I think it incumbent upon us to show appreciation of the good-will and
favorable action of the native officials in such cases. The conduct of the
missionaries was very discreet.
[Inclosure 1 in No. 84.]
Mr. Bunn to Mr.
Johnson.
Sir: In compliance with your request, I send
you an account of the disturbance at our chapel and dispensary on the
afternoon of April 14. The chapel is situated on the Fukai, one of the
principal streets of the city, and dispensary behind the chapel. In the
latter place a considerable number of patients and others were listening
to a native preacher, the foreign clergyman being not yet come, and I
was, with my native assistants, examining and prescribing for patients
in the dispensary, when suddenly a commotion arose in the chapel, and
soon two women rushed into my room. They were followed by a crowd of
men, who filled the room and the yard, while the chapel was quickly
refilled with a noisy throng. The women appeared to be in great trouble;
were shrieking that two children, one belonging to each of them, were
missing, and, throwing themselves at my feet, they begged me to give
them their children. I assured them that I knew nothing of them, and
permitted them to search the premises. They searched the rooms, shelves,
bottles, roof, and yard, but were not satisfied, and the noise seemed to
increase. As there were still patients to be seen, I kept along at my
work and was not interfered with, except by the annoyances of the women
and the jostling of the crowd. Half an hour later I sent a messenger for
Rev. Mr. Boone, and some of the attendants went also for Messrs. Judd
and Brampton, and for a constable. They came promptly, and about the
same time a mandarin, a Weiyuan. At that time the women had disappeared,
but the excitement in the chapel was great, and the opinion was conveyed
that we had secreted the children probably for the purpose of removing
their eyes. It is believed that here, as in other parts of China, the
opinion that foreigners use the eyes of Chinese children to make
medicine, and perhaps to extract silver from Chinese lead, is generally
held. Some threats of vengeance were made, and one man was conspicuously
violent; but I do not think the mass of the people were badly disposed.
Indeed, the patients did not cease coming, though a good deal hindered
by the crowd. The foreign gentlemen, assisted by the officers, who did
their duty faithfully, soon succeeded in moderating the excitement,
which subsided still more when a report that the missing children had
been found began to prevail. When, finally, we went away the premises
were cleared of Chinese, though there were still a crowd of perhaps five
hundred in the streets. They gave us but little annoyance as we passed
home. The affair was reported, though not by our advice, to the Hsien.
That official politely sent us his card and some copies of a
proclamation he had issued. The proclamation states that the object of
our institution is only to do good, and that all persons should beware
of disturbing us; that in case any trouble arose the movers in it would
be punished. The proclamation bears the seal of the Hsien’s Yamen. I
will try to send you a copy of it. The authorities also sent a man about
the streets to beat a gong and proclaim that the children were
found.
I should not have troubled the consulate with this case had you not
requested it. It is true the affair might have been serious had any
mistake in our conduct fired the crowd, or a courageous and unprincipled
leader worked upon their prejudices. It terminated, however, without
serious damage to any one. I think, on the whole, the Chinese officials
and people behaved very well. There is no reason to doubt that the women
really feared we had their children, and the crowd’s somewhat
demonstrative sympathy with them is a natural result of their belief in
the silly stories about foreigners. The mayor and his assistants did
better than we could have expected, and we are abundantly thankful for
the result.
It may be mentioned that the city and surrounding country have been of
late rife with rumors of war and insurrection, in which the
always-dreaded rebels and foreigners have been made to figure. The cause
of these seems to have been the quartering of a larger number of
soldiers than usual around the city, and the arrival of a fleet
[Page 55]
of gunboats with arms and
ammunition for the army. These things may have had an influence in
bringing about the excitement in the chapel. No further difficulty has
occurred or is apprehended.
I have, &c.,
R. M. Johnson, Esq.,
United States Consul, Hankow.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 84.]
Mr. Seward to Mr.
Johnson.
United
States Legation,
Peking, June 14,
1876.
No. 12.]
Sir: I have received your dispatch, numbered
478, inclosing Dr. Bunn’s account of a recent disturbance at the
Episcopal mission’s hospital at Wuchang.
It is a matter of congratulation that the disturbance did not result in a
more or less serious disaster. That it did not is largely due to the
tact shown by Dr. Bunn and his associates. The native officials
displayed good feeling and promptness. It will be well if you convey to
them an indication that we appreciate their action, and that the
favorable issue of the affair was partly due to their interference.
Please hand a copy of this letter to Dr. Bunn.
I have, &c.,
R. M. Johnson, Esq.,
United States Consul, Hankow.
