The landlord and the principal middle man, however, were apprehended and cast into prison. They were kept in gaol from 29th April to 20th May, and one of them, the landlord, received 1,100 blows. Osten sibly they were punished on account of other offences, but really because they had let the house to a foreigner. This the people knew full well, and the disaffected among them were not slow in drawing their own conclusions with respect to the attitude of the Magistrate towards the foreigner. The case was represented to the Taotai, and he at once ordered the release of both men. On the occasion of their release, Mr. Wikholm visited Macheng, and did all he could do get the Magistrate to issue a proclamation, stating the treaty rights of missionaries, and informing the people that the missionaries at Hokiapu were under his protection. Such proclamations are constantly issued by the Magistrates of other districts, so there was nothing unusual or unreasonable in the request. The Macheng Magistrate, however, refused to dose, on the ground that he had received no orders to that effect from the Hankow Taotai. I may say that the request. for a reclamation was made four times in all, to no purpose. Had a stringent proclamation been issued in time, this cruel murder would not have taken' place. refusing to issue a proclamation, the Mahis conduct in punishing the landlord an
cheng Magistrate led the vile fellows of the Sungpu region to look upon the missionaries as evil-doors, and in no way entitled to protection from the Chinese government. About four or five miles from Sungpu, there is a group of three villages, called Tayeuchai (Fe fy He), Chenkiachai (LIEF), and Tiensingchu (FE AB fis). These villages are large, bully, named Li Kis-tsung (AE fu LIS). Li Kia-tsung is well known in the whole of that region, and is regarded asa thoroughly wicked, lawless man. There can be little doubt, I think, that the attack on the missionaries was organised by this man, and executed by his myrmidons in these three villages.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.