The Irish standard., 1902-07-26
Tortures of the Most Excruciating Kind
are Inflicted Upon Them by
the Prosecutors.
The Neophytes and Catechumens Bear All
Sufferngs With Fortitude
and Resignation.

The current number of the Les Mis-
sions Catalogues, the official organ of
the work of the Propagation Of the
Faith, contains an account Of the he
roic conduct of Chinese Catholics who
in the summer and autumn of 1900,
during the Boxer uprising, chose
death rather than abjure the faith.
Between the months of June and Oc-
tober of 1900, about three thousand
Chinese Catholics belonging to the
province Of Tche-ly, in the south
eastern part of China, were massacred
by the Boxers. Many of these died
with arms in their hands valiantly
fighting the Boxers. Many others,
however-women, children, old men
were either hacked to death or We're
burned in churches to which the torch
had been applied. These lost their
lives because they were Christians and
refused to apostatize from the faith,
thereby earning the palm of martyr
dom. The Les Missions Catalogues,
referring to these twentieth century
martyrs, says of them: 'The details
that have been garnered concerning
the circumstances recall the most
touching pages in the history Of the
primitive church." In proof Of this
assertion the organ of the work Of the
Propagation of the Faith publishes the
following extracts from the letter OF
a Jesuit Missionary father:
''In the village of Nang-lao-Sen, the
Mandarin assembled the Christians
and promised them their lives and
even his promised favor and that of
the emperor on condition that they
apostatized. Through the admimstra-
tors of their parish the Catholics
made this reply: we would rather
die than deny our faith The next
day the town fell into the hands OF
the Boxers. These Catholic heroes lost
their lives by the sword OF in the
flames of their burning churches.
Three children escaped death who
were handed over to Buddhist priests.
Later OH the Mandarin himself count
ed tile number Of victims and found
that there were one hundred and for
ty-seven of them. Only one saved his
life by apostatizing.
At Yang-lai a band of Catholic
women and four young maidens faced
n most cruel death for their faith and
in defense of their chastity. Father
Wihaux is authority for the statement
that long after the massacre took
place their bodies, perfectly preserved
and having only the livid pallor of
death. were found in the common
trench surrounded by putrefying
cOrDseS.
1t often happened that after every
one had fled at the approach OF the
executioners, old men and women, en-
feebled by age, as well as the wounds
ed, found means of getting to the
church. there to await death at the
foot of the altar a numerous band
of Christians fleeing from Chang
loo,nn were surrounded by Boxers.
Some were massacred on the spot
whilst in the act of recting the ro-
sary; others We're brought back to
the village. where they either had their
tlrcats cut CT were buried alive with
other victims. Among these veritable
martyrs some We're still only catechu-
mems!
A Chinese Catholic named Raymond
Ii, when commanded to sacrifice to
the Spirits, replied: II am an Old
Christian: l cannot renOunce my
faith" Thereupon he was struck
dead At Lang-tzen-Kliao an old man
named Lion Eull-tano, 20 years old,
lifted the five fingers Of his hand and
made answer: Il am Christian-a
Christian with Christian ancestry of
five ceneratirns.'' Instantly he fell,
pierced with wounds.
Many were killed because. when
captured. they were wearing the soap
ular. At Tchao-eull-tchoang (the dis
trict where Father Bataille is sta
tionedD Paul Ki, nineteen years old,
remained :lone in his hcme after his