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Show Monday and Tuesday were spent at the Consulate, to be on hand for such informal questionings as the attorney presented from time to time, while he went over in minute detail all the findings which the Consul had made to date. Mrs. Tucker arrived from Peitaiho on the Monday morning train. She reported much agitation among the American Board missionaries there, and that a series of meetings had been held by some twenty seven of such, for three and one half days, to the first of which, only, was she invited. The outcome of those sessions was the arrival at Tsinan on Tuesday morning of Messrs. Chandler and Gait, as delegates from this informal body, "to bring cnmfort to the Tuckers, and deliver a commission entrusted to them." A proposition to secure contributions from said missionaries at P. T. H. to refund monies advanced by the Tuckers and the writer to temporarily relieve the financial embarassment of the hospitals on payday, might be construed as a gesture of comfort, except for the accompanying commission which proved to be a rather bald condemnation of his act, and the balder intimation that his resignation would be acceptable, and that the delegation were instructed to remain until they got answer to this letter. I may interpolate that the two messengers were seen by the Consul and the District Attorney before they interviewed the Tuckers and the writer, and were advised, not to say exhorted, in unmistakable language, that their coming was at an ill-advised time, their action premature, without knowledge of facts to date, as they had made no visit to Tehchow, nor were they in possession of many facts then in the hands of the Consul and Attorney, and that they would far better not present the message they carried. It was pointed out to them that if not held against them as contempt of court, since the case was still sub judice, (this point being held in abeyance because they were missionaries and to have taken such action would only add pain to the Tuckers, and not because the Consul and the Attorney did not so regard their action), they might from the standpoint of Christian brotheriiness refrain from adding to the mental suffering of those under trial. But to all this they turned a deaf ear. The Tuckers were instructed by the attorney to refrain from making any definite reply at this time. One is impelled to wonder if there were no parents in that group who recalled that the Tuckers' eldest son is at writing a helpless patient in a Ch/cago hospital, undergoing an operation on his crippled foot, and the parents yet have no word as to the outcome. His mental distress over his father's imprisonment will be enough, without hearing of the second judgment. It is probable that at the close of this letter I shall give at least extracts from the editorials of the leading Tientsin and Peking papers during these days, so I will refrain from repetition of such. I do wish at this point, however, to witness to the wonderful and understanding fellowship that is being accorded us by the missionaries who are now in i sinanfu, as well as the flood of letters from all parts of China tendering sympathy, and almost without exception saying, "'Under similar circumstances I should have done the same." At this point I wish to quote from a letter we prepared to send to the press, but which the attorney did not permit, while the official inquiry was going on. "Regarding the recent regrettable Tehchow shooting incident, in view of some statements that have appeared in the Chinese press, it should be emphasized that there was not the remotest intention of injuring the man. The shots were fired wild, as much to call for help, accomplices being feared, as to intimidate the thief into surrender. There is ample evidence of this in that he could have most easily been thus disabled when starting to open the safe. At the first shot, bedridden patients in the men's ward on the second floor, sat up, and from the windows which command a view of the compound, saw a man skulking in the thick hedge close to the hospital, disappearing before the robber and the Dr. tore out of the building. From this we know that had the Dr., a man over sixty, been unarmed, this second man wonld certainly have lent a hand. Under such odds, with no help near, he would surely have been overpowered, the thieves would have made their escape, and the work and workers still be under the menace of these last eight months of continued robberies. The third and last shot was fired just at the instant the thief made a sudden change in the direction of his running, and this move resulted in the sad end-reaction. It was the opinion of the competent Chinese surgeon who was on the spot, that had the thief stopped at once, when hit, there wonld have been strong hope that surgical aid might save his life. The running of a half mile, going over a high wall, and across a deep ditch, so aggravated the interna! hemorrhage, as to cost his life. His father's conelusion, both at the time, and before the court in Tehchow, in view of the evidence in hand,-(three master keys, an inner safe key, and identified money irom the safe, all found to have been in his possession), was, "It is beter so." Nevertheless, we are more deeply grieved than can be expressed, for the loss of this life. We are as much opposed to the use of firearms and force as the rest of our Mission, except under such extraordinary circumstances as this case involved." Myra L. Sawyer R. N. F. F. Tucker M. D. On Friday, the 31st of July, the U.S.A. District Attorney for China, Dr. George Sellett, of Shanghai, placed Dr. Tucker and myself under oath, and held an official inquiry, for record. Dr. Tucker's session lasted from ten in the morning till eight in the evening, with brief times out for meals. The writer followed, until after midnight. Spent and weary, we were, after the ceaseless, keen, grilling, but ever-kindly question fire. I can never thank God enough that we were placed in the hands of two such able, and truly Christian men, as this attorney, and Consul Meinhardt. Other official business required Dr. Sellett's return to Shanghai the following morning, but he holds himself in readiness to return if further developments should make it needful. In the meanwhile we remain in Tsinan, in case official papers come from him which require signature on oath, before the consul. Saturday noon, the consul sent a telegram to the American Legation at Peiping to the effect that the official investigations of the case by the U-S.A. attorney had confirmed his, the consul's previous opinion, that in the light of unmistakable evidence shown, there was no occasion for any judicial action or criticism. Hence, Dr. Tucker was released from the consulate, and is at writing on the University campus with friends, pending further developments. |