230
ment of Japanese rule in Tainan, Anping, and other towns in the South. The present unsettled state of affairs in the island is of course highly prejudicial to trade, and the sooner it is brought to a termination the
better.
THE KUCHENG
OMMISSION.
EXECUTION OF MURDERERS. [SPÉCIAL TELEGRAM TO THE “ DAILY PRESS."]
FOOCHOW, 18th April, 7.15 a.m. Seven of the convicted murderers were executed on Tuesday morning. The Consuls were present.
RESUMPTION OF THE TRIALS. [SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE "DAILY PRESS."]
Foochow, 21st September.
The trials were resumed on Thursday. The outlook is better. The executions on Tuesday have frightened the Vegetarians and stopped the persecution of Christians.
H.M.S. Linnet has arrived off the Settlement.
DETAILS OF THE TRIALS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
were
go.
September 26, 1895.
The Japanese lost à considerable amount of stores by the flood and two or three horses, and many straw and mud huts of the inhabitants were swept away.
the On the 5th instant the Court did not sit. | everything, with iron swinging draw centred
on a stone pier. On the 6th the proceedings opened by the Con-
The railroad bridges both along the Kelung suls informing the Chinese Commissioner that they had heard that eleven prisoners had been and the Hsin-chu lines were nearly all destroyed released and asked whether it was true. The and in many places the railroad itself was washed reply was that it was true. The prisoners had out. At present, writing, however, the road to undergone a preliminary examination and Kelang has been repaired and trains are now as they were found to be innocent they running, but on the other line it will take
allowed to
then The Consuls
several weeks before it is all in repair. pointed out that all prisoners must be examined by the full Court and demanded that these released men should be recaptured. The Chi- nese said at first it was impossible to get them back, but after a display of considerable firm- ness on the part of the Consuls agreed to have them back if possible in five days. It has since been ascertained that two of these released men were undoubtedly at Whasang. There was also some trouble about a proclamation which had been posted about without the Consuls being consulted The proclamation had the Vege- tarians and Christians side by side and the word "to catch" was so introduced as to allow the people to read it as catch the Christians." The Consuls insisted on this being altered at once, and had a separate one issued ordering the people to protect the Christians. This is similar duplicity to that practiced at Hok-chiong the week before. Three prisoners were examined on this day, all of them undoubtedly concerned in the massacre.--Echo.
7.
THE JAPANESE IN FORMOSA.
THE GREAT STORM.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT WITH THE JAPANESE ARMY.]
TAIPERFU, 10th September. Sunday morning, August 31st, heavy rains were falling and continued with more or less severity on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, On Wednesday evening strong winds converted the storm into a howling gale, and the river rapidly arose until it overflowed its banks.
Foochow, 14th September. Last Saturday our brief account of the pro- gress of the investigation was carried to the 3rd inst. On the morning of the 4th No. 7 was found in the Court sitting and drinking tea. He had been well treated by the magistrates because in his preliminary examination he had openly acknowledged his share in the massacre. In Court he talked about the whole business quite freely, and even seemed cheerful. He admitted that he was the man who attacked Miss Hartford and says that the servant who saved her gave him such a severe beating that he could not walk and had to be carried down the hill. By profession, he said, he was a doctor, and was forty-seven years of age. He had personally admitted eight men into the society (as a leader) and gave their names. The fee for being admitted into the inner circle was 1,680 cash. He gave the names of the nine The Japanese in charge of the supplies that virtues of the sect and also the eight signs were stored along the river, had not heeded the (characters). In casting lots as to the pro-warning given by the foreigners, who with long gramme, already described, he says that the lot experience in Formosa knew what to expect, so fell on Whasang three consecutive nights. Six that the river was well up along the street of them-all leaders-worshipped the flag before front before any attempt was made to move the starting for Whasang. These men wore very stuff to higher ground. Then all was bustle large bamboo hats. At the upper house and confusion, crowds of shouting coolies worked he struck a girl in the back with his trident with all possible haste and gangs of Chinese spear and left her for dead This lady is not were driven through the streets carrying their identified. He said that in the fourth month of loads to safer quarters, and then running back the year he went to Whasang for pleasure and with all the gra that could be urged into while there some Whasang men showed him them for ere meeting w the houses, and told him that an American lady lived in Miss Hartford's house. It was thogn't
But
stroyed.
Clayed too long, the river was ng along the roadway, and the re-
A two storey stone building formerly belonging to the Chinese Customs, but at the time occupied by Japanese, who, seeing that it would be unable to withstand the strain, left it in a body, fell a short time after, at 11 a.m. the whole front and roof fell in with a crash, leaving only the back walls standing.
Thursday morning the streets of Twa-tia-tia were surging rivers with from six to ten feet of water in the lower and thee and four in the higher streets. Along the street fronting the river was a rushing roaring sea, dashing waves against the buildings and throwing spray twenty-five feet into the air.
that these men must hts wor Whasangng supplies were necessarily left to be de Vegetarians and that there entering into the plot. He added houses, and my men pointed at the names. They were 00 cat. Vegetarit condition asked for something to eat a in the headery asking him whether he cision of the owl, he replied that he had years and danger eat for twenty-one
not want any now. He was given come rice. He stated that he had been offered $120 to become a Christian. He is evidently a fanatic and now considers himself a great hero and a martyr. He said that at Whasang they opened the bolster of a bed as they only wanted the cloth, and that the Whassng people seeing the feathers about after wards said that the Vegetarians had been eat ing fowls. It was only after going through the form of imprinting his palm on paper, as an acknowledgment of his guilt, that he seemed to realise the awfulness of his position. He subsequently said that the Vegetarian and Christian doctrines differ but little. This dreadful thing had happened because of the wickedness of the Kucheng people. He said that the island headquarters down at Nantai was filled by no fixed man; those who desired the post has to disburse about $90. The head- man there for the time being wrote characters, summoning leaders down there for business. (This is almost incredible. These headquarters must be known to the authorities and yet they allow them to exist in their very midst, so to speak.) He said that the custom at headquarters was to destroy all papers, minutes, and notes, after each meeting,
The large new hong occupied by Tait and Company was the only foreign property seriously damaged, the big stone and cement verandah which surrounded the place giving way from the front.
The greatest damage was to the Tamsui river railroad bridge, which has withstood many storms without injury. While now still standing, it is twisted from three to five feet out of line and is altogether in an extremely shaky condi- tion. This is unfortunate for the Japanese, as it will take at least a month to repair it and it is badly needed at present. However, as soon as the other damages along the line are repaired trains can run from the other side of the river and their loads be transported to them by boat.
This bridge is by far the largest in Formosa, bring 1,498 feet long, of which 1,465 feet are built of timber in forty-six spans, and at the end is a passage for the junks, 33 feet clear of
The most serious loss. of all was on board the Kagoshima-maru transport, which arrived at Kelung on the day of the storm, but owing to the crowded condition of the harbour could not enter. She then steamed around towards Tamsui, but did not dare enter there; then going out to sea she was dashed about by the storm for twenty-four hours, when it abated and the ship was able to return to Kelung. Several horses were washed overboard, and as a result of the fearful buffeting and the necessarily closed hatches twenty out of the six or seven hundred coolies and soldiers below died. “
y
Notwithstanding certain journals would have it that the Japanese had been fighting with the savages ever since their arrival, they first came in actual contact with them a few weeks ago near Olan, where four of the Tan-gow tribe deliberately came down to the Japanese camp, expressed their friendliness, and asked permission to accompany · the soldiers for a few days, which was given, and they were provided food and quarters with the army. After a few days of marching, one of the savages having injured his foot, the little party returned to the mountains throughly im. pressed with the idea that the Japanese were a great improvement over the Chinese.
Near Gelan on the east coast, while several soldiers were strolling outside of their camp, two savages armed with spears came suddenly from the forest, and according to the soldier's story they took them for Chinese soldiers and a shot, killing one of them. It is a decidedly lame excuse, for their appearance is anything but similiar to a Chinese soldier, and at all events two men armed with spears, whether they be Chinese soldiers or not, are scarcely in a position to murder a whole squad of Japanese soldiers armed with repeating rifles. It is unfortunate that the energetic and praiseworthy efforts of the officials, who have the welfare of the Formosans very much at heart, should have their work baffled by the blunders of the soldiers and the insolence
of
ne coolies.
The fo
lar meeting with the savages or the Loosok, Mokoham, when seven came down Surveyor,pow-wow with the Major of the who is på garrison stationed there.
ingl
So Mr.
Arrangements were then made for the savages to, send a deputation to meet some of the Japanese civil officials at a later date. Hashiguchi, the clever chief of the Agriculture and Industry Bureau, and Mr. Tanaka, the Prefect of Taipeh-heu, made the trip to Tokoham and word was sent to the savages by an inter- preter that the officials had arrived and would be pleased to see them. Before the interpreter returned with the answer, the party, consisting of the two above-mentioned gentlemen, escorted by about seventy-five Japanese soldiers, made their way to the savage border and reaching the base of the hills waited there the arrival of
the savages.
The officials were beginning to fear that the savages did not intend to come down that day, when a band of oddly dressed personages appeared at the top of the hill and upon spying their callers hesitated and seemed to be holding a conference. It was then that a young savage boy, who was one of several boys given a Chi- nese education by Governor Liu, and who had accompanied the Japanese, ran to the savages greatly elated, and with him they at once re- turned and were soon greeting the two officials with all the smiles at their command.
Many of the men wore small blankets about their shoulders, and a sort of a vest hanging from their shoulders provided with a pouch on each side. Large holes in their ears held pieces of bamboo, and their faces were tattooed on the forehead and the chin. Brass rings were about their wrists and strings of beads or buttons On their seemed the favourite decoration.
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