December 28, 1876

Since my last our city has witnessed the execution of two criminals, who were beheaded for complicity in the local disturbances which a few months ago threatened this part of the empire with serious calamity. Men here and there lost their queues in a mysterious manner; chickens were stripped of their feathers in some unaccountable way; cows being turned out to pasture refused to eat, and on examination it was found that their tongues had been cut out by some unknown hand. Great excitement prevailed throughout the country, which was augmented by the prospect of a war with England. The common people in general were disposed to attribute these dire visitations to infernal agency; and tried to save their queues by wearing charms in their hair, and to ward off the other calamities by various sagacious expedients. The mandarins, who on the whole are as superstitious as anybody, nevertheless took the precaution to ferret out, if possible, the source of these disturbances, and they had quite a number of men arrested who were accused of snipping off queues in an underhand way, and who were supposed to be fomenting a new rebellion. They were sent to the Capital of the Province for trials, and those who were convicted were remanded back to their respective districts for execution. Two unhappy wretches were brought back to Kiukiang, and early one Sunday morning about three weeks ago were led out to be beheaded. The place of execution was on an open, grassy spot outside the city wall, and on the margin of a lake, where all the washing of the foreign community is done. Foreigners were not aware of the transaction until all was over, but a large number of Chinamen crowded on the wall to witness the scene. It has been years since an execution took place in Kiukiang. One man who was a spectator of this tragedy, said that the man who was first beheaded did not seem to realize what was going to be done with him until his head was off; when of course it was too late to protest against the proceedings. But when the other man saw his comrade decapitated, he began to beg for mercy, and when the executioner approached him with his sword, he drew his head down so close on his shoulders that it took several strokes before it was severed from his body. The heads were then put in little wooden cages and suspended on poles near the spot for "a terror to evil doers." One would think a Chinaman's queue to be quite an unnecessary appendage, and as inconvenient as it is ungraceful; so that it would be quite to his advantage to be relieved of it. But the man who deliberately cuts off another's queue, loses his own and his head with it in consequence; so that it is very evident these Celestials regard their pigtails as an infinitely more valuable possession than we barbarous foreigners do.

A curious case has lately come up, and in fact is now pending, in one of our out stations, which illustrates heathenism in one of its peculiar and most revolting features. A native Christian, named Yeh, has just been deprived of his wife with whom he had lived peacefully for years. She had formerly been married to another man, whose name was

Wei, and became Mr. Yeh's wife after the death of her first husband. This Mr. Wei had a son by another wife, who at present is verging on manhood's estate. A short time since he made a feast, to which among other guests, he invited his step-mother. One of the gentlemen present took a fancy to the woman, and the unconscionable step-son offered her to him for sale. A bargain was struck at 35,000 cash (about $30.00) and the woman was compelled, quite against her inclination, to take up with her new master. But her husband, Mr. Yeh, learning of the transaction, suddenly appeared on the scene and claimed his wife. Young Mr. Wei politely informed him that as he had never given any cash for the woman, he had no right to her, and that if he wanted to go to law about the matter, why the Weis were both more numerous, and more wealthy than the Yehs, and would be perfectly willing to risk a law suit. As Mr. Yeh is a poor man, he could not do anything, but went and laid in his complaint to the native preacher. The latter reported to the missionaries at Kiukiang, and now the query is what step would it be advisable for the Mission to take in the matter?

Death seems to be a matter of little moment to a Chinaman. One day not long since a wretched opium smoker staggered into one of our chapels while a missionary was addressing an audience, and lying down on the floor began to roll about in great agony. The chapel keeper tried to induce him to leave the place, but the poor fellow was too sick to do so. -- Those who were standing near him watched him in his agony, but did not offer him any assistance; and after he had been tossing about for a little while he got up, stretched himself out backward on a bench and died. Some attention was excited among the people at the occurrence, but they looked on quite indifferently, without taking any steps to ascertain the man's home or friends, or to have his body decently interred. The dead man was left lying there till late in the day, when the corpse was removed by order of the authorities.

Sometimes odd interruptions occur while missionaries are preaching in their chapels. Our chapel buildings open directly on the street, so as the more easily to attract a crowd, though the noise of passers-by is apt to be annoying. One day when the native preacher had finished a very interesting discourse, I rose to address a few words to the congregation before they left the house. I had just got fairly started, and everybody seemed very anxious to catch what I was saying, when a fellow came along the street outside, drawing after him a hog which stubbornly refused to go except on compulsion. "Dire were the squeals" that filled the chapel and almost completely drowned my voice, so that I was compelled to stop and wait until the brute had got past. Meanwhile amusement sat depicted on the countenances of those before me, while I could not avoid smiling grimly myself at the odd interruption.

Another day the native preacher himself was interrupted in a very similar manner. He was in the midst of a discourse to which the people were giving great attention, when a ragged beggar came along, and stopping outside near the door, gazed in through an open window at the preacher and his audience. Now beggars are the only class of Chinese that native dogs will bark at, and they show as much hostility towards them as they do to

foreigners. No sooner had this unfortunate son of poverty taken his stand before the chapel, than all the dogs in the vicinity (and they were not a few) saw him, and aggravated beyond endurance, it seems, that such a dirty ragamuffin should have the audacity to stop in front of a decent building, they immediately set up a roar which filled the whole street and reverberated in every corner of the chapel. A Mahomedan who was listening intently to the discourse, turned angrily around and shouted at the fellow, who, on finding himself the sudden object of so much attention, did not hesitate in making speedy tracks for another quarter.

The new house which I spoke of in my last as being in course of erection, has been completed, and is now occupied by the Misses Howe and Hoag, the energetic and devoted representatives of the W. F. M. S. of this place.

I am Yours Truly,

1. S.

Kiukiang, China, November 9th, 1876