The San Francisco call., 1907-06-01
Six Million Rebels
Strive to Crush
the Dynasty

Dr. r.. u. Machle, a meQlcal MISSION
airy and one Of the two survivors ofethe
Lienchow massacre of October %, 1905,
arrived Yesterday from China on the
liner Doric. The massacre Of Lienchow.
in which DIR. Machle's wife and daugh-
ter were murdered. was inspired by the
Triad societys powerful organization
that for 200 years has been trying to
wipe out the Manchu dynasty and re-
store to China her line of native rulers.
1t is this society that is behind the
present revolution in the F1owery
Kingdom, and DR.. Machle says that
judging from the latest dispatches from
China the present disturbance is likely
to prove more serious than the Taeping
rebellion. in which the Triad society al
most succeeded in the object for. which
it was organized.
1t is only in the light of recent reve-
| lations, says DR.. Machle, that the re-
sponsibility of the Triad society for the
Liepchow massacre was fixed beyond
question.
the doctor, s"the numerical strength of
this. society is estimated at 100000.
This. know. is wrong. Six. millions
would be nearer the mark. This soci-
ETY. has been responsible for most Of
the massacres of foreign missionaries
in China. Their object fn killing for
eigners is to- arouse foreign govern
mentS against the rulers of China for
failure to furnish proper protection to
alien residents, The downfall of the
Manchu dynasty is their object and
they do not care how or at what cost
1t may be accomplished. The military
arm upon which the Manchu dynasty
depends for its existence may appear
formidable and all sufficient in the sea-
ports. but in the ointerior-and that
means the greater part of China-the
power of the government is woefuIly
Inadequate.
The Chinese authorities never inter-
fere with the progress of massacre
They wait until the mob has Completed
its work and confine their energy to de-
vising spectacular forms of punishment
for those selected to take the blame
for the uprising. These punishments
are severe and a period of peace usu-
ally follows, but the method holds little
of comfort for those exposed to the
fury of the mob"
In the Lienchow massacre five Ameri-
cans were killed. The victims were Dr.
Mach1e's wife and his daughter Amy,
DIR. Eleanor Chestnut and Rev. Mr..
Peale and his wife. The excuse given
for the outbreak was that the mission
airy hospital had been established too
close TO the temple. Conditions were
In generally disturbed state The
boycott was at its height. new vice.
roy had discharged about 20 per cent of
the soldiers in Canton province because
of their dissipated habits. The mis-
sionaries had made themselves unpopu-
lar by their efforts to suppress gam
bling. The Triads further suspected
DIR. Machle of having revealed the
whereabouts of a storehouse used by
salt smugglers.
When the mob attacked the mission
the Americans took refuge in a Bud
dhist temple which connected with a
series .of subterranean passages that
Machle was the last to enter the temple.
and by the time he had closed and
barred. the great doors the mob had
commenced battering down the barri-
cade. A Buddhist priest pointed to a
passageway as the road taken by Mrs.
Machle and the Others. They had gone
that way, but finding the passage too
narrow had turned back and proceeded
in ANOTHER direction until the hillside
blocked their further progress. They
were overtaken later by the mob and
ruthlessly murdered
Miss Patterson, a missionary, was
hidden in a place OF safety by a friend
ly Chinese. DR.. A4achle, after calling
in vain for his wife,, concluded that
they had been guided out of the caves
and were on their way to the seaport
where a body of soldiers was garri-
sone1 To save himself, he smeared
his white clothes with mud and low
cred himself into the water, where he
remained for six hours. The bowling
mob passed within four feet of him
several times.
He subsequently escaped, but was in
the hospital for many months as the
result Of his experience. In the spring
of this year he returned to Lienchow
vita six missionaries who are now
there. The Chinese government was
asked to furnish them a guard. for the
by a well manned guard boat At every
town they reached. however, the guard
was diminished, and when they reached
tion was needed their escort had dwin-
died down to three men In a skiff
The Triad society, which is behind
on Spofford alley in this city. where if
is known as the Chez Kung tong. the
chief of the highbinder societies. There
Is no opportunity in this country for
the Triad society's political activity, SO
devoted to the gentle art Of highbind-
cry.
Other missionaries on the Doric were
Miss l. Peterson and Miss Anna Tjom-
saas, who were sent to China by Nor
wegians in this country, and Miss EN-
ma Thompson, who has been represent
ing the Baptist church in Shantung
province, and escaped with her life by
,xrvfv, it L D.