Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-03-09
A Thrilling Story Of The Chinese Famine.
s. Peasants SELLING Their Children Old Men and Women the Hope of
Il. TuLl. Torr. Starving Deab-ShOckps Details
ustB comneK

IL also happens not lnfrequently that
whom missionary does some favor fol
mother or father the parent win try
to make return for the kindness by OF
fcrlng child as Il eift.
The famine district embraces all or
part OF Eve provinces, Of which ths
three most affected are Honan Klanvsu
and Anhni All are north Of the Yang
Use river, and consist for the most part
OF low, level lands covered by little
farms. whose average size Ia not more
than an acre. Here lived about l5.00o-
600 persons nearly all OF whom are de-
pendent on crops OF rice, wheat and
maize, Hardly mad these harvests be~-
gathered last autumn when a rain be-
gan which the missionaries ikened TO
the downpNur from which the ark %
Noah alone survived For 10 days ana
nights the rain continued, filling the
rivers to overlooking flooding the low
lanus, submergng the harvested crops,
and In many places sweeping away the
mud huts IN which practically all Vt
the peasants live. AS much OF the flood
ed land ls lever than the rivers vast
lakes have formed, which will remain
until they eYGporate WIKI the heat OF
summer,
\ correspondent OF the North china
Daily News, writing from Using.
KiangPu on Jan, II, says: ION the
northwest side OF the city, about one
mile away. there are camps stretching
roughly speaking. two miles long and
q mile wide, over fat sandy country.
These camps are divided Into squares
OF about l25 PAGES each way They
are laid out syInmetrIcally In rectan-
BpIar blocks the mat hurs being built
in rows, with lanes between them,
The entrance gates of each camp are
guarded by police, while soldiers pa
troll the whole country. ] have now
counted forty eight camps, averaging
from 1000 to 1900 families each. es~
innate the total number nj refugees at
100000, of whom 30 per cent show signs
OF distress 10 per cent of acute dis
tress Money only Is being doed out
by the officials Throughout the whole
country the roads are thronged by rice
and food peddlers. with the refugees
bargaining with them. The women
and children for miles are grabbing up
roots grass and every conceivable thing
that might serve for food or fuel In
the camps one sees people eating
mixture OF cooked leaves, grass and
twigs with a little cereal and rice.
tThe horrors OF the alth prevailing
are unspelkable. At present there Is
bright sunshine but II is intensely cold
at night All the pools are frozen. The
officials arc trying To persuade the peo-
pie to return home many are doing so,
but many more are arriving. The
roads are thronged with the two
streams Of traffic and the scene is Of
ten ndescrlbabe. One hundred thous-
and men are absolutely idle. Many
are clnnoring for work, but no one is
doing any. No attempt is being made
to repair the roads. which are In Il
terrible condition. nor to make bitches
or dralns AS yet no crops are grow
Ing, as the Hoods have not vet dried
zap sufficiently to admit of tillase. In
All ordinary year the country hereabout
would at this season be green with
growing wheat. 1t Is now as bare as
the palm OF ones hand.n