TERRIBLE EX- PERIENCE.
(☺).
Students' Extraordinary And Brutal Conduct.
ORPHANS FOR SALE.
The terrible experiences of the Fathers, Sisters and inmates of the Spanish Dominican Orphanage, where the trouble originated, were told to a representative of the S. C. M. Post by Rev. Father V. Garcia.
The first sign that there was anything wrong occurred when six or seven students walked un- invited into the Orphanage and told the Sisters that they had come to have a talk with the girls and to have a look round. They made accusations that girls had been hacked to death at the Orphanage and that some had had their eyes gouged out for the purpose of making foreign medicine.
"They wanted to take the babies to the Police Station," Father Garcia declared, "but I objected and told them that if they wanted the girls to be examined by a me- dical man I would raise no ob- jection. Thereupon they secured. a Chinese doctor, and he made an examination, but apparently they were not satisfied with this, and wanted a foreign doctor to come and conduct another examination. Eventually they found a Chinese, who had studied in Japan, and he made an examination of ten or twelve girls, but apparently he had been intimidated by the crowd and would say nothing."
The trouble began in the morn- ing the students were in and out the whole time throughout the day. The second examination con- cluded about 5 o'clock in the after- noon and then the students went on a tour of inspection throughout the house.
"Afterwards," Father Garcia proceeded, "they asked me again to take the babies to the Police Station and again refused. At this they got very angry and went outside to collect a crowd. The crowd came and took possession of the building, and became so menac- ing that I thought it advisable to get the Sisters away as early as possible. We ran away as fast as we could, using a secret door of which the crowd had no knowledge.
Orphanage Wrecked.
time, and, as you can well imagine, we wanted to get away from it as soon as we could.
"We ran away as fast as we could go, our destination being the Dominican College. However, when passing through the south gate of the city, a spy was waiting for us, and he questioned one of the Sisters as to where we were going. We were then very much. afraid and did not know what to do. Eventually we safely reach- ed Nantai and then boarded the Hai Ching."
Father Garcia said that the st 1- dents posted a notice on the door of the Orphanage to the effect that any man who required a wife could obtain one for $3. Many of the girls were taken away and the last he heard was that out of a total of approximately 200, only 90 remained in the building. One girl, about 17 or 18 years of age, was taken away by the soldiers and was told that she would have to marry a certain Chinese who had been selected for her. The girl refused and was illtreated by the soldiers.
Other Raids.
The crowd did not confine its activities to the Orphanage and the Church. He had heard since that there had been systematic looting of all foreign establish- ments. The American Protestant mission, the Anglo-Chinese Girls School, the Catholic Seminary, hospital and shops controlled by Europeans were attacked and loot- ed. Consider de damage was
one at all the places.
The troubles of the Fathers and Sisters, who were joined on the Hai Ching by t American Fath- ers, whom they met at Nantai, and other Sisters, were not over. They left Foochow without fur- ther molestation, but it was a case of out of the frying pan into the fire.
On the boat arriving at Amoy there was further trouble, which threatened at one time to be very serious. Some of the Sister from the Pagoda had brought with them four girls and a father, mo- ther and four children, all Chin- ese, also succeeded in getting on to the boat away from the mob. There was also on board a coolie from one of the missionary in- stitutions. Somehow, some of the students had secreted themselves on board and immediately the ship arrived at Amoy they began to make themselves heard again. They demanded that the Chinese the foreigners had taken with them should be landed. The British French and American Consuls went aboard, whilst a large num- ber of students went out to the shin in sampans and created a great deal of bother. They at- tempted to get the crew to strike but the Captain managed to pre- vent this. When the British Con- sul attempted to go ashore again "Near-by is the Catholic Church in his motor boat he was prevent- and residence, and into these theed from doing so by the crowd. crowd broke and continued their destructive work. They dashed the images to the ground, broke the altar, tore up the surplices and destroyed all the papers, books and furniture in both the Church and the house. It was a terrible
"The, crowd, which included many soldier began to take some of the children away and to wreck the place. They started breaking up furniture, Jaking clothing and tearing it to ribbons and generally were bent upon destruction. There is nothing left there now; every- thing is broken to pieces.
The Chinese demanded that the children should be handed over J them, and eventualy this had to be done in order to appease them. The crowd was out to make mis- chief and anything might have happened there.
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