The Oskaloosa herald., 1912-02-22
( LETTER FROM CHINA


The following letter from his SON
in-law, Frank Garrett, has just been
received by w. H. Brown, of Rose
Hill. 1t contains many things Of in
terest to the voting mans many
friends, and is published by permits
sion: .,
Marking, China, Dec. 20, 1911.
Dear Home Folks:-If you was not
so far away and letters could get to
you a little sooner after they were
written we would write more In a
time like this. But knowing that you
are getting the news by wire makes
it seem less worth while to write a
letter that will get to you month
after you have heard the news. How
ever when We see the home papers
and read the reports we wish We had
written the truth to you earlier. You
have had all sorts of reports about
the conditions in China and especial
ly in Marking. The facts are not half
so bad as the reports. There certain
ly should be some way of Furnishing
the reporters who make up such aw-
full news and get it published at home.
In fact We have not been having
such a bad time. When the first up
rising was made in the city and the
| lines clearly drawn between those
who favored the Revolutionists and
were working for them, and those
who were neutral or supporting the
| Imperialists, there was a night and
day of eXcitment and some fighting
but not near us. That is it was not
so near that we had any fear of the
shots coming our way. We could
| hear the rattle of the rifles about a
mile away and some shots perhaps
nearer. The uprising was promptly
put down and all Revolutionists
driven from the city. Then for a day
or two after there was hunt for
those who might be supporters of the
Revolutionists. During this time
those young men who had short hair
having cut off their cues, were sus.
picioned and questioned very closely
and no doubt few were killed on
suspicion Who were not implicated in
the Revl. Perhaps ten or twenty
were thus killed. 1t is hard to state.
But considering that it was war
measure to rid the city of suspicious
characters, it might have been much
worse. All together in this uprising
and during the days which followed
| suppose 200 and 800 were killed.
There was no indiscriminate slaught.
or as the papers reported.
| 1t was during the first of these days
that the consul ordered the women
and children to leave the city. Ethel
and the children went with the rest.
! | stayed by the work all through the
next few weeks and until the city was
captured and peace restored, so that
thought it time to go to Shanghai
and bring the family back. During
this time was busy looking after the
| interest of the church and especially
after the short haired students and
| teachers and preachers. l at last got
adj of these out of the city in safety.
The only one of the mission force
who was killed was the head Chinese
teacher in the Girls School, Mr.. Tung.
He was outside the city when the
gates finally closed and the siege be-
gan. He tried to pass a word in to
his family and was taken for a spy
and shot. He had a proper cue and
we had not thought of his coming to
harm. All were very much saddened
at his death. He was a nice man.
This is the saddest feature of the war,
to the mission, in personal way.
The Bible College closed just a few
days after the laying of the corner
stone of the new building. believe
/ wrote of that. Most all of the
schools of the city had closed before.
So | was free to look after other in.
tereSts. About three weeks after thei
uprising, when the revolution forces
had been reinforced and came to
make their attack on the city and the
fighting commenced in earnest out
side the walls of the city and the
wounded began to be carried to the
hospital, | gave almost my whole |
time to hospital work. DR.. Macklin's
Chinese students all had short hair
but one, so he was very short handed. |
A Y. NJ. c. A. secretary, Mr.. Hayes, al |
so helped. We kept three operating
tables going and sometimes had tif- |
teen wounded waiting for attention l
got so | could handle all ordinary |
cases. Stop the blood, make the
wound absolutely clean, apply iodine
and tie it up, is the modern treatment.
gave ether and put on plaster cast
when needed. | feel rather proud of
my Red Cross work. Of course We
had all kinds of cases, but we lost only
three or four. There were about $50
IN all. All the hospital was filled and
gave over a part of the former BIZ
BILE College building to them. Cases
shot through the lungs and one shot
through the brain recovered complete
ly. Only about fifty remain in the
hospital now.
All the time of the war here the
officers and all have been very kind
to us and have assured us of full pro |
lection as far as they had power to
protect. They did everything for us
they could. We felt perfectly safe at
our work. At the first we had some
slight apDrehenSiOnS lest sooner or