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THE KUCHENG MASSACRE.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
terpreter that the Taotai was sending telegrams. to the Viceroy for power to execute and that if the power was refused he would return to Foochow. The Consuls telegraphed to Peking the position of affairs.
THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION AT KUCHING.
Foochow, 28th September. On the 11th inst., after three days inactivity, the Commission sat again. The first prisoner Nothing at all was done between the 12th examined was a native of Kwang-seng, Lieng and 16th inst. On that day the Taotai called Pek by name. He confessed to having gone on the Consuls to inform them that he had re- to Whasang with three other men he named,ceived instructions from the Viceroy to have two of whom had already been tried and con-
the execution of the chief criminals proceeded demned. He said that he had stood near where with, but that he was limited to execute only four ladies, surrounded by ten or twelve men,
seven of the actual murderers. The Consuls had expressed their willingness to go down to demurred, but agreed to the execution of the Kucheng and get money as ransom if their lives seven as an instalment, and demanded that later were spared, but To Chio-Hi commanded them to all those found guilty must be executed. On be killed. He stated that he did not go in.
the 17th instant after the ceremony of con- side the house and that all the loot he got was demning the seven criminals to death had been a small brown leather box. The next prisoner gone through, the execution took place. They examined was also a Kwang-seng man, named were all confessed murderers.⠀ Lieng-Koh-Kieng. At first it was very difficult to get any evidence from him. He would only repeat that he was not at Whasang at all, but on being confronted by several other prisoners who all testified against him he confessed compli city in the crime. The third prisoner brought into Court was a strong, well-built man of middle ge. His name was Ngu-Fwoi-Kiang. He said he surrendered himself that his younger brother might be released, who he wanted to return home to look after their aged mother. But both brothers are accused of being concerned in the massacre, so both are detained. This man had several articles of European make, some ladies wearing apparel amongst the rest. He said he, ♫* did not take these from the missionaries houses himself; but stole them from the general stock taken to the fastness.
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On Thursday, the 12th, at 10 a.m., the Taotai H'su called on the Consuls and others of the foreign party. After preliminaries had been gone through he was asked what his powers were, and, his reply left the Consuls under the impression that they were full and such as would allow of his seeing justice done without delay. He then on being asked to do so undertook that a certain proclamation that had been posted about by the city magistrate should be replaced by one showing Christians in a proper light, and also gave permission for Vegetarians to be enrolled in the home guard-(a body hitherto referred to in these reports as the village protection society). Before the inte review closed it Was found that the views of
the foreign Commissioners and his did not coincide. He stated that his instructions were that no executions should take place until all the criminals had been condemned, and then only on condition that the Consuls would agree to consider the case closed and settled on behalf of their respective Governments. The Consuls, of course, would not listen to this. They de- manded that the prisoners should be executed as they were found guilty and condemned. The Taotai would not consent to this and the interview closed without any arrangement having been come to. Later in the day the Consuls and their party returned the Taotai's visit and the conversation of the morning was resumed. The Taotai showed the Consuls his instructions from Peking, which were satisfactory in the matter of the powers conferred on him, but he stated that two days previous to the receipt of these powers he had been given instructions by the Viceroy which somewhat hampered him. It was evident to those who were present and heard all that passed that the Viceroy had been playing falsely with the Tsung-li yamen and the foreign Ministers. He, the Viceroy, had said that H'an Taotai had only been appointed to the Board of Foreign Trade in Foochow whereas hë had really been appointed with full powers to settle this case. The Consuls telegraphed to Peking to have such a man appointed, and of course the request was sent in to the Tsungli yamen. The Emperor, it is said, puzzled, sent the following telegram to the Viceroy: "How is it that the foreign Ministers keep on saying that no plenipotentiary has been appointed" It is very plain that there has been some underhand work either in the Tsungli yamen at Peking or in the Viceroy's yamen here. To continue the conversation: the Consuls repeated their demand to have criminals executed as soon as condemned, but the Tactai stood his ground, and shortly after this the interview closed. But before leav- ing the yamen it was learnt from the in-
The examination of prisoners was continued on the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st instant, but want of space prevents our giving the evidence obtained. The last of these days was devoted to the examination of the leader To-Chio-Hi, which proved to be most unsatisfactory, inas- much as nothing could be learnt from him be- yond facts already known.
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Letters received last night described the trouble the Commission is having through Chinese obstruction. In spite of the promise the Taotai had made, a new copy of the old objectionable proclamation was issued instead of the approved new one. When called on to account for this the magistrate blamed his writers and said it was just a mistake," and said he would punish them for it. These letters predicted that the investigation was on the eve of a crisis.Later news is to the effect that this prediction has been realised. It is said that forty more prisoners have been re leased without the Consuls being consulted, that H.B.M. Consul had been insulted by a Hunán soldier, and that the Chinese officals were appa rently doing all in their power to make the investigation end in failure.-Echo.
THE HIDDEN MEANING.
The following is the conclusion of a powerful article in the Peking and Tientsin Times on the report of the Kucheng Commission :-
We have read the Rev. Mr. Banister's account of the trial and the various confessions of the criminals. Was ever such reading? How cheap British lives have grown! Not one of these low villains seems to have been capable of a single throb of pity or of hate. They had not even a motive for the act. It is impossible to think they cared the toss of one of those mythical paper balls, which have given hellish romance to the story, whether their victims lived or died. They had no grudge to pay, no fanaticism to indulge, no end, that is yet manifest, to serve. In pure, wanton, motiveless nonchalance (so the inquiry goes to show) they did the deed. What does it all mean? Such a deed was never done on this crime- stained earth in that purposeless, aimless way. It means
1st. That most of the confessions are lies. 2nd. That it is not without intention that the idea of this pseudo-sect being in collision with the authorities has been kept to the front all through
3rd. It means that Viceroy and Prefect and Taotai have the weightiest reasons for remitting the crime of some, setting others at liberty, and wishing to close the inquiry in haste; reasons the nature of which it is easy to guess.
4th. It means that the truth has not come out, that we have not yet touched, or found one trace of, the real organisers, the greatest cul- prits in this savage tragedy.
5th.-It means that the officials who so cloak and screen the deed they were responsible to prevent, and whose legal procedure is a mixture of unexampled impudence, and vile, cynical bargaining which would disgrace a savage, are not clean-handed, but tremble lest their guilt should be revealed.
This is the way in which the Chinese Govern ment, as represented by mandarins of the highest rank, fulfils the bland pledges which Sir Halliday Macartney is instructed to convey to the British Government in London. "The Chinese Government deeply regrets the occur. rence and assures Her Majesty's Minister of its earnest determination to bring the guilty per- sons to justice." Faugh! Will Lord Salisbury staud this?
[October 10, 1895.
THE FOOCHOW MISSIONARIES AND THE ENGLISH AND AMERICAN CONSULS.
The following address signed by over fifty British missionaries representing six missionary societies has been sent to Colonel Hixson Kucheng :-
To the Hon. Col. Hixson,
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"United States Consul, Foochow, 18th August, 1895. We, the undersigned English missionaries, beg to express our heartfelt thanks to you for your prompt, decisive, and effective action in connection with the recent Hwasang massacre,
"We realize that had it not been for the despatch with which yon obtained a steam launch the injury to the wounded incurred by the delay would probably have been far more serious than it was. Your kind and most practical sympathy is another proof of how. closely the two great branches of the English race are united in heart. We earnestly pray that the efforts put forth may result in such settling of these troubles as may enable us to go on with our Master's work in quietness.”
Commenting on the above the Foochow Echo
says
The above letter may be read in two ways. One, as a spontaneous expression of gratitude towards the Hon. Colonel Hixson for his prompt. action in getting a launch to meet and bring down the wounded from Whasang, to which he is most justly entitled, the other as throwing another stone at Mr. Mansfield.
The
"We realise," it is written in this letter, "that had it not been for the despatch with which you obtained a launch, the injury to the wounded incurred by the delay would probably have been far more serious that it was." missionary who drafted this letter evidently did not know that the British Consul has been. equally energetic. He was ably represented by Mr. Pitzipios, who wrote into the Viceroy for a launch of light draught after ascertaining that the foreign launches he had tried to procure drew too much water to get to Sueykow, having in the meantime been to the Custom House to obtain a permit for any launch he could get for the purpose of conveying Archdeacon Wolfe and Mr. Banister to meet the wounded and survivors. After these efforts he heard that the U.S. Consul had obtained the only launch that the Viceroy could then place at their disposal and he went at once to the U.S. Consulate to arrange for all to go together, and, thanks to Mr. Hixson, it was so arranged.
It appears that Mr. Hixson obtained the pro- mise of this launch first by going into the city, and this was a most fortunate thing for him, inasmuch as he has received unbounded praise in the papers, culminating in the letter signed by upwards of fifty British missionaries, which we print above. Mr. Hixson may be justly proud of the kudos given him. At the same time there was no want of energy shown at the British Consulate to procure this launch, and we may be quite sure that Mr. Mansfield and Mr. Pitzipios did not stay to consider whether the launch was placed at the American Consul's or the British Consul's disposal so long as it went. And so it is shown that the drafter of this letter was not strictly correct in stating that but for Mr. Hixson's action “the injury to the wounded incurred by the delay would probably have been far more serious than it was," for had not Mr, Hixson secured this launch, Mr. Pitzipios would. The U. S. Marshal might or might not have gone in it, but the Archdeacon and Mr. Baniss ter most certainly would have proceeded in it just the same.
The letter goes on to say, "Your kind and most practical sympathy is another proof of how closely the two great branches of the Eng-
lish race are united in heart." Yes. Mr. Hikson knows and all the subscribers to this letter will now know that had the positions been reversed the result would have been precisely the same. American Consuls like British Consuls require a day or two's holiday from time to time, and if it so happens, as it may happen some day in a time of trouble, that the American Consul is away from his post the British Consul will prove himself no less personally energetic in the eyes of the fifty signatories of this letter than Mr. Hixson has been, in the interests of
both nations.