CO129-337 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1906 — Page 458

C.O.

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

0.

451

SOUTH-WEST CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[June

REC

23257

SECT 127 JUN 06

[19717]

(No. 10.)

Sir,

No. 1.

Consul-General Wilkinson to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received June 9.)

Yunnan-fu. April 24, 1906. I HAVE the honour to inclose, under telegraphic instructions from Sir E. Satow, copy of a despatch which I have addressed to him reporting the decapitation of a Thibetan by order of a French Roman Catholic missionary.

I have, &c. (Signed)

W. H. WILKINSON,

:

Sir,

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

Consul-General Wilkinson to Sir E. Satow.

Yunnan-fu, April 24, 1906. I HAD the honour to receive on the 17th instant your telegram No. 6, inquiring whether there is any truth in the statements of certain Chinese newspapers that a French missionary has been guilty of barbarous acts in Weihsi, including the murder of a Lama,

From Père Monbeig, who is still in Yünnan-fu awaiting settlement of the claims of his Mission, I heard the following story :-

Père Vigual, who escaped with Père Bourdonnec last April from the Batang insurgents, more fortunate than his companion (who, as you know, was murdered in the following July near Tseku) succeeded in reaching Tali in safety. In November or December last (Père Moubeig could not remember the exact date) Père Vignal started to return, via Atuntzu, to his post in Szechuan, accompanied by an escort provided by the Chinese local authorities." Before reaching Atuntzu an attempt was made on his life by a Thibetan assassin instigated by the Lamas. The assassin was killed by Pere Vignal's guards, as was, a day or so later, a second. Between Atuntzu and the Yünnau-Szechuan frontier Père Vignal came across a Thibetan whom he recognized as one of the leaders of the late "émeute," and who had been denounced as such to the Chinese authorities by his Mission. Although Père Vignal is a young man, a little over 30 years of age, his nerves had been so agitated by the troubles he had under- gone, in particular by the last two attempts on his life, that he was unable to act with the calmness and judgment the occasion called for. He ordered the Thibetan to be seized and to be there and then put to death.

Their common Bishop, Mgr. Giraudet of Tachienlu, Père Monbeig continued, had received the news with great concern, and had, in accordance with the rules of their Church, suspended Père Vignal from the exercise of his priestly functions. Monseigneur felt certain, as did Père Monbeig also, that Père Vignal was non compos mentis. Mean- while the Yunnan Government had taken the case up, and had made reclamations through the Wai-wu Pu to the French Minister. Père Moubeig believed that instruc- tions had been issued by the latter to the French Consuls in Yunnan Province. There was no blinking the unfortunate fact Père Vignal had exceeded his powers in causing the 'Thibetan to be put to death. At the same time, if the Yünuan Government had in the first instance done its duty and arrested the man the incident could not have occurred. Before it occurred, moreover, as things happened, Père Vignal had ascer tained from the inhabitants that the man was regarded by them as a public nuisance, for whose removal they would be grateful.

This may be taken to be the case for the defence--a not very strong case, I fear. Such as it is, I reported it to you by telegraph on the 18th instant. I have since, by the courtesy of the Governor-General, been provided with a Memorandum, copy and

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