The San Francisco call., 1907-06-23

II - view OF me recent UprlSlnSs IN
China and the arrival in this city OF
DR.. z. c. Machle, who went through
the horrors OF similar insurrection
two years ago. the story OF his miracu-
1ous escape from torture and death at
the hands Of certain members OF the
Trisd society is not untimely.
DR.. Machle tells the story himself,
simply, quietly One hardly realizes
that he is speaking OF his own expert
ence; that It was his wife and child
who were among the massacred; that it
was he who lay for six hours in a
Shiny. stagnant pool Of water in black
underground cave, motionless, stifened,
while his pursuers flashed their lights
not 90 feet away.
Tt was two years ago." began DR..
Machle. that I, with my wife and two
children. reached Lienchow. The boat
that brought US up the river landed
carly in the morning, and being anx-
tous to settle in the quarters appointed
us I spent nearly the entire day un-
packing and helping my house boy to
unlade the boat We had not finished
the task when night came. so many
articles were still unpacked when we
went to the residence quarter of the
and daughter had preceded me there,
and our first night was passed in peace.
THE next morning after breakfast ]
started down the road leading TO the
Woman's hospital, but a short distance
away. met no one, but on reaching
the bend where the hospital grounds
began was surprised TO see a sort OF
native temple, evidently put up hastily
for the purpose of worship. AS I stood
looking at ii a young boy came out. He
had in his hand what they call a can
non, a sort OF arrangement made TO
hold a candle, and as the boy placed 1t
on the ground and stopped to light il
went up to him and asked him where
the elders OF the temple were. He said
that they were in the building, and I
told him to ask them to come outside
and speak 70 me. ] took the cannon
from the boy, who went willingly on
his errand.
IN few minutes the elders appeared.
One does not live in China IA years
without learning to speak the Ian
guage duently, so 1 was quite able to
tell them what they must have already
known, that their temple was stand
ing on our ground, that is on the
ground belonging to the hospital, and
that, Of course. we could not permit
this idolatrous worship to go on. They
demurred at first saying that it was
tle ldSL DAY OF q IedSL ceieDrat1On, and
that there was no time to find a suit
able spot where the temple might be
removed; but after I had reasoned with
them a while and shown them how
unreasonable It would be to expect
that such thing could be allowed
they expressed their willingness to
leave. I returned the cannon TO the
boy and parting from them apparently
on the best Of terms, I turned to walk
down the road again to the woman 2
hospital, whose white walls shone just
around the bend. However I had bare
" reached the gate before a great noise
OF shouting and running was heard
coming toward the spot 1 had just
quilted, and as / looked back I saw a
mob Of Chinese armed with sticks and
stones and filling the road from side
to side, come swinging up to the cid
ers of the temple who stood just where
] had left them, apparently undecided
what to do. OF course, not wishing to
have the women patients in the hos
pital disturbed or alarmed I hurried
back, hoping 10 reason with them as
had with the others. l was within a
few feet Of them when a big fellow
springing out from the crowd landed
3 blow with the fat of his short sword
on my arm. It almost paralyzed me,
but realizing that crisis was imni
nent and that I, single handed. could do
nothing, I turned and walked toward
the hospital slowly, hoping that the
mob would pass on; but as l reached
the gate I looked back and saw DR.
Chestnut, a physician in the hospital,
in the midst Of the mob. Evidently
seeing me struck she had not waited,
but had come out OF back entrance
and gone along a branch road, so
coming out directly in the midst of
the crowd. AS soon as ] saw her
started TO so TO her, but as approached
one OF them threw a spear which would
have gone through my back If a friend.
" Chinese, one Of the hundreds OF spec
fators, had not diverted 1t with his
foot Shortly afterward I learned
that Dr. Chestnut. having seen
the blow given my arm, had run out
10 give what aid she could. but seeing
the spear thrown when she was in
their midst, she made her way through
the throng. intending to summon help
from the guardboat on the river. She
ran down the road at top speed, for
tunately unnoticed, and boarding a
small sampan was pulled out to the
zuardboat, where she told the off,
cfals there of the conditions.
.sThen went back TO the quarters.
Ny wife had just heard a rumor that 1
had been killed, and, on the point Of