The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1940-03-07
Airplanes Bomb
Chinese Village
CONTINUED from page u

L WdHLcu W stay dL uOiuC, put
felt it my duty was at the Hua Mel
School where | help with the child
ren's Sunday school, furthermore,
our ten year old daughter Alice
Ruth was there and | knew she
would be needing me. -.
We passed James Leu "a native
Chinese mission worker who attend
ed Bluffton college several years
ago) and we stopped and talked a
bit about the planes and our neigh
boris" attitude towards this place.
He went on to the Bible school
where he was to teach a Sunday
school class and Miss Davis and |
went on upstairs.
We could hear the bombers in the
distance, but we noticed that none
of the teachers and children seemed
to hear them. Some time after they
had stopped singing the first three
bombs fell, but they did not sound
much louder than the slamming of a
door.
Alice Ruth turned around, looked
at me and said, Bombs, bombs"
Everything went on as usual, no,
one seemed either frightened or ex-
cited. More kept dropping and the
planes zoomed overhead again and
again.
We could not be sure they, could
miss us. | trembled for all those
dear youngsters, more than a hun
dred of them, plus twenty teachers
and officers, also students in the
yard, many of whom had not gone
to Sunday school.
The church yard was full of folks
also, while others went into the
church to pray. 1t was impossible
to hold Sunday school, the adults
said, but our youngsters went on.
/ marveled at them. They separated
for classes; pretty soon Alice Ruth's
class which had gone to the base
ment came tearing up stairs, all of
them sobbing. ct sounds so terrible
downstairs and everybody is crying"
said Alice Ruth between sobs.
The teacher, just a young girl,
came a couple of minutes later as
white as a sheet, if Chinese can look
like that. | had them sit in the
main room and got the teacher to
teaching, because it would help
them keep their minds off of it.
| told them to pray. "That's what
we were doing downstairs" they
said Lets believe that Gods arms
are above u.s." | suggested, but il
was hard to keep believing that
every minute. went around and
found group of hip year old
girls without a teacher in a room
crying.
We Immediately started praying
suggested that each pray in turn
but their hearts were so full that
they all prayed at once and aloud
(We do that occasionally even in the
church with a big audience-it is
very effectively
After prayer they seemed quietec
and comforted and we could teach
the lesson. Before the meeting was
over the bombing ceased and the
| planes continued on their way.
Soon afterwards injured folks
were carried to the hospital, nc
soldiers, just civilians. That is the
way it always goes, it seems to hit
only the civilians.
One of our former evangelists, l.
Hung Liang, was killed by falling
timbers. His wife and grandchilo
crept under the bed, but he stayed
on the top of the bed. He did not
die Immediately, but soon after he
arrived at the hospital.
His son, who works in the hospital
was affected by the affair to the
extent that he developed facia
paralysis.
Nearly 40 bombs were dropped, 2;
people were killed and 20 wounded
One family had come from Ne
Huang, 30 miles away, about &
month ago because they heard there
was more to eat here.
Five out of six in this family were
killed. They ran away from theil
house and stood in front of a wall
the five in a row; a bomb dropped
squarely in front of them and killee
all five.
Floyd and | went in last Sunday
to see the results of the bombing il
two of our church members homes
What a mess! Mud, beams, bricks
all in one big heap. In the Lii home
there was a bomb cellar into which
40 or more had crept for refuge.
| When the bomb landed in that
yard it closed up one. opening ane
the folks became paralyzed will
fear. They could not wait until thu
folks filed out of the other opening
but some at the closed end forced
| their way out through debris anf