Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-06-28

twenty million human beings are
years drought, the people of Shensi
and Shansi are face to face with one
of the worst famines of modern times
1t is an awful story which has recent
ly come to the outside world through
the mountain passes. Thousands OF
men and women dying daily, mothers
selling their children for bread, fam
ished men eating boiled leather, a sys-
TEN of cannibalism beginning, and a
universal hunger. Such are the con-
ditions under which Ii Hung Chang,
the Bismarck OF Asia" has appealed
to Americans.
Nothing could prove more clearly
the crushed, heartbroken condition of
China today than Ii Hung Chang's
cablegram. In the thousands of years
of her long dynasties wars and pesti-
| lences have laid China waste before.
but never has she considered herself
helpless enough to ask assistance from
beyond the great wall or the great sea.
But against every precedent and tradi-
tion of his country, Ii Hung Chang
cabled:
Very serious famine spreads over
whole province Shansi. over eleven
million population affected. Urgent re-
! lief necessary. Conditions warrant
immediate appeal"
For their water supply TIE two pro-
vinces depend upon irrigating bitches
and wells, which have long since dried
up. AS result the hunger cloud hangs
low and is continually growing deeper.
A letter recently received from man
in Shanghai thus describes conditions
there:
1T is great famine. We have new
er heard of anything so terrible. The
Empress-Dowager and Emperor were
good enough to give 100000 tael to the
relief society, and from the viceroy
down to the workman every one is
contributing, but we need far more
than we can get. The poor have no
rice; they killed everything in sight
cooked even leather boxes or bags, and
stewed tree bark and grass. Some of
them were so famished that they were
even eating earth.
On the first day / saw a number of
poor people trying to sell their children
for rice. On the second saw the same
party lying starving on the road, and
on the third day about half of them
were dead, and their miserable bodies
were lying at the mercy of hungry dogs
and wolves
How sad this is! Nearly every city,
town or village we passed through was
deserted, or the houses were occupied
by the dead. A friend told me of
family of nine. The mother could not
bear to hear the cry of the famished
children, so she hung herself. The
father became insane and killed all
seven children, and finally committed
suicide. They were of good family,
and would not beg for food nor sell
their children
THE suffering of the famine-strick-
en- people in Shansi is indescribable,"
said Minister E, H. Conger, in a letter
from his home in Des Moines.
Just before leaving China informa-
ton came to Mr.. Conger that the in
habitants of the two provinces had
eaten every blade of grass, every bit of
bark, and that they are now actually
eating each other.
A quantity pathetic appeal has been
issued by the Governor of Shansi. A
translation made by WI Ting Fang.
Chinese Minister in Washington, is as
follows:
TO Our Own People and Foreigners:
This time the famine is more serious
than ever. China is very poor now
and the people are in such straitened
position that no big assistance can be
expected from them. Since more than
several months now, the famine has
been raging in places in this province
In some villages they are eating hu-
man flesh.
All our brothers in the world should
be sorry for us, and should know how
unfortunate we are. We wish all our
people to share some of the money
which you spend amusing yourselves.
and for travelling, and for dressing. and
for all kinds of comforts, to rescue
these poor people. 1t is much better
to save the starving and dying men.
women and children here, than to build
a pagoda OF temple, or even a church
because from ten to twelve million
people are suffering to death.
Signed by the Governor of shansi,
and the Relief Society OF Shansi, com
posed of officersa gentlemen and mer-
chants of Shansi."