New-York tribune., 1905-11-12

to be gained in America, and as to the treat
ment to which the Chinese subjected In
the United States. Popular sentiment and pa
triotism play far bigger role in Chinese life
than is understood abroad and In this con-
nection I would merely point out that nearly all
the massacres of French missionaries In China,
especially In the central and southern por-
tions of the empire. took place when the French
were conducting relentless war against tho
so-called Black Flags or border Chinese tribes
along the northern frontiers Of their colonial
possessions in Tonquin and Cochin China
It was in those days that first brought
face to face with the fact that the sufferinss
and tortures of which read as having been
undergone in the propagation OF Christianity
are not mere fairy tales and picturesque exag-
serations destined to fill the Golfers OF the
various missionary societies, but. on the con-
trary grim realities
Our ship the Old Anadyr, which now lies at
the bottom of the Red Sea, had on board num-
ber of priests monks and Sisters or mercy
hound from Marseilles to China to take the
places of those who had been put to death In
such an appalling fashion at the time of the
frfehtfuI Tien-Tsn massacre, and when We
arrived at Saigon the capital of French Cochin
China there was carried on board, In dying
condition. young French priest whose hair and
beard in spite of his seven and twenty years.
were snow white, whose eyes were sishuess'
whose hands and feet were swathed In oandases
and whose face bore traces OF sucn physlcai
agony undergone that even after all these years
1t still haunts my memory His laoors as d
missionary had taken him to the vicinity of the
Chinese border, and there he had been seized
and shut I'D for the space of two years In
wooden cage in which he could neither lie down
nor sit Nd and where in addition to having MS
ewes burned out and big wooden wedges rorced
between toes and fingers. he was suo9ecteo
TO other tortures of so frightful character tnat
they may be left to the imagination. since tney
cannot be described. Yet his tormentors were
careful always to stop their devilish contriv-
snces whenever there seemed any danger OF MS
life sIipping through their hands. They pro-
longed his existence with the idea of prolonglng
the torture not so much account of the doc
+,,es which he taught as by reason of the na
tionaIifv TO which ne belonged. and the only
amazing thing about the matter is that ne
sbo,Id have retained his reason But he was
narfactIv sane when carried board at Saigon
aftar his rescue and liberation, able 10
sneak TO me during the trip up to Hong Kong.
ond was by his bedside when he breathed his
last lust as we were entering port.
That was the first martyr who came under
my, own observation. and the remembrance Of
tir, racurs TO me at the present moment III con-
1actfon with the massacre of the American mis-
sionerses AT Lienchow. who Sc nartyrdoni. like
4har of the young priest mentioned above seems
N have been less due TO the doctrines thaf they
taught than 10 the passing hatred OF the nation
- Erich fhev belonged. But they were m'trtyrs
all the same. For IL was for the purpose OF
nreaching the Gospel and propagating Chris
tianity that they became the victims Of trage-
HES which were provoked chiefly by the poiicy
aoopteu 10 Ex-ATTACHE.