. in
Siao-heichan sixty-four Christians lost
their lives
Continuing. Father Choulet describes
how Fathers Viaud and Boyart. of Siao-
hei-chan. and Fathers Agnius CT Kwang
ming, took refuge, with their orphans, in
Che tze-tuen, where they hoped to find
certain peace But the runner that their
retreat had been discovered. he writes,
soon spread, so they concealed them
selves in the underbrush. where they
spent two days without food. Then con-
tinues the letter:
The third day the brigands came upon
them, having recourse to the stratagem of
giving them something to eat, so as to
seize their horses and arms more easily.
treasured by this hypocritical act of
humanity the priests. without any misgiv-
ing whatever, were deprived of all that
they owned. Being advised by courier
to join me, they started for Ing-tse.
Hearing nothing of their arrival, |
sent another courier to them, who re- |
turned with the news that three mission |
aries and four Christians Gho accompan- |
led them had been seized in a village a |!
short distance from Che-tze-tuen. The |
three priests were shot and thrown into |
the river. Their four companions were |
not shot, but were bound and thrown into |
the same river. On his way the courier |
saw several children, young women. and |
old men with their threats cut. One man,
about forty years old still breathed. He
went up TO the dying man. but could do
nothing for him.
Father Chaulet wrote August 3 from
Ing-tse:
Father Maurice Ii. a native priest,
was oecapitated. together with three
Christians who accompanied him (He is
the third native priest >massacred in
southern Manchuria.) I
AT Leen- Chan $500 soldiers were re-
CURED to resist Fathers Bourgeois and LIE
Guevel and the Christians armed to de-
feHd the post. Unable to get vessel. the
two missionaries together with a dozen
brave faithful took refuge in an old tow
er near the mountain Of Tai-ta-chan The
aggressors had recourse to cannon; hav-
ing exhausted their bullets, the priests
melted what little coin they had and used
that in their guns:-When powder fail d.
Father Bourgeois burned their paper
money, broke their firearms, and re-
signedly awaited death. They were de.
capitated. The heads of the two priests.
as well as those of Marie and Theresa
Mou, directresses of the orphan asylum
in Leen- chan, were taken to Ming yuan
chau.
I'VE cannot enter into the details of
our present situation. Only three or four
Of twenty-five districts have preserved
heir centres; from a material point OF
view, therefore. our ruin is complete
Sixty years of labor, fatigue trial, and ex-
pense tthe mission was founded about
Is40) have been lost and rendered unpro-
luctive in less than month
IF, from a spiritual point of view. We
ire called upon to record sad experiences,
We have also enjoyed great consultations.
N the name of the Governor of Moukden,
he Boxers published an edict advising
)agans to burn churches and kill Chris |
ians. a large number Of faithful men,
women, young men, and children courag-
.ously reiterated till their death that they
we're Christians and wished to die as 4
christians. Unfortunately. there were I
many OBJECTIONS among recent converts. ,
Ne need not, necessarily. wonder. The
rec had not had time to strike root and
vas overthrow by the sudden storm
The following letter. addressed 10 THE I
rovincial OF the Jesuits in Amiens." was t
eceived from Father Seneschal, superior I
the residence of Chang Kia- Chuang |
Chill:
"On June IS the names Of Fathers And C
auer and Remy Isore. of Ou-i. were added [
D the list of martyrs belonging to the or
er of the Jesuits.
Not understanding the gravity of the | v
ltuation, the reverend superior had sent
athers Isore and Simon Ii to the north '
Or a rest. I
They arrived at the residence on Sat
rday. 18th inst. AS the Boxers had begun
invade the Interior, Father Isore was /
ivised TO return at once to take charge of Z
is Christians exposed to their attacks He
Tered to return of his own free will. / a
lowed him full liberty of choice. as knew e
lat his return was beset with danger. But
lie devoted Priest replied: L accept your b
Il, nd hall |