The Weston leader. [volume] (Weston, Umatilla County, Or.) 189?-1946, 1921-04-15
0. A. C. BOY SEES
CniM TRAGEDY
Starving Chinese Clamor For
Garbage Thrown From
Diner.

CUnditipua too appalling TOT a'h'IlP
tlon aud mlfrry too awful TO look upon
were witnessed only aiK weeks ago W
the famine districts of North Chinu 10y
W A. sellwuod, Y. ~, G, \. secretary
aud graduate Of o. \, G., who has lns'
returned from ~ months service ~
Rusala and China, and who travelled
10 days. covering 800 miles. through
the faminostrickcn section from fchn
near the northern boundary tn nan
King, near the chiuUFr coast
THAT ton day journey was one long
horror" said scllwood. y nm haunted
yet by the memory of the drawn dNb'
palrlng faces and the pitiuhle cries Tor
food of the starving. halfnnked men,
women aud children who crowded nn'
der the train windows, lltilns ~ iher
arms In desperate uuppllcation TO u.s.
every time the train slowed W or
stopped. There arc i5.o00.ooo Shlnese
confronted with starvation ~ me
famine district. and the daily doaih
rate ia $4,000 a day. Typhua and
postllenec are adding their toll TO that
OF Wholesale starvation, aud copdi
tions are simply beyond any adequate
description.
'ln Russia have socp corpses stack
ed up like eordwood. and many other
things very shocking 20 people VINO
live comfortable. Wcll0rdered lives
here In tho United States. but these
we're nothing TO the tragic things that
tho sOO,milo journey through lho
famine districts Of north China The
rorpscs we're not stacked up iu orderly
fashion us In Russia The survivors
arc too weak and wasted TO under
inko any such task. aud these VINO
perlFh are left to he where they fall,
or arc ruilcd into streams nearby
Almost nt any timo VIC could ieok
out aud see bodies floating Ia the
streams or lying about on the ground
II Ia q common thing for famine vac
Tins 10 Auccumh while dlgEinG Tor
roots TO cat, and tho mute oyideHceo OF
this lnEt futile effort 60 Hncurs soi1e
naorscl that will suEIain life atlIo
longer. IL visible on every hand; the
dead bodieE Of men. women and taii'
dren may be seen lying beside the hole
In tho ground that has been dug with
sticks, or with the wasted ciawlike
hands OF the starving Long ago all
dogs, cats aud even rats have disap'
pcAred IN this land OF horrors. except
for "A few Wild, half.erazed dogs that
arc dreaded by tho emacinted human
creatures because they fight so
tcnaciously for food and sometimes at
tack the children In their desperate
hunger. Everything catable has been
eaten except leaves, roots and grass.
and these are rapidly being exhausted,
where there are trees the bark from
these In also used, and most OF the
trees are dying ms a result. This fego'
tatlon ~ ground up into sort OF meal.
and made into a kind OF cake BY mix
ing with water. II is baked when
fuel can be obtained. Millions OF
Chinese are living on this diet alone.
zone OF the most pitiahle incidents
Of the Journey was the Wild clamor
all along the railroad al points where
the garbage from the dining car was
dumped daily. Knowing approximate
ly whero 10 expect this garbage TO be
dumped, thousands of gaunt, starving
creatures gather for hours In advance
and await the passing OF the train.
The railroad company, to prevent tho
fruntc people from throwing them |
selves under the wheels In the strug-
gle for this garbage, have built fences :
two or three feet from the train. and
the pals are emptied outside this
fence Policemen stand guard along the ,
fence to hold back tho Older and the
betternourished people while the chill. !
iren and the weaker adults are let
through TO get the first picklngs, i
Sellwood also tells of desperete' /
Chinese mother who tried TO sell Nm
ier little three-yearold daughter for 4
10 cents. Recognizing the face OF an 4
lmerican nj the window OF the train, |,
his woman crowded 20 the front. hold.
ng up tho child in her arms, and i'm ="
,loring him To buy IT, II was explain.
ID to Sellwnod that all Chinese =
mothers IN the famine section are $
,nger TO sell their chsldrcn, particular \
y 10 Americans, as this means that 81
he child win be fed and have u chance q
o live, also that the returns from the d
ale will also near n little food for
he children that are left and for them
elves, "