American Legionnaires Visit to Tomb at Sunkiang The annual spring pilgrimage to the grave of Gen, Frederick Townsend Ward, in Sungkiang, was made on June 1 by. members. of the Frederick "Ward" Post, American" Legion, and their friends. Mr. Chung' Zing-tsho, local magistrate of Sungkiang, issued the official invitation to visit the tomb of General Ward to pay him homage.
The visitors boarded the train to Sungkiang at 9 a.m. at the North Station. Upon its arrival the party was met by Dr., Albert Bowen of the Southern Method-list Mission, and by Mr. Lok Que-liang, who is connected with the Department of Education Jand who acted on behalf of Mr.
Chung who was unable to attend the reception and ceremony. Ricshas were procured for everyone and. a merry and perilous journey through the narrow winding alleyways followed, Upon arriving at the plot of ground dedicated to Gen, Ward's memory, Mr. F. J. Schuhl, Commander, opened the ceremony by introducing the speaker of the day, Dr. George Sellett, Dr. Bowen translated his remarks for the benefit, of the large Chinese gathering, Dr. Sellett expressed his pleasure for the privilege of speaking at the tomb of a hero loved by all of China. He then offered thanks to the "Shanghai Evening Post" for the Legion. Supplement which appeared last Friday and which netted to the Frederick Ward Post about Tls. 2,000. The sum will be invested and the income derived will be used for the upkeep of the compound in which Gen, Ward is entombed. Eventuafly the Legion Post hopes to erect monument where the tombstone Dr. Sellett then of General Ward's life, stating that he was born in the coast town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1831.
From the time of his birth Frederick Ward had an adventurous life. He early learned the life of a sailor and before he was thirty yenrs old he was the veteran of five wars. He had fought with Garibaldi, in the Crimean War, for put Juarez in power His ancestors were fighting and he knew all the technique and strategy of battle. In 1860 Ward offered his services to the Emperor, promising to train a Chinese army)
id save Shanghai. He drilled his mn-and taught them how to fight and when his job was completed he went against the Taipings near Sungkiang and Ningpo. His first attack was beaten off bug he tried in, 300 men against 5,000. He took the ans and swept the Taipings from the _house-tops, saving the ancient shrine of Confucius, and endearing himself to China' forever.
He attacked many more cities and fought in many more battle always he was invincible until. 1862 he led a body of troops into Tseki where he was mortally wounded. He died in Ningpo on September 21, 1862, at the age of thirty, mourned by' China for his bravery and his desperate efforts in her cause. The Emperor, petitioned by Li Hufg-chang, ordered his name to be placed in the hall of the gods and temples were erected to his memory in Sungkiang and Ningpo.
At the conclusion of Dr. Sellett's speech, wherein he expressed the hope for greater amity between the foreigner and the Chinese, Mr. Lok Que-liang answered. His speech was translated into English by Dr. Bowen. Mr. Lok spoke of the reverence for Gen. Watd's memo by China. He expressed his pleasure for the devotion shown by the annual American pilgrimage to the tomb of an American born man but stated that the Chinese considered Gen. Ward as theirs, not American but Chinese, and they pond never forget him, Mr. Lok hoped for a deeper understanding and broader relations with Ameri ans in China and extended an urgent invitation to all present to visit him in his home.
Dr. Bowen closed the meeting with a brief prayer. The party was than invited to have tea in the Mission School by Mr. Lok and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.