419

APPENDIX  D

Clan  fights  between  Catholic  and  Protestant  converts  are
common  in  Chekiang,  not  uncommon  in  Kwangtung,  and  not
unknown  in  other  provinces.  One  such  fight  broke  out  in
November  1906  at  Raimen,  in  Chekiang,  regarding  which
an  unbiassed  Chinese  informed  me  that  the  people  of  Raimen
are  notorious  for  piracy  and  turbulence,  tha  generally  in  these
disputes  both  Protestants  and  Catholics  are  equally  to  blame,
and  that  on  this  occasion  the  Catholics  were  the  aggressors.
The  two  partisan  versions  of  the  occurrence  are  given  below.
THE  PROTESTANT  VERSION
Rescue  of  Protestants
Tai-chow  Fu,  Cheh,  November  13,  1906.
For  the  past  few  days  we  have  been  living  in  great  suspense.
The  little  Protestant  community  at  Raimen,  surrounded  by
hundreds  of  Roman  Catholic  robbers  who  were  under  the
command  of  the  native  priest  Nyun,  was  in  imminent  danger
of  being  massacred.  The  foreign  priests  resident  at  Raimen
seemed  to  be  in  entire  sympathy  with  the  native  priest,  and
tfie  Mandarins  felt  themselves  unable  to  protect  the  Protestants.
At  the  beginning  of  the  attack  on  Friday  the  Protestant  preacher
applied  to  the  Military  Mandarin  for  an  escort  to  take  the  Protestants ­
  to  Tai-chow  Fu,  but  the  Chen-tai  replied  that  it  was
not  necessary  for  them  to  go,  as  he  was  quite  able  to  protect
them  there.  The  request  was  then  made  for  a  few  soldiers
to  come  inside  the  Protestant  compound,  but  this  also  was
refused.
Soon  the  town  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  Roman  Catholic
army,  variously  estimated  at  800  to  2,000  strong,  and  the  Mandarins ­
  became  powerless  to  deal  with  them.  1  he  long-ling
was  unhorsed,  made  a  prisoner,  and  kept  in  the  Roman  Catholic
compound.  Another  military  officer  was  beaten  by  one  of  the
priests,  and  the  Major  General  had  to  go  in  person  to  obtain
their  liberation.  He  did  this  by  promising  to  behead  one  of
the  military  officers  who  had  been  active  against  the  robbers,