Mr. Conger to Mr.
Hay.
Legation of the United States,
Peking, May 19,
1902.
No. 990.]
Sir: Continuing the subject-matter of my
dispatch No. 980, of the 8th instant, concerning the uprising in the
southwest of this province, I inclose copy of a letter from Rev. Mr.
Houlding, who recently came through the troubled district, and also of a
note to our Chinese secretary, Dr. Barchet, from the secretaries of the
foreign office, to whom I had sent him to inquire more particularly
about the situation.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1.]
Mr. Houlding to
Mr. Conger.
Dear Mr. Conger: In reply to your esteemed
favor of May 12, thank you for sending to the viceroy in our behalf,
knowing that we were in southern Chihli. Yes, the officials were
kind to the last degree. Viceroy Yuan had given me letters of
introduction which were passports to favor with all the local
magistrates in our field, and when this trouble arose they saw that
we were well escorted, even sending an escort on the train to
Paotingfu from Chengting. Of course this last was useless, but it
accorded with their ideas of necessary courtesy.
Re the beginning of this present uprising. An authority of the
magistrate at Nan Loa, Tai Ming and Kuang Ping, who all told
substantially the same story in personal conversation, it is this: A
French priest from Wei Hsien (in Kuang Ping fu, of Chihli province,
with Wei Hsien, of Shantung) visited Tai Ming, attending some one
sick there. During his absence some of the members of the Roman
Catholic church at Wei Hsien smashed some idols which the Chinese
were carrying about, and to which they were praying for rain, saying
that they were useless mud, etc. The worshipers retaliated by
demolishing the Roman Catholic chapel. In the mêlée “all” the Roman
Catholics were killed (which may mean those who did not escape; we
found in Tai Ming many refugees from different parts). And the
French priest was killed, together with a Chinese gentleman and the
carter, who were returning from Tai Ming, at a point 10 lis from Wei
Hsien, by a party awaiting them in ambush.
It was reported that 20,000 people were banded thus against the
soldiers who were gathering to put down the trouble. The taotai,
P’ang Hang Shu, and the commander of troops, General Ho, had both
gone from Tai Ming to the scene of the
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trouble (from, perhaps, 50 to 100 lis from Tai
Ming), and were talking peace between soldiers and people.
My helper said there was evidence of the existence of the old I Ho
Chuan under a new name, Lien Chuang, which I take to mean the Allied
or Banded Villages. The Chinese are easily alarmed, so I do not know
how much there is in this latter.
We met considerable companies of troops going down from Paoting
southward, and we were told by a German who is under appointment as
instructor in the Chinese army that 4,000 had been sent down. I saw
no evidence of anything like this number.
The crops are poor in the section where the trouble centers. In most
of the country from Paoting to Chang An and Tung Ming, in the
extreme south of the province, and around Tsaochou-fu, Shantung, the
crops are fair to good, so far as wheat is concerned, and I do not
look for any general uprising.
We found the people quiet and for the most part well disposed toward
us. Many more individual inquiries as to the Christian doctrine than
I have ever before met, in proportion to the people seen. Yet there
was need of care, and we avoided the fairs and markets very
generally, as in two places, at least, there was evident a spirit of
hostility. In two places the cry was raised, “They have come; they
ought to be killed.” The question was put to me whether the foreign
troops had all left yet or not. Everywhere America was spoken of
favorably by officials and people.
Respectfully,
[Inclosure 2.]
The secretaries of the
Foreign office to Dr. Barchet.
A day or two ago you came in person to inquire about the state of
affairs at Kuang-tsung.
We are now in receipt of a telegram from the superintendent of trade
for the northern ports, as follows:
“The consecutive reports which have come to hand are to the effect
that the runaway rebel leader, Liu-hsi-hai, gathered together a gang
of several hundred men, who plundered the people on their way as
they pushed westward; but the detachments of soldiers on guard
attacked them in the flank, and routed them at every point.
“On the 12th of May they came back to P’ing-hsiang and Ch’u-chow,
only one hundred odd strong, but the drilled troops at Ta-ming cut
them off, the rebel leader Liu being among the slain.
“The southern part of this province is now quite in peace.
“As to the tight at Chien-cnih-ts’un, over a thousand were killed.
According to the testimony of the clansmen and neighbors of
Ching-t’ing-pin, who identified his body, this rebel chief was
killed in that battle.
“I have instructed the several corps to keep a sharp lookout, and
have delegated the taotais of Ch’ing-ho and Ta-ming to attend to the
work of reconstruction with the help of the local prefects and
magistrates, and thus hope that the trouble will be quite stamped
out.”
Feeling in duty bound to send you this note, we hope that you will
convey the contents to His Excellency Conger.
With the compliments of the season.
Cards of the secretaries of the foreign office.
