MASSACRE, as given in a Despatch by the District Magistrate to his superior, the Prefect of Huangchow: dated 20th' of 5th Moon (8rd July 1893).
Chang Tsih-king, District Magistrate of Macheng respectfully petitions as follows 'The Swedish missionary, Mei Pao-shan, (Rey. 0. F. Wikholm) with his servant, Yang Tsun-chin, having rented a house and sold books' in Hokiapu (name of a suburb of Sungpu) in my district, against the wishes of the whole neighbourhood of Sungpu and Chiting; they (the people) posted placards threatening serious disturbances, as has been already reported. I therefore petitioned the Hankow Taotai, to request Consul Ting (Mr. Thyen) to cause that missionary and his followers to return to Hankow. To my surprise that missionary, Mei Pao-sian, not only paid no respect to his Consul's command that he should return, but on the contrary brought the missionary Yoh Chuan-tau, (Rev. A. D. Johansson) together with native of Huangpi named Chou Hong-chu, to sell books and continue to live in the same house.
At this place (Sungpu) the great festival of Tien Chung was about to be held, as has been customary from ancient times and to stop, or to hinder it, would have been very difficult, I therefore commissioned Tung Kai-tai, a Patswng, (small military officer) to go and exhort those niissionaties to come to the City (Macheng) and keep out of the way. But, although he used w hundred methods to induce them, those missionaries and their followers obstinately refused to hearken. I therefore again, on the 16th day of the present month (29th June) most earnestly pet ued the Hankow Txotai to get the consul, with all expedition, to contrive some plan of yetting them back (to Hankow), asi record. At this time, since the inissionary Mei would not listen to advice, and come to the City to be out of the way for a little, I personally, on the 14th day of the month, (June 27: h) went to the place and structed the military officers, the gentry, and the police to securely protect them. The 15th day (June 28th) was the festival, and although the number of people was immense, they were happily controlled, and all was peaceful without disturbance.
On the 17th (30th June) a man named Chow Li came in from Yentienho, in the South-East of my district, to report that his father hud been beaten' to death; further, on that day also, a man named Wai Sis-hui, of Sispichu, came and reporte that his daughter had been driven to commit suicide by hanging through bad usage. Two cases. Whereupon I took the coroner and ent to hold inquests, While thus engaged, a village elder named Kiang-fu cane and reported that on that day, in the afternoon, four men named Wu Chictai, Liu Yuen-ts'an, Cheng Kwan-shou, and Chu-ying had been taken and Lound up in their house by the foreigners at Hokiapu and on the 18th (1st July), between seven and nine o'clock in the evening, the country people raised a faction, and took the two men Mei Pao-shan and Yoh Chuan-tan Qlessrs. Wikholm and Johansson) and beat them to death. At the same time, at the house where the foreigners lived, a fire broke out, how caused Ido not know, and burned down two front houses, but' the foreigners' house was not burnt. On the 20th (3rd July) I personally went to Hokiapu and held an inquest. The whole es of the missionaries had received
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.