British Missionary Murdered
Bandits Break Into Bungalow at Chaotung;
School Dormitory Set on Fire by Marauders
FROM OUR ON CORRESPONDENT
The North-China Herald.54,April 13,1938.
Chaotung, Yunnan Mar.12.
Following my telegram of March 9,the details of the murder of Rev.R.H.Goldsworthy on March 6 are now available.At Stone Gateway, ten miles beyond the border between Yunnan and Kweichow,a band of some fifty bandits suddenly appeared near midnight on March 5.One lot of bandits immediately broke into the bungalow where Mr.Goldsworthy was sleeping the two servants sleeping in the loft escaping through a rear window. Whether Mr.Goldsworthy,awakened from sleep suddenly,put up some resistance,will never be known but when found after the bandits had gone he was already dead from loss of blood due to eight or more knife wounds,three of them serious.Some of these had been inflicted in the rear and some in front.
As his house had been thoroughly ransacked for valuables,and all bedding taken,it is not known whether the wounds were inflicted in bed or during a possible effort to escape. It seems likely that he got outside the house after the bandits left, and died of haemorrhage while attempting to get to the nearest habitation.
Mr.and Mrs.Moody also missionaries of the English Methodist Missionary Society,were warned that the bandits were imminent and they hid themselves in the loft of their house-along with their dog who fortunately remained quiet.Their house was ransacked,and much of value taken, but the marauders did not attempt to enter the loft—the ladder to which had been removed, and the entrance barricaded.
One band of the robbers entered one of the school dormitories where a number of boys and girls had taken refuge in the loft. As they refused to come down the robbers set fire to the building and shouted to the pupils that if they did not want to be burned to death,they must jump down. Some were badly burned before they jumped and eight are now in hospital with broken bones or serious burns. One of the burn cases has just died, but most of the others will recover.
The robbers were after bedding or valuables easy to carry.They carried only about 10 or 15 guns and at least while ransacking the Moody house used them freely likely to intimidate the villagers.None of Mr. Goldsworthy’s wounds were due to gunshot wounds.Stone Gateway is a small Miao village,and many of the inhabitants went into hiding. However the robbers do not seem to have molested other than the Mission premises.Perhaps they were alarmed at what they had already done and for that or some other reason were at their evil work but an hour or so.
Your correspondent had been about that portion of Kweichow for several weeks,but rather deeper into the Miao regions,and matters were quite peaceful,though the road from Chaotung to Stone Gateway especially since the departure of General An for the war areas has been infested with petty thieves.This is partly because the border areas between the provinces seems to invite depredations.There is a new and rather efficient official at Wai Ning, in which county this muder occurred, but the terrain is such that it is extremely difficult to police it—all mountainous region,and an area of over 26,000 square miles.Thus one of the fruits of war is banditry and murder far from the scene of actual fighting,for the regular soldiers have gone to the front long ago.
Mr. Goldsworthy was well and favourably known in this region having laboured with much success among Chinese.Miao,and Nosu.It does not seem at all likely that there was any grudge against the victim but the most savage of the bad seem to have gone to his house first.He was 41 years of age,and his wife and small daughter he has never seen were about to sail to China to join him.He is buried beside Mr.E.Pollard at Stone Gateway who was also a martyr some 22 years ago,but by the route of typhus fever.
Missionary Couple Blazing New Trail
Chungking,Apr.6.
Accompanied by his wife the Rev.R.G.Walker,of the China Inland Mission in Chungking set out early on an adventurous journey across Asia to England The entire trip is expected to occupy three months and the cost is said to compare favourably with the usual routes taken by people proceeding to Europe.
The couple will first journey up the Yangtze to Suifu and then start on the most hazardous part of their trip by heading westwards in the direction of Yunnanfu.To reach this provincial capital the missionary pair will have to pass through undeveloped country tenanted by native tribes owing little allegiance to the Chinese Government and infested by bandits—the same group which recently murdered the British missionary,the Rev.R.H.Goldsworthy near Chaotung which city the Walkers intend to visit.
