Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-04
ATROCITIES OF THE BOXERS
OF FRANCISCAN BISHOP
AND HIS ASSISTANTS.
Six Hundred Native Christians Also
Pcrish-ParticuIars Given in Let.
ter Received From Rome.

Particulars of the horrible massacre of
some of the members of the Franciscan
Order by Boxers and Chinese soldiers have
been received at the Franciscan monastery
near this city. Those put to death were
venerable bishop and his three assistants,
together with about $50 native Christians.
The outrage occurred at the city of HUI
Nan July 4. The chief prelate killed was
Antony FaHtosau, bishop of Antren and
vicar apostolic of Huran.
The letter which brought the horrifying
news was from high official of the Fran
cfscan Order in Rome. 1t was stated that
for some time previous to the murders
Bishop Fantosati had been fearing an at
tack upon his cathedral by the Boxers.
He therefore appealed to the Chinese gov
eminent for protection, and they sent GOO
soldiers. ostensibly for the purpose of pro-
tectfng him and those under his charge.
The bishop and his assistants were SO
pleased at this action of the government
that they arranged to have a great cele-
bratfon the day referred to. and due no.
tfce of the program was given. Accord
fngiy the cathedral was crowded, about
one-half of the audience being women.
At a given signal the troops. who had
become fraternized with the Boxers. sur
rounded the sacred edifice and closed all
the means of exit. Next they seized the
dSeu piSlOp anu, dIter tOTtur1nR MIN IN a
horrible manner. decapitated him. They
also cut out his liver and heart, the let
ter states, and actually devoured them
His head was placed on a pole as trophy
in front of the viceroy's palace One of
the bishops assistants who was killed was
young man who graduated from a theo-
logical seminary last summer and was only
recently ordained to the ministry.
The bishop and his assistants having
been disposed of, the attention of the vii
lains was directed to the assembled COM
pany, which was composed mainly of ma
tive Christians.
Not One Escapes.
The letter says that the women were out
ragged and the building set on fire, and that
not single person escaped with his or her
life. those not burned to death being
killed by their assailants with the sword as
they attempted to fee from the burning
building. The writer of the letter says that
he Is afraid that what is above recited is
only the beginning Of the troubles and per-
secutions which await the missionaries and
native Christians.
The letter goes on to state that before
the death Of Bishop Fantasoti there were
nine Franciscan bishops in China. These
had under them 124 friars. and the total
number of converts was 109,3SO out of a
population of S3.OOOOOO, while the bishop
OF Hu-En reported 567o converts out of a
population Of 10.OOO.o0O. In the nine Fran
ciscan vicarfates or dioceses in China there
were when the letter was written, a couple
of weeks ago, several hundred churches
and missionary stations. There were also
nine seminaries with 145 seminarians; like
wise 312 schools and q orphan asylums.
During the last year 1920 pagan children
were baptized There were in the same
period sosl converts and 1892 catechumens
or persons under instruction. Twelve thou
sand one hundred and seventy-five children
were put in orphan asylums or in native
schools or in the hands Of Christian fami-
lies.
In another letter which has been received
at the monastery. the writer of which is
Chen-long. eminent Chinaman. particu-
lars are given Of the murder by Boxers Of
Catechist Nan. an assistant to the priests.
and which is a sample of the way in which
$50 others were put to death.
After being stripped of his clothing and
bound he was asked:
Are you a Christian?'
Il am. was the reply.
Then one ear was cut off.
A second time the inquiry was made in
the same words as before, and again he
declared he was a Christian. and his other
ear was severed. The third time he was
asked: Are you still n Christian and.
his reply being in the affirmative. the I'M
fortunate mans head was severed from the
body
Chinese Hatred of Foreigners.
In private letter to member of the
Franciscan Order here Father Zeno Moult-
ner. who is a missionary in China, writes:
Whence comes all this inveterate perse-
cution of the Christians in China?" And
then he goes on to answer his own ques-
ton. TT comes from the hatred of the
great majority of the Chinese TO everything
that Is foreign. which, he says has been
known for years" Proceeding, the writer
SAYS:
The secret society of the Great Knife
which has recently come to be known as
the Boxers, claims that spirit whom they
adore descends and operates upon them
sponsible for their actions. Possessed by
this spirit. they say they are invincible and
invulnerable. Disdaining the use of weap-
ons in which powder is used, they fight only
with the sword and spear. They claim to
have banded together for protection against
robbers. but soon they threw of the mask
and showed that their true purpose was the
extinction of the Christian missions. In
their paroxysms of fanaticIsm their faces
take on ashen hue. their eyes start from
their sockets and their voice becomes hoarse
and harsh.
order to spread their propaganda invited
the residents OF a neighboring village to
meet with them on a day appointed and
witness the descent of their spirit When
the time for the meeting arrived the COM
mons in the neighborhood of the meeting
place swarmed with people In spite. how
ever, of the most desperate exertions on the
part OF the Boxers, the spirit did not mate
rialize. and the meeting ended in general
riot.
Soon after this the Boxers descended on
200 Christian settlements and urged the in
habitants to deny their faith. and when they
refused burned all their property, not a
single house being allowed to escape the
torch