The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-02

| opened loot n1arts themselves, sending
| their Chinese converts out to provide the
stock. A semi-legftimate color was given
| to these transactions by creating out OF
the proceeds IA fund for the relief of Chi
| nese Christians who had suffered perse-
| oution and loss OF property al the hands
Of their dissenting countrymen.
! "Tribute Excursions"
Even here, where moral perceptions
have been blunted by war, considerable
! scandal has arisen out of what are de-
nomiratcd "triblfte excursions" A few
days after .the4reAef of Pekin missionaries
went to the military authorities. and, rep
resenting that In towns. ana villages in
the vicinity of the capital many native
Christians were In peril, requested cs-
COrts TO succor them. In many instances
these escorts We're granted, particularly
by the British and Americans. In not a
+ single instance that ! heave heard of did
these excursions develop a genuine res
cue
An American cavalry officer who COM
manded one of the earliest of these expe-
ditions thus described 1t TO me:
The missionary who guided us, with
| his Chinese Interpreters, made. inquiries
as we went along, but failed to develop
as far as / could see any evidence that
Christian Chinese had been murdered
/ The missionary suggested that we burn
| the first town we came to, and was my III
put out when l positively refused. He
renewed the proposition at other towns
but l told him finally that | was a SOL
der not a house-burner and slaughterer
of peaceful non-combatants. After that
he did not renew the subject, except
once when as we were leaving a large
town he pointed to a large house and said
Il belonged to the brother OF one OF his
Christian interpreters.
my Interpreter says that his brother
is a very bad man. the missionary told
me. and much against the foreigners, and
he requests permission to bum his house.
"Of course, ] refused the request of the
/ loving Christian brother On another day
/ one of my men shot "a Chinaman who at
| tempted to get away with some loot, Sc
vereiy wouuding him. When | rode up to
/ inquire into the matter the wounded man
was writing on the ground. while two
soldiers were endeavoring to aid him. I
sent for q surgeon, but the missionary
seemed very impatient at the delay.
Better put him out of his agony with
out any more trouble he said. I'm do
Il. II you ike tapping his gun, for he
was heavily armed.
ole must have seen my disgust at his
proposal, for he did not refer to the mat
Ter again, beyond a poor attempt 10 turn
u -
est. As we got further 10 the north We
found the towns fun Of people who gazed
on us as il wondering what brought Us
I there. In one Of obese towns-a walled
one-the missionary had a long confer.
ence with some OF the leading Chinese.
After we left he told me that the citizens
OF the town had proposed 70 pay an In
demnI.y to the missionaries for any dam
age done the property Of Christian Chi
ness 70 the town would not be burned.
81 then dawned on mo that the mission
ar5 mad threatened 10 have me town loot
81 and burned N tho Inhabitants ia noe
pay 90 Indemnity ! woe Indignant. but
made 40 0ommcuf
During the entire nip ! had me great
CO dlflcnfy iu preventing che Christian
Chinese Who accompanied EDO missionary
from loounK Al ihc bret important town
they proceeded 40 ni theft cariF Their
o0ndnof ifn 90 i0uDf that hoy c0nfld
cred i9oi tas fcal gbjfci " fiis eaDf a.