The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-13
LOoTING IN CHINA.
some Cha vges Made by General
Voyron.
Paris CorresL ondence of the London

Times.
said yesterd. ny that in all proba-
hilitv the report would be published
to-day. but I did nat say that it would
be published by the government, and,
in fact, it is by an indiscretion that
it has now somewhat obscurely reach
ed the Paris press. In reproducing tho
significant passage here am bound to
explain why the government cannot
and does not wish t0 publish the whole
report. AS will be seen, 1t incriminates
some of the missionaries. who INDUCED
in the most reckless pIHlage, Turing on
French soldiers to do Their work for
them. But the report says other things
to which the government d,oes not wish
to give publicity. 1t recon- ots certain
facts that were already being mystic
riously noised abroad, both we're and,
no doubt, elsewhere. IT says That no
sooner had the legations been renewed
by the allied forces, while the C.1inese
in the richest quarters OF Pektn were
panic stricken, than the ladies of the
legations ran off TO the best shops,
which were we'll known to them, and
pillaged them of their valuable con-
tents, returning with positively crush
ing loads of the most precious articles.
silks, laces, jewelry, gold and silver
and ivory work, which they hid and
heaped up in their respective legations,
thus making ruthless pillage their nor
NAL and regular occupation.
As Gen. Noyron's report gives names,
and in general places the attitude of
the liberated captives of Pekin in a
melancholy light, it is clear that it Is
not for the government of a great ma
ton to provide history with pages al
most humliating for the dignity of
both sexes in Pel1in, for tt was not
the women alone who INDUCED in these
excuses. l hasten to add that no par
ticular nationality is involved, nor yet
are the missionaries or soldiers of any
single power but those of all nations,
so that If parallel with the heroic &C
tons accomplished we were to reckon
up the melancholy events and ipglor-
ious exhibitions of conduct of which
Pekin was then TIE theater, volumes
would not suffice. M. Waldeck- Rous-.
seau displayed, therefore. the most
prudent cool-headedness when, so to
say, he improvised the committee
which will undertake to select the
claimants for indemnities. promising to
furnish 1t with all the details of the
report 1t is to be presumed that this
committee Will be composed of men
whom political passion will not incite
to hand over to the public the names
OF those men or women who furnished
an example of the basest cupidity and
lust for theft, all the more shameful
because the impunity was absolute, to
those whose minds and souls they pre-
tended to purify and ennoble. All ma
tons must share this shame, and it
must be passed over in silence, for all
are involved.
The following are the portions of the
report now published:
At the outset of his report Gen.
Noyron offers long explanations on the
charges of pillage preferred against
French soldiers in China. He SAYS that
in a general way the French troops
were much more reserved than those
OF the other nations. If certain acts
of pillage were committed by French
ofi1cers and soldiers, they were severe
ly repressed, and in any case were only
isolated instances. Once only, declares
Gen. Voyron,. the French soldiers were
led away to pillage methodically and
en- masse, but they were melted by
missionaries. The report then contin-
ues textually:
The missionaries, no doubt we'll in
formed, came to Prince Lis palace on
the morning of the 18th with forty
Soi 70 cAlh ANO 10 three num-
dred native Christians employed as
coolies, and began a methodical search.
They gathered up the silver ingots,
and thus collected an important sum.
They got themselves aided in this OBJ
Grafton by soldiers and sailors stationed
at Pei-Tang, to whom as a gratuity
they gave personal checks of the value
of 1000 francs OH the Sisters of saint
Vincent de Paul. in France. On learn
ing the lot that had befallen their
comrades, certain men not at Pei Tang
abandoned their environments and
came to seek silver bars for them
selves. Being unable to utilize them
they exchanged them for checks bear
ing their names on one Chamot, a
Pekin restaurant keeper. or on the
Pere Procureur of the mission. These
exchanges, the amount of which ii is
not easy to determine, were made, 1,
appears, at a very heavy rate of in
terest. Gen. Frey was in a pc.
culiar situation. This seizure had not
been ordered, and took place unknown
to him. To leave in the possession OF
persons in question the checks deliver
ed to them individually by the mission
or the man Chamot would have beer
real encouragement to maraudine
and pillage.'
THE report goes on to say that the
checks given to the soldiers by the
missionaries were either partially pool.
ed in a common fund or returned tc
| the missionaries, but the French sail.
ors refused to give back their checks
Finally a check for 5000 francs was
written in Monsignor Favier's name ir
! compensation for the checks which l.nt
been handed as gratuities to soldiers
who had assisted the missionaries ir
| carrying off the money and which these
soldiers had turned into a common
| fund