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Show TRUTH ABOUT THE BOXERS. A Catholic missionary, in a letter from Pekin, gives the following account ac-count of the Boxers: The Boxers are a truly diabolical I sect: invocations, incantations, obsession obses-sion and even possession are common among them. The learned may attribute attri-bute their extraordinary doings to magnetism or hypnotism, or may look upon them as victims of hysteria and fanaticism: but we see in them the power of the devil. The hatred of the name Christian drives them to the greatest excesses. Established, as they are, in every village, vil-lage, they unite on a day specified to attack any . one Christian settlement. On Saturday, May 12, they burned the village of Kao-lo and massacred more than seventy persons; several other villages were burned immediately afterward. af-terward. The Christians took flight, leaving all their wordly possessions behind be-hind them. The city of Pekin itself is not safe; Boxers are there in great numbers, and everywhere placards are posted announcing the burning of churches and the destruction of Europeans. Eu-ropeans. The movement, seems to be approved by those high in authority, and converges from all quarters toward Pekin. The standards of the rebels bear such inscriptions as: "Protect the Dynasty Europeans"; "By Order of the Emperor, Let us Destroy Europeans, Danger, Therefore, Is Imminent." . We have taken all the precautions dictated by prudence. I have written letters to- all the upper mandarins. At my request, troops have been sent to a number of Christian settlements; but they are nearly all inadequate and some are ill-disposed. Nevertheless, I believe there would be greater evil done without them. In our pressing necessity, I have ordered or-dered public prayers for peace, which God alone can grant. Besides, I have written an official letter to the foreign minister, who has convoked the diplomatic diplo-matic corps. It has been unanimously unanimous-ly decided to force the Chinese government govern-ment to prompt action under the penalty penal-ty of calling in foreign troops. Despite the danger, all are ready at their posts. The conduct of the Christians is admirable; admi-rable; apostacy is proposed to them, but they prefer flight, ruin, even death. Several catechumens have received re-ceived the baptism of blood. From the September number of the "Annals of the Propagation of the Faith." |