I beg to call your particular attention to the closing paragraph of this
report.
[Inclosure.]
Mr. Lupton to
Mr. Rockhill.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge
receipt of your dispatch No. 597 of the 2d instant, requesting that
you be furnished with a carefully prepared report relating to the
recent disturbance at Changpoo.
Supplementary to what has already been forwarded to the legation from
this consulate, I beg to report as follows:
For some months past there have been rumors of secret societies in
the district of Changpoo, with the avowed intention of destroying
the governing dynasty and killing all officials and missionaries.
The societies became stronger, and in January began posting placards
prophesying destruction to the dynasty and disaster to the people
who supported it. Meetings were held in the hills, and members were
enrolled by the societies after various incantations supposed to
make them invulnerable. These men carried white fans, supposed to be
efficacious in warding off bullets, and were called “fanners” by the
people in consequence.
The first outbreak occurred in the village of Wu Tien She, where two
men had been imprisoned by the Roman Catholics. Their friends
naturally hastened to their help and managed to get them released,
burning two native-style schools in the meantime. The villagers,
already excited, were incited to further efforts by secret-society
men, who told them that it was especially the Roman Catholics who
were at the bottom of the trouble. In consequence of this belief the
mob went to Changpoo, a few miles away, and attacked the English
Church mission, but left after they were told it was a Protestant
affair. Later on, however, they came and gutted 7 buildings,
carrying off even the door and window frames and burning the
hospital and the physician’s residence. After several hours of
destruction 20 soldiers from the magistrate’s yamen appeared on the
scene and fired upon the mob, killing 7 and taking 13 more to the
yamen, where they were summarily decapitated. The Changpoo
magistrate telegraphed to Colonel Pang at Tung Shan for aid and the
subprefect at Hun-Hsiao, begging that troops be sent at once, no
matter how small the number.
Eighty men were immediately sent from Amoy and 160 regulars from
Foochow, together with an uncertain number from Tung Shan, and the
rioters scattered, a large number going to Go-che and Lam-sin only
to be frightened away from the latter place by soldiers. The
Changchew taot’ai informed me on February 16 that 600 additional men
had been ordered to the scene of trouble and that he had ordered the
Peng Ho magistrate to go at once in person and see that the rioters
were cleared out of Go-che, a part of his district.
Advices from missionaries at Sio-Khe, dated March 16, say that he has
as yet made no move.
The missionaries report that the people at large are very much afraid
of the secret societies and would be glad if they were put down, and
that they anticipate no further trouble if vigorous measures were
taken by the authorities, and that at Sio-khe business has gone back
to its usual channel. The women from the missions, however, have
left the place, some for Changchew and others for Amoy.
So far as we are able to learn, the relations between the Protestant
missionaries and the people of Changpoo, prior to the disturbance,
was nothing but cordial, as shown by the fact that no trouble ever
took place there, even in 1900.
All reports seem to agree that the cause of the disturbance was the
injudicious display on the part of the Catholics, who have official
ranks in China, of their presumed powers with the Chinese
officials.
(Signed)
Stuart K.
Lupton.
