Mr. Denby to Mr. Blaine.
Peking, October 24, 1891. (Received November 28.)
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that I have received from the foreign office a copy of a very long memorial forwarded by Chang Chi Tung, the viceroy of Hu Kwang, on the subject of the recent riots in the province of Hupeh at Wusueh. I have thought that, owing to its extreme length, an abstract thereof would be more acceptable than the entire document. The viceroy substantially makes the following statements:
After the riot at Wuhu in May last great popular excitement existed in the whole valley of the Yangtse. He issued instructions to the officials ordering them to adopt stringent measures of a precautionary nature. At Wusueh there was an English church, but no foundling hospital. The natives and foreigners had always got along well together. However, on the 5th of June last a native of the Kuang-chi district, a Catholic, arrived at Wusueh carrying four children, whom he said he was taking to the Catholic asylum at Kiukiang. Some depraved villains, seeing the man, imagined the incident to be a confirmation of the prevalent rumors, and in a moment a turbulent crowd assembled. This crowd threw stones through the windows of the missionary premises, with the result that a kerosene lamp upset and a fire broke out which destroyed all the buildings. Some property was stolen by the members of the crowd. A native customs deputy and a subprefect hastened to the scene of the riot to restore order, but they were stoned and driven away. Two of the missionaries connected with the English chapel were absent, but their families remained there. A British subject named Green, a customs tidewaiter, and a British missionary named Argent attempted to put out the lire and were killed by the mob. The ladies of the mission went first to the office of the deputy magistrate. He refused to let them enter his premises. They were afterwards escorted by some soldiers to the house of the subprefect. The three ladies had been beaten and wounded. The viceroy sent troops from Wuchang to Wusueh to restore order. The magistrate of Kueng-che proceeded to the scene and made many arrests. Ten prisoners were found to be the real culprits. A trial took place. The depositions of the members of the “Wusueh mission were taken at Hankow and forwarded to the court. The evidence taken showed that the riot originated in the suspicions as to the conveyance of the children above mentioned. The disturbance was sudden and without warning. It had not any origin in the desire of plunder. An iron safe in the premises was untouched. Three men admitted that they had incited the riot and two of them that they had stabbed the missionary Argent. Two of them were immediately decapitated and their heads exposed by way of warning. The other prisoners were punished by bambooing, branding, and banishment to various distances. The law was exactly followed in these sentences. The magistrate who refused to allow the ladies to enter his premises has been ordered to be removed from office and deprived of his button. Measures have been taken to arrest offenders who are still at large. The viceroy is to give to the families of Argent and Green $20,000 each, as the missionaries at Wusueh were in no wise to blame for the riot. The sum of $25,000 is to be paid as damages for all other injuries, making $65,000 in all to the paid. The settlement has been reported to the British minister, but no answer has been received.
[Page 454]The viceroy says that the riots in the Yangtse Valley mostly originated out of the practice of receiving and bringing up young children in asylums. False rumors of bad treatment of these children circulate and all of a sudden there is a riot. The consuls at Hankow were requested to direct the missionaries to desist for a time from receiving young children into their establishments. Hereafter there are to be periodical inspections by officials and gentry of these asylums.
If compliance with such regulations is secured, there will be no further trouble. Rewards are to be offered for the arrest of all persons who put up incendiary placards. Two other cases affecting the English have been settled.
This report “is reverently submitted to the sacred glance” by the viceroy.
I have, etc.,