The escape from Ping-yuo--The Empress-Dowager’s edict--A stout
resistance in the Baptist Mission--Persecution and extortion--Mobbed
and stripped of everything--Driven before a yelling crowd--Led to the
execution ground--Interesting resemblance--Shocking death--The sad
end of two American young ladies--Carried before the Temple oracle--A
fearful ordeal--A wit--Treated as common criminals.
Perhaps even more harrowing in its details is the account of the
experiences of Mr. E. J. Cooper’s party of missionaries in their
attempt to escape from Ping-yuo, in the province of Shansi. There were
in the party Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Saunders and four children; Mr. A.
Jennings and Miss Guthrie, residents of Ping-yuo; Mr. and Mrs. E. J.
Cooper and two children; Miss ---- and Miss ----,[10] from Luchang; and
Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Glover and two children, and Miss Gates, from Lu-an.
[10] N.B.--These two names are not published, as it was the wish of the
two ladies before their death that they should not be.
On June 25 a friendly magistrate, who had received orders from
the terrible Governor Yu-Hsien to carry out to the letter the
Empress-Dowager’s edict, sent a word of warning to the missionaries,
advising them to escape at once, or it would be too late. They fled
towards Tai-yuen-fu. When only half a dozen miles from this town, they
luckily met a native Christian making his escape towards the south. He
entreated them not to enter the town, from which he warned them they
could never come out alive.
The Inland Mission and the Roman Catholic premises had already been
destroyed by fire, and the Protestant missionaries had taken refuge in
the enclosure of the Baptist Mission, where they were making a stout
resistance against a savage mob that was now preparing to set on fire
the buildings sheltering the defenders. The servants and coolies who
were with the escaping party of missionaries were seized by fear and
abandoned them, and nothing remained for the party but to return whence
they had come. In their hasty departure they had left unprovided with
money, and what little they had was extorted from them under various
pretexts by fierce natives, who followed them about like hungry hyænas,
threatening at every moment to kill them unless they gave up all they
possessed. Even for permission to walk along the high road, clothes
and some valued personal jewellery were demanded of them. Stripped of
everything, half-naked, worn, hungry, and terrified, this party of
refugees eventually reached a town called Lu-cheng. Here they were
received by Mr. Cooper and the other missionary-residents, who had so
far been undisturbed.
Only two days elapsed when this town also became too dangerous for
Europeans. They were obliged to make an escape at midnight, with only
such clothes and blankets as in their hurried start could be collected
together. A donkey close at hand was loaded with the impedimenta, and
the party, further increased by the Lu-cheng refugees, hastily steered
its way south, meaning to proceed towards the distant Hankow, on the
Yangtze River.
Early in the morning, when only thirteen miles off, they were mobbed,
in going through a large village, by some 200 roughs, who demanded
money. Enough could not be collected to satisfy them, and the Europeans
were attacked, and their bedding and clothes scattered about the road
and torn to pieces. Even the clothes and boots that they wore were
taken away from them, and men, women, and children were left with
nothing more than a loin-cloth or a pair of native drawers. In this
appalling condition the unfortunates were driven like sheep before a
yelling crowd, their tender skin and flesh getting scorched in the hot
sun. Their feet were sore and cut and bleeding, but no mercy could be
expected from the horde of bloodthirsty ruffians behind, who showered
all sorts of insults upon them, beat them, stoned them, and cursed
them. Running on and on along miles of road before their pursuers, they
passed through several villages, and as each mob left them another took
them in hand.
[Sidenote: STONED AND CURSED]
A more pitiful spectacle can hardly be imagined than that of these
frail, half-clothed men and women, bruised and wounded, supporting one
another on their aching, bleeding feet, and dragging along after them
the crying, frightened children. Food they had none, nor could any be
procured, for they were hunted from place to place like wild beasts,
their only support for several days being the muddy water of puddles
along the road, and the weeds and grass plucked by the roadside.
As if this were not enough, the mob on more than one occasion led
them to the execution ground, to be found in every town. The swords
with which they were to be beheaded were sharpened before their
eyes, and all other preparations for the decapitation were got ready
in their presence. The Chinese well know that the mental suffering
endured in witnessing the preparations is infinitely greater than
the physical pain of the head being severed. Many people, indeed, die
under the severe shock before the executioner has time to accomplish
his work. Having personally undergone a similar experience to that of
these missionaries, which was, however, carried even further, I can
well appreciate what these poor creatures must have undergone during
this terrible ordeal. It may be interesting to note the remarkable
resemblance of their methods with those of my captors, the Buddhist
Lamas of Tibet.[11]
[11] See “In the Forbidden Land,” by A. H. Savage Landor.
It is said by some that the escort furnished at Haoping fled before the
arrival of this unfortunate party at Chi-ches-fu; others state that the
soldiers led in the attack.
The terrific heat of the sun so blistered Mrs. Cooper’s breast and
shoulders that great ulcers formed, which became filled with maggots
before death came to her relief.
Miss ---- and Miss ----, owing to the wretched condition in which
they were, could not keep up with the rest, and became separated. The
mission authorities maintain a strict secret as to the exact date when
this occurred, but according to the account furnished by one of the
members of the unfortunate party, Miss ---- was in the hands of the mob
at least seven days for certain, but in her account, given before her
death, Miss ---- is reported to have said that she had been a captive
for a fortnight. This would agree better with the evidence collected,
and Miss ----, the second young lady, must in that case have been a
week in the hands of the mob. It is stated that Miss ---- was outraged
by five men and left for dead, while Miss ---- had a stick forced up
her body, but survived several days. When dying, the latter made an
appeal that her name might not be made public in connection with this
horrible maltreatment. Both ladies were American.
[Sidenote: WIT OUT OF PLACE]
These outrages appear to have taken place in the street of a village,
and a heavy cart was driven backwards and forwards over Miss ----’s
body in order to crush out her life. It is evident that both ladies
were supposed to be dead, for their bodies were plastered over with mud
as a sanitary precaution, and this is generally done over the nude body.
A mandarin ordered the body of Miss ---- to be burnt, but Miss ----,
who still showed signs of life was carried to a great temple inside the
Fu city. She regained consciousness, and after a whole night spent in
incantations the head priests reported to the city magistrate that the
oracle, seeing that the gashes on her skull (the brain was exposed) had
not proved fatal, had decreed that she was to be spared the finishing
stroke. This may have also been an expedient to cause the unfortunate
lady more suffering before her death.
Of this party three women and three children died.
After undergoing this fearful ordeal, the survivors eventually
reached a city in Honan, and they were immediately brought before the
magistrate, who was somewhat of a wit--though his wit was out of place
on this particular occasion--and who certainly did not relieve their
anxiety by his frank declaration that he was extremely sorry they had
not arrived the day before, when he would have had the pleasure of
killing them all. He regretted to say that a further Imperial edict
had just come, in which former orders were countermanded, and the
Empress-Dowager had now decided to spare the lives of foreigners. Sad
as it seemed, he must obey.
By order of the Governor of Honan, a brother of the Governor of Chili,
the wretched refugees were treated (as was the case with other parties
that passed through the province) as low criminals. They were lodged in
the common jail, and fed on prison food.
The Governor was evidently determined to humiliate these white people
to the last degree, and to show the ignorant masses that he had power
of life and death over them. He impressed upon the crowd the idea that
foreigners were nothing better than criminals, and that he would treat
them as such.