114
THE KUCHENG MASSACRE.
(14th August.)
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
*
[August 15, 1895.
CONSULAR APATHY AND THE KUCHENG OUTRAGE, (13th August.)
How do we know that there is not another of inquiry have invariably got off with censure CHOU HAN in Fukien, inciting the populace or a temporary loss of position, for which to rapine and murder in order to terrorise they were subsequently liberally recompensed We fear The facts in connection with the Kucheng foreigners out of the province. The main by a sympathetic Government. massacre are now all before us, and there difference between the Kucheng massacre that unless special instructions come out and the riots and murders in the Yang. from Lord SALISBURY on this occasion his- is, we take it, little more to learn. Briefly sze Valley was the fact that no particular tory will repeat itself and a travesty of stated they show that on the morning of the crimes are alleged against the mission-justice be the outcome of the Commission. 1st inst. there was a little colony of missionaries, who indeed were treated merely as Again we say, what is to be done? With "Here is a foreign woman,” the traditions which at present govern the aries, eighteen in number, residing at a place foreigners. called Hwasang, situated among the hills, yelled one bloodthirsty wielder of a trident diplomatic service coupled with the weak- as he aimed his cumbrous weapon at her. ness which obviously possesses the present (welve miles from Kucheng city, whither
"Now all the foreigners are killed," several British Minister and paralyses all efforts to they had gone for the sake of their health of the gang were hear to exclaim when obtain redress for wrongs sustained, it is to during the summer heats. Early on that they had, as they thought, completed their be feared the chance of securing justice m fateful morning the children of the STEWART sanguinary work. If the little missionary this case is very remote. It may be neces- family were out gathering flowers before community had not been gathered at Hwa- sary for the British public to wake up from their elders had risen, when hearing the sang it is possible the mob might have its usual indifference and urge the Premier attacked another place. Hwasang was to send a strong man to Peking who will sound of gongs and drums they turned in selected, however, presumably because it know how to deal with an uncivilised and the direction of the sounds and met a body was known that the bulk of the mis- treacherous Government.
were women. The murderers of men, who had been deputed to kill all the sionaries foreigners. The youth, the innocence of the would consequently be able to do the little ones, availed not to stay the murderous minimum of resistance.
maximum of killing there while meeting the The flagrant knife and spear, though one or two of the cowardice of the attack mattered nothing to band had sufficient humanity to plead for the instigators of this detestable crime; their
The apathy reported to have been dis the lives of the women and children. But tools would have the unpleasantness, and they were soon put to silence and the possibly they were well paid for their share played by the British Consul at Foochow in in the work. As the meetings in the various connection with the Kucheng massacre, exf sentence passed at Kucheng was carried out ports and in the City Hall have emphatically traordinary as it appears, is perhaps not with every circumstance of barbarity, and stated, we want no executions of purchased much in excess of that displayed by other despatch. Nice of the missionary band were coolies; we want to see the originators of officials in previous cases of emergency. The killed outright, two dangerously wounded these deadly outrages tried, convicted, and new Parliament meets to-day and in the The mere tools by whose matural course of things early opportunity will (the little boy HERBERT and the baby) and punished.
strumentality the tragedy was enacted no be taken by various members to ask for in- have since died, making eleven victims to the doubt richly deserve death, but the decapita- formation on the subject of the recent mas- greed for foreign blood, while four more tion of every man who either took part in The Ministry will be in receipt of the official sacre and the previous outrages in Szechueu. were cut and hacked by spears and tridents. or idly witnessed that unprovoked slaughter statements telegraphed from Peking by Sir Three only of that little community escaped on the 1st iust. would be poor consolation uninjured, and it was only through ignor-What the British Government must insist of the Minister himself and of the Consuls and most assuredly no reparation therefor. NICHOLAS O'CONOR and no doubt the conduct ance of their existence by the mob that they upon is the production and punishment of
will appear according to those statements were spared. The leader of the party, when those men who standing in the background to have been irreproachable, whereas the truth is that very culpable negligence has some of the men seemed inclined to listen to planned the crime.
been shown. At Thursday's meeting Mr. a plea for mercy, waved a red flag and How is this to be done? Is it likely to FRANCIS remarked in the course of his speech shouted: “You know your orders; kill out. be effected by an inquiry conducted by the that if British officials failed in any part of right." It is evident from these circum. British Consul? If the inactiou imputed their duty in any part of the world they were stances that the rioters went to Hwasang to Mr. MANSFIELD on that memorable removed from their posts and incapacitated in deadly earnest to carry out a project occasion be not overdrawn, then little re- from further service in the state. Would decided upon in Kucheng or some other city, liance can be placed on any efforts he may that it were so! Mr. FRANCIS himself, only
A man wh and of which the actual perpetrators were the make to secure atonement..
a moment before, had said that we might mere instruments of commission. What is would fain have postponed action until his justly feel indignant with the English Go- wanted therefore is the rames and station of return from the hills, though the bodies of vernment and with the English Government the real instigators of this abominable ten of his fellow subjects lay hacked officials because ou their part they had tragedy. That it was a deep laid plot, deli- and mained, calling aloud for vengeance, is neglected their duty towards their subjects berately planned and carefully carried out, is not the to probe into Chinese resident in treaty ports in China and because perfectly obvious. That it was no. sudden misstatements and extract the truth from it was in consequence of that neglect outbreak of spasmodic ferocity against the fa mountain of unveracities. The fact that the recent massacres and outrages had foreigner is also equally evident. The mis-that the soldiers despatched as escort on occurred. Why were these neglectful
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sort
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sionaries had given absolutely no provoca- their arrival fell to plundering the mission-officials not dismissed? Perhaps the neglect tion, and were living in complet conaries' effects is significant of the attitude of had not been sufficiently conspicuous to dence on what proved to be the very edge the officials to the foreigners in Fukieu, attract the notice of the home Government, of a volcano, which give thein no warning Some independent British official should which has itself been neglectful, but now of the impending eruption.
have been ordered to the scene of the occur- that attention has been directed by the As the Right Rev. Bishop BURDON rence with all speed so soon as a military hideous Kucheng massacre to the conse- pointed out in his eloquent speech in the escort could be procured for him from Hong-quences of past neglect and indifference, per- City Hall last week, there was no allegation kong. But the British Minister appears to haps some of those more immediately respoù- in this case even against the missionaries. have conceived an unbounded trust in Chisible may be brought to book. When Sir No silly rumour had been started that they nese officials, and evidently thinks a guard NICHOLAS O'CONOR was appointed to the were buying children to make medicine out of native braves" quite sufficient to pro- Legation at Peking the general impres- of their eyes, or equally absurd report, no tect any British official when about to sion WILS that Great Britain was at last charge of obscenity and bestiality such as pursus an inquiry in the interior. Surely to be represented by a strong Minister. were used in Hunan and other Central such confidence is grievously misplaced. As time has gone by without any evi- provinces to inflame the mob against the The inquiry beld, as it seems likely to be dence of strength being afforded, while inissionaries. The conspiracy had been held, in purely Chinese environments, with there has been much evidence of weakness, hatched m silence miles away and the Chinese officials predominating, is fore- the conclusion has been reluctantly forced victims doomed to death by a secret tri- doomed to failure. We have seen too many on his nationals that though the present bunal. It is alleged that the sect called the of these farces in the past The tools, or incumbent of the office may not follow the Vegetarians, one of the secret societies which some purchased substitutes for them, are de-example of his predecessor in pigeon- abound in China, was the author of the capitated, one or two officials escape with holing all complaints the practical outcome outrage. Whether or not this is correct has a censure, and the chief originator of the dis- shews little if any improvement. Anything yet to be discovered, What is known is turbance gets off scot free. In no case since more imbecile than the treatment of the that there was a strong anti-foreign feeling the signature of the Treaties has any Com-
could not be imagined.. springing up in the province, of which the mission of Inquiry ended satisfactorily for Here was an opportunity of sending a officials were cognisant but which they foreigners. The high officials who insti- strong commission to the spot to bring to adopted no means of checking or controlling. I gated the special crime which was the subject trial the Viceroy alleged to be responsible
Szechuen
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