The Massacre at Tientsin

Cromwell Argus, Volume 1, Issue 46, 28 September 1870, Page 6

The Massacre at Tientsin

The ('hum Overland Trade Report, published i>t Hong Kong, gives the following account, of this tragedy : Full details have come to hand concerning the terrible tragedy of Tientsin, of which the main features were reported by last mail. They more than confirm all the apprehensions that have been felt. Twentytwo Europeans have fallen victims, besides no less than from thirty to forty Chinese children at the schools, who were smothered in the vaults. The outbreak commenced about 10 or II o'clock on the 21st. by a large mob surrounding and stoning the French Consulate. Upon this, the Consul s-dlied forth, together with Mons. Simon, to Chung How’s Yamun, and induced that official to accompany them back to the Consulate, According to one account, on their way hack they met the Che hsien, and Chung How' gave it out that the Consul fired at the Che-hsien, whereupon the mob rose and cut him down, killing him on the spot. Another version of Chung How’s statement was to the effect that the French Consul, seeing him stoop, fired at him. A third is that the Consul fired off his pistol in the Yamun. Chung How declared that the French Consul had been killed by his side, and that ho had had the body in his keeping. He sent six coffins containing bodies to the British Consulate, stating that one of those was that of the French Consul; but this turned out to bo a deliberate lie, the body of Mr Foutanier having been picked up the evening before in the river, and identified by several of his friends, as well as from the mark on his socks. When the French Consul and the Chancellor had been despatched, at about two o'clock a frightful yell rose from the mob, now ten thousand strong, who were gathered round the Catholic cathedral. The priest in charge, M. Chevericr, and i M. Thomassin and wife just arrived from

Shanghai, and a number of Chinese, were murdered and the building fired. The ip mob then rushed to the establishment of || the Sisters of Charity, which is situated nearer to the British settlement than the Cathedral, and the murderers went in to do their bloody work. The sisters, ten in J number, were seized, their clothes dragged off them, their eyes scooped out, their breasts cut off, and their bodies stabbed and ripped open. The building burst into a flame, and confusion and riot were everywhere rampant. A young Russian girl ami two of her countrymen rushed panic-striken from the city, and were making their way to the foreign settlement, when they wer met and ruthlessly cut down. These were Mr and Mrs Protopopoff, together with Mr Bassoff, one of their countrymen. - The J| former had been married but four days; and p the bride who met this sad fate was but is sixteen years of age. Mr and Mrs dialtnaison, who resided near the north gate, | were also butchered. Mrs Chalmaison got I her horse and escaped, her husband being | killed in his doorway as be was coming | out. Mrs Chalmaison returned to the 3 house in the evening in Chinese dress, but I it seems the omission to change her foreign I boots led to her detection, and she was slaughtered in the street. Three French missionaries living on the other side of the river are also supposed to have been murdered. The following sad details of the bodies are given by the correspondent of the •; Courier— M. H. Fontanier—Head and face cloven to pieces with sword cuts. One spear wound through the chest. M. Simon —Head and face covered with sword cuts ; bowels protruding. M. Thornassin—Head and face covered with sword cuts ; a few spear wounds on the body. Madame Thornassin—A sword cut through the hack of neck. M. de Chalmaison—Loft side of the face cut away ; eyes scooped out ; numerous wounds in the body and extremities. Madame de Chalmaison -Deep sword cut on the face, just below.the eyes ; left arm and side hacked with sword cuts. Father Cheverier—.-Skull• cloven in several I places ; chest and abdomen laid open ; bowels protruding. The coffins supposed to contain four of the sisters were tilled with charred pieces of flesh and bone. Mr Protopopoff, .Russian —Sword cut five inches long on the left side of head ; a spear wound through the chest, and one on the left hip. Mrs Protopopoff— Tsodv literally covered’ with sword cuts and spear wounds. Mr Bassoff. itussi in—Read covered with sword cuts ; chest pierced with numerous spear wounds. The names of the sisters are Somr KTizv both, Mary. Louise (French), Victoria, Theresa, Joscphina, Vincent, Orelea, Eugina, and Louise (an Irish lady). There is no doubt of the whole plot having been known to the officials long before the outbreak. Placards were posted stating that the Roman Catholic Cathedral and schools would he burnt down, eight days prior to the outbreak. The Chefoo, or chief magistrate, had himself posted one of these documents. Eight Protestant chapels, from which the missionaries had fortunately retreated, were looted, and sixteen places of worship in all destroyed. Three days previous to the outbreak, the French consul called the attention of the governor, Chung How, to the inflammatory proclamation. He addressed him again on the 20th, and again on the morning of the 21st, the clay of the massacre ; but no reply was sent to his communications. Several days previous to the attack, the parents of Chinese children at the Catholic schools sent to remove them, and as many as 250 children out of 450 were tak en away. In a recent excavation of cellars, a Bostonian has dug up quite a number of tombstones bearing record of the early settlers. Among the most interesting is one of “John Alrlen. senior, aged 75 ; deceased 14th March, 1701.” It is believed that this was the son ol the John Alden and j Priscilla immortalised in the “ Courtship I of Miles Stindish.” These tombstones will ■ | be carefully preserved undefaced, and placed 1 amongst the other stones of the building that is to he erected. <■ \ I IMliimj/'s Pilh. —A certain cure for determinaj tinn of blood to the head.—The Rev. Elias Hope, of the Loudon Mission, C. T., suffered more than , any one he ever heard of from determination of , blood to the head ; although he was most ab- , atemions both in eating, drinking, and in taldng , rest, yet he was so had at times, th?<t in the • | midst of his most eloquent discourses he was ( j compelled to leave off addressing his auditors. | Having seen the good effect of Holloway’s Pills. 1 lie was induced to give them a trial, and, to use his own words, they acted like magic. It is fourteen months ago since ho commenced tak--1 this celebrated medicine, which completely cured ' him in two months, and he has not had any re--1 turn of his complaint since. These Pills are 1 j wonderfully cdieacious in all disorders of the 1 i stomach and Iwwels.