New Britain herald., 1927-05-28
Missionary to China Writes
Of Looting and War Horrors

~ V0J AVJIV"
or moro away. The rest Of Tues
day passed quietly. and on Wednes-
day morning. our oldest boys sixth
birthday. Mrs. Thomson invited al
the children nearby to come to .
little party that afternoon. After
lunch my husband and ! walked
back to our house and packed away
In locked boxes Ill our silver and
linen. hoping that u soldiers did try
to loot they would take only the
things that were out on tables and
easily picked up.
AS We returned We met Mr..
Thomson hearing . second and more
urgent order for evacuation. ! hur-
ried to the Thomson's and packed
UP the few clothes We had taken
out. The rumors and reports came
thick and fast:-that we couldn't ret
out Of the city even II We tried. a.
no one was being allowed to pass
the gates: later that the forts out
side the south gate had saven no.
ties that they couldn't hold out
after 8 and would then surrender
ia tho .outh-and 40 on. Tho eve
ming was quiet. but fortunately NV
husband deeided 10 slesp at the
Thomson. and mot 20 hack to our
own house as he had intended.
Death Of DR.. JyiIliams
..rhrourh the ni<ht M. Thom.on
was on patrol duty: at Z ha cana IN
with the news that the seutherneys
wore in the city. what Tow there
was at our breakfast tab,a-th.
city had roma over IA ths south A
peaceably, and the retreatins north
erncrs had not looted. Rullat. he
ran to nv around our house ana ne
were warned to stav away from win
dews and In tho most protected
place We could md.
I'VE chose tho upstairs hall and
shut all the doors into the rooms.
Mr., Thomson started out for the
university chapel but came hurry
ing back with the ndvs that DR..
williams had boon killed and that
the situation was extremely serious.
Our party consisted Of Mr., and
MIRA Thomson, their three children,
aged eirht, six and four and a half !:
Mrs. Cook, Mrs, Thomson's mother.
over so: Mr., Tanxaraas, a Nor
werian who was living with the
Thomsons. Mr., Pickens who had
been living with us and whose wife
was in the hospital with their H.
day-old sou: nv husband and nv
self and our three children aged
SIX. four and 4 half. and three. we
we're sitting there in the hall pray-
ing for Mrs. Williams as two of our
servants came dashinr upstairs to
say that our house was being loot
cd and was in flames, and that we
should hurry 10 hide tho children,
Even then We could not believe that
there was any anti-forcign anlmus
In It all; 1t must be, disorderly SOL
diers who got into the city ahead
of their officers,
I've could not hide them. but we
did try to hide our eneagement
rings, watches, etc, and all our val
liable papers we dropped down an
unused heat pipe-who knows when
we'll recover those? BY that time
the university students were hurry
ing In to tell us that the soldiers
we're looting and that ~ should
make no resistance but should give
them everything they demanded.
Soon there was shouting and tramp
ing down stairs, and seven or eight
Of the worst 'ruffians have ever
seen came up, armed to the teeth,
and led. strangely enough, by a
man in plain Chinese civilian
clothes carving a. suit case. He
, pointed out the rooms and then let
the soldiers loose. They took all the
money we had purposely nut in our
pockets and strippcd nv wedding
ring off NV finger (the tboupb Of
what our people had gone through
in Urumia was q great helm to lis
that day-we wanted to respond to
our emergency as worthly as they
did).
zone man tried to null off Mrs,
Cooks wedding ring and 1 shall
never forget her quiet cultivated
voice a. she lacked IN at the man
and said In English. I'm sorry I
can't get that ring off. It's been on
NV finger for over 40 wears, The
man insisted on having the ring and
when cur husbands explained that
il wouldn't come Off Well then.
said the man. lowering his rin,e and
aiming directly at Mrs. Cook I
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