Eighteen Days in Filthy, Windowless Hut: Finally Released On Payment of $400: Narrowly Escaped Torture The Sinya of the Hankow chow correspondent jerald," writing on August 25s; Haggard and sore of body after 16 days of captivity in a tiny, filthy, less hut, Monsignor George the captured Germar.
Priest, Catholic a sul el dit-ridden Honan Province. bandits, who had demanded $50,-
They took him along the road, ind when he would stumble, kicked him and struck him with the butts of their rifles. The threat wes frequently made to shoot him unless: the desired ransom was forth coming. When they brought him to the hut, they demanded, with pistols poking at his side, that he should write a message asking for payment to be made. He defied the bandits, and they did mot dare to 000, 36 pistols and a huge quantity of opium, finally were forced to ye eonteat with over $400, and Uns sum was granted only to save them from the worst of all Chinese penuities, the loss of "face."
The Gi-year old missionary, who has spent 35 years of his life in China, underwent hardships which would have killed many a younger mun not accustomed to Chinese conditions. During his captivity with but a brief interval, he was The release of Monsignor Froew's was obtained without military assistance, as it was feared this would react against the aged eaptive. The missionaries at Sinyany determined to request military hel only us a last resort. They feared not only for the captive. but for the lives of the many innocent people iving in the villages which it would have been necessary to raid.
The Catholic Mission attributes closely guarded in his windowless bhut, so dark that he could not telt the' difference between day and night. The hovel in which he was Kept was filthy beyond description and the terrific heat of a Honan summer was at its height during his entire captivity. The Rt. Rev. Froewis received but an insufficient Supply of hot water to drink, three times a day, Fi] Vermin-Infested Hu For six days in succession, thrice 8 day, he rec bow! of this hot water, in which lint, elongated soda biscuits frie! in all, which the Chinese call "yn Kuo tse," were left to soak. He was given nothing else to eat. fle had of clothing throughout ivity, despite the heat, which attire wringing wet with much of the success of the rescue to Yang Kwang-yn, head of the Sinyang Chuber of Commerce. This aged man, a personal friend of th prelate's, commissioned two rela tives of nis to go into the bandit-ridden country in'search of clues regarding the whereabouts of the missionary. They worked tiretessiy for 12 days, until they finally discovered the' party which had done the kidnapping.
Captive Bandit as Pawn They were successful in capturing one of the bandits implicated. A threat to deliver him to the authorities brought him lo terms. In onder to retain a minimum "face," he pleaded that at least $1, 000 should be handed io his ban" comrades as remuneration "for the hospitality tendered to the old foreign gentleman during his s0-
The beds on which he slept wore filled with vermin, and he wus continuously pestered with mesquiters and other insects, with no effort made to keep them away, The captors of the Monsignor are connected with the local militia stationed at one of the market towns between this city and a small lage not far away. revealing the ease with which soldiers turn to Banditry and bandits turn to soldiery. On the night of—the capture the aged missionary wae treated to brutalities. Two days after his capture, a telegram was received from the Apostolic Dele-fate, the Most Rev. Celso Costanof Peking, notifying the Ho-Catholic ' Mission of Mgr. Froewis' elevation to the rank of Prefect Apostolic of the Sinyang: chow mission, which comprises 23 hsiens or districts.
After a considerable amount of isargaining, the amount of "face money" was finally reduced to $400, and given to Yang Kwang-yn token of friendship. He paid over to the bandits, This round-bout method was taken so that the Dbamdit could not declare that the money was paid directly by the missionaries, as the loss of "face" would have been disastrous in future eases of this sort.
'The promise also was made to the missionaries that after the captive was set. free, no steps should be taken by the' missionaries for the arrest of the bandits. However, whatever measures the provincial authorities may eventually take to id Honan of bandits were not involved.
The Rt. Rev, Froewis escaped many "refined" methods of torture The missionary was _asle% of Tsinghantien, a very small vi near here, when the bandits, numbering 20, climbed over a wall and invaded the mission, dragging the elderly churchman out of his bed clad in pyjamas and shoeless. The bandits were dressed in t practised by the bandits on their Chinese captives. These include the practice of not only binding the eyes of their victims, but sealing them by placing a small coin over the eyelids and pasting them shut with a sort of Chinese wax. Cotton is rammed into the ears and molten wax poured in.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.