Rock Island Argus., 1900-07-19

Then, waving his hand with an au-
thority that independent Americans
cannot appreciate, he commanded ST.
lence.
He said that the missionaries had
come there by authority OF the govern
ment and that if any crimes We're COM
mitted the criminals would lose their
heads within a week. 1 don't know
how far the ChinafAan's advice would
have prevailed with the rioters, but
while he was talking some women
came running down the street, and
they called out that the baby was
found. 1t had wandered into a pen
with some cattle and had fallen asleep
there in the mud. The foreigners in
Kwow-Chow were saved. In the end
the episode helped our cause amazing
ly. The Chinese are naturally gentle
race, with a strong sense of justice.
except when they are excited When
they realized how unfair they had been
and how they might have slain inno-
cent people, they became our stanch
friends.
1.-The escape OF the Rev. Frederick
J. Masters, now the head Of the Chi
nese missions in San Francisco, and his
family and friends from horrible
deaths at the hands Of rioting Chinese
is about as thrilling as anything in
missionary experiences l personally
know of. The tale illustrates also the
highly infiammable nature of the Chi
nese. 1t was in 1888, shortly after the
French army had invaded TOnQuin.
The millions of Chinese in the prov
inces of southern China adjacent to
TonQuin were wild at the intrusion of
a foreign army. They feared that all
Chinese might become yassals to the
French. The Rev. DR.. Masters and
several other missionaries We're living
on the outskirts Of Canton. The for
eigners were warned by the officials in
Canton to refrain from participation
in the public assemblages and to keep
indoors as far as possible. Every night
red paper placards containing Chinese
denunciations of foreigners were post
ed secretly about the city. The plac-
ards became more hostile to the for
eigners, and one night mob of $4,000
people rose in Canton. Fortunately
the government had quietly provided
an extra guard for such an occasion,
or the slaughter of hundreds of white
people in Canton would have followed.
As it was about 40 French and 16 peo-
pie of English, German, American and
other nationalities were killed.
"Out where the Rev. DR.. Masters and
other Americans lived about 200 Chi
nese started to kill the missionaries
and tear down their headquarters. The
crowd got together on public square.
Every one was armed with some muir
derous weapon. IntiammatOry speech
es We're made, and amid yells of Tong
kwei" and housekeeping" cDeath to
the foreign devils" and Slash the rich
to pieces!) the excited crowd went
running up the crooked street toward
the homes of some very rich Chinese
merchants and some of the Christian
missions. 4 guard of twoscore men,
hastily placed there by the govern
ment, was beaten and cut down by the
maddened men. who We're armed with
knives fastened on poles. Two guards
were killed outright, and several were
dreadfully wounded. Screaming like
fepdS. the mob surged past ard burst
open the heavy gates of the high brick
walls that surrounded the homes of
rich mandarins who had prospered by
trading with the foreigners in Canton.
In a few minutes 16 of the most costly
residences in that part of the suburbs
of Canton were in flames.
The mob increased, and the whole
city was in a tumult. The Rev. DIR.
Masters and his associates heard the
mob as it approached. Several mission
aries started to run toward the river,
where they might escape in the boats.
While the iI.furiated crowd was hack
ing people to death and taking things
in the mandarins' houses and while
the flames were shooting up to heaven
DIR. Masters and his family expected
that at any moment the Chinese might
surge in upon them. They were alb
soluteIy without protection. To at
tempt to fee then would have been the
height of madness. All at once a Chi
nese Christian, a man of means and in
huence in the neighborhood, ran into
DR.. Masters rooms.
"'Come quick. and I'll save you allr
gasped he I'm Chinese, all out of breath.
But the mob will kill you and all
your family because you are Chris
tians,' said the missionary. My fam
lily has shifted for itself, and L will
save my teachers and friends said the
Chinaman. At the same time he push
ed the missionary before him out into
a dark passage; then, while the flames
from the burning houses lighted up the
evening sky, the missionary and all his
household were smuggled over a dozen
walls and through dark passageways
into little cellar beneath a friendly
Chinaman's house. The mission party
had not moment to spare. for the ref
ugees had not secreted themselves be-
fore the mob burst into the deserted
mission. For two days and nights DIR.
Masters and his companions lay hid
den in the cellar. Only once could food
be given them. A dozen Christian Chi
nese stood about the spot and artfully
threw the mob off the scent Many