Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-10-09
A MISSIONARIES
ESCAPE IN CHINA.
Thrilling Experiences Of Miss Vir-
giuia C, Murdoch,
IN THE DESERT OF G0BI.
Ipsolence Of Natives az the Wells
Danger of Travel-Sad Death aud
Burial of Little Cbild.

New York, oct. 9.--Miss Virginia C..
Murdoch. NJ d., who has just arrived
from China, has given an account Of the
movements Of the band OF missionaries
driven across the desert Of Cobb. said
Miss Murdoch in an interview:
"Outslde Of my vacations I have been
In China for fifteen years. have
worked entirely through the outer edges
Of the empire where the inhabitants
have become accustomed TO the advan-
tages Of western civilization and ideas
and in my work had no trouble until
this Boxer movement
81 was stationed at Kalgan, which Is
a, one OF the gates Of the great Chinese
wall. about fourteen miles from Pekln,
Twas In Pekin on June with Mr.. Rob
erts. who was at the head Of our Kali
gan mission. We received word that the
Boxers were becoming active and were
told that the best move we could make
was 20 our own city where We knew
our people.
1--WE left Pekn on the morning Of
June G. forcing our way through bowling
mODs
There were twenty-three Of us In
the party when we left Harahoso, and
struck out over the dcsert-ten men,
seven women and six children, the chill
dren all very young and the progeny
OF the Swedish missionaries. We mad
twenty camels, nineteen horses ana six
camel carts. To take care Of the camels
we had seven Mongol camel drivers,
who were afraid Of their lives every
minute We were compelled 20 keep
continual watch on them to insure that
they would not desert
"Lasson, who had charge Of the car
ayau, told US when We stared out that
II we travelled IN the day time we would
KIN the Camels and II we travelled at
night we would have 20 take chances
on killing some Of the people.
1T turned out when we got through
that we had sufficient amount Of food
but we were AFRAID all along that We
would not have enough and an through
the trip across the desert we were on
short ratiOns. Our main difficulty was
shortage Of water our journeys were
between wells and recalled 10 me the
journeys made In scrlptural times In
Palestine.
Compel about each well we found
N1ngOls They were quite lnsOlent but
we had firearms and our men would go
out and ostensibly hunt and make a
great noise with the few shot guns and
rey0lycrs that we had. ] verify believe
that n 10 had not been for this display
we would never have reached siberia
alive
There was a little slckly baby In the
caravan when we left Harahoso. the
child Of one o. the Swedish mission
aries II was a Duny little thing and
had been brought up on condensed milk.
After a few days our condensed milk
was gone. | had charge Of the little
one and tried my best TO save It, but the
only milk We could get was milk We
bought from the Mongol women and II
was not nourishing The Mongol women
never wash the utensils in which they
keep their food
THE little one died but we kept the
body and a little grave In the beauti-
ful cemetery in Kiachta, Siberia, marks
the resting place Of this infant victim Of
the rage 81 the Boxers
1--WE reached Vega, 10 miles from our
starting point on July 30, and there we
rested until August g. when we started
FOR Kiachta, In Siberia. We arrived
there on August 10, and as soon as we
had disposed OF our caravan we started
across Siberia on the new railway.