Thrilling Experiences—Part IIThe story of the revolution at Ninghsia Fu

By John S. Fiddler of the China Inland Mission. Printed at Sze Hing and Co. Chefoo. [Published c. 1912]

[We continue with the second and final part of CIM missionary John Fiddler’s stirring account of the 1911 Revolution in Ningxia.]

All we males ran out into the yard. Soon a sound was heard on the roof and then two men could be seen coming down into the yard over a pole. Our evangelist seeing this feared we were now doomed and made off into a side room to hide, leaving his sick wife and child with us to do the best they could. Our servant Li-hong also left us and sought a place to hide in. Even the fierce Tibetan dog who stood at the foot of the pole while they were coming down retreated to the top of the yard as he saw the armed men. I stood inside the door curtain and eyed them very suspiciously. When they landed safely they opened the door to let in six more.

This was enough to send us all crazy for we had but little strength left us now. Yet our eyes were turned towards God who had done so much for us during the month, and who had brought us safely through the fire and sword that had ended the days of thousands at Ningsiafu. We trusted He would still work on our behalf, and praise Him, He did. We only stood still and saw HIS salvation. Mr. Ch’ai was led to light a lantern, and when the six entered, he invited them all into his room to drink tea. In they went and said they wanted silver, not tea, so went through all his boxes taking what silver and valuables they could find. They went through the whole house turning everything upside down.

Last of all they came into our room.

I invited them to sit down. Each one was carrying a quick-firing rifle. But they said No, saying they wanted silver, not believing all our possessions had been stolen a month ago. I said to them: “Do you not know that we were robbed of all a month ago. We are worshippers of the True God and cannot lie, and if you want the few ounces of silver we have got I will give it to you, but do us no harm!” So I opened my small satchel and handed him a bag with about 50 taels in it saying this was all we had to live on and that we were very pitiable having lost all, and were guests in their country. This appealed to him for he handed me back the bag saying he did not want it. But another soldier grabbed it and walked off with the lot. I followed them and pleaded with them for a few taels of silver as I had nothing to live on. Sure enough they handed back the larger half of it, taking 20 taels and handing me about 30 taels.

Thus they came and went, being just one hour in the house. We shut the door and praised God that our lives were spared. Next morning a band of some twenty men came to the door. They wanted silver. Just then a fierce-looking soldier entered and said, “There are too many people in this yard, let’s kill a few!” He pulled a gun out of his belt while looking at me. It looked pretty dark for me, but just then he was attracted by some things in a room opposite where we stood. Just then the son of one of their leaders came in and seeing me gave me a Chinese bow. He said to the soldiers: “Do you recognize this man? Put your things down and clear out!” He told me to come to his inn where he would give me a flag to put on the house-top. “Then you will have no more trouble from the soldiers.”

Needless to say, we accepted his kind offer and went with him and got the flag which was set up daily on the housetop and taken back to his inn every night. For some 40 days we lived under the shelter of this flag and had no more trouble with soldiers.

But although we escaped their awful doings others had no means of prevention from their murder and plunder. They went from house to house killing whom they pleased, stealing what they wanted until very few in the city had much desire to live. What had they to live for? Their money gone. Their friends and relatives dead or dying. Others seriously wounded and in great pain without necessary aid. The dead lay in many homes and on every street, only to be eaten by dogs, fowls etc. But after four days order was partially restored and soldiers were not allowed to carry guns. This to us was like heaven — not to hear the sound of a gun.

The Mohammedan leader Mr. Ma sent over his card and requested we lend our house for some of his soldiers to live in. I went over myself, saw their great man, our house was inspected, declared very suitable and in a few minutes filled with soldiers. My heart was more at rest and I had several opportunities of preaching to them.

Our house became the center of all their activities after that, for in it they housed their grain for 3,500 men and for all their animals, hundreds of carts and no end of animals coming and going every day. Then came the time of knocking off heads for all those who had been guilty in any way of helping the rebels. They were seized and executed after trial by General Ma — from one to ten heads chopped off daily for forty days.

But the most outrageous act done by those Mohammedan Imperialists was at a place called Ling-chow 33 miles south of Ninghsia where several hundred soldiers were sent to fight the rebels. First, the rebels all quickly fled. Second, the troops on entry into the city slaughtered every male (except tiny children). Third, they raped the women and older girls, afterwards giving them away to other Mohammedans. Fourth, after gathering up all the valuables of the city, they took 50 camel loads of it back to Ninghsia, chiefly in copper and silver money.

Looting in the Ninghsia district went on for about a month. Now these Moslems had so much loot it was difficult to find room for it so they began selling it on the streets.

After a stay of 42 days in Ninghsia the 3,500 of them cleared out and all were very glad to see them go.

Immediately after they were gone we started cleaning up our house. On February 1st, after an absence of two and a half months which we had spent in the home of Mr. Chai, we returned to our own home now empty of all our earthly belongings, praising God that our lives were spared and having at least learned that “man needs but little here below.”

I made a makeshift stove which Mrs. Fiddler was able to do some cooking on. Having insufficient bedding we could not sleep the first few nights with the cold, but later were able to buy cheap blankets and managed to keep warm. After three busy weeks at home we received news from Lanchow that all foreigners were ordered to leave the province at once for the coast. Against all entreaties to stay we hired a cart and on February 22nd started off with an escort of eight horse soldiers, traveling south crossing the Yellow River forty miles from Ninghsia. After four days out we thought we should lose our second child with whooping cough. He had it three weeks before we left, but got so bad on the road that for days he could take no food and finally could not even keep down a mouthful of water. The poor little fellow was at times too weak to stand. After nine days we arrived at Ku-en spending two days there, then started again by mule-litter and pack-mule for Ts’inchow. This was a very cold part of our journey, all over mountains and had snow the whole way, sometimes a foot deep. Many times my mule gave me a somersault in it. Well, God was with us in the mountains and in the snow too, and brought us to Ts’inchow in six days, where we enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Harding and the ladies there for two weeks. Then we started again for Sianfu [Xi’an], the Misses Garlands traveling with us. The mission premises at Ch’ienyang and Feng-siang-fu were completely looted and destroyed.

We arrived at Sianfu after 15 days and stayed a week in that large city where three or four months before there had been so much bloodshed. The Manchurians killed practically all, and Mrs. Beckman, Mr. Vatne and six children of our mission were all most cruelly murdered. We rode outside the city and saw the remains which were nothing but bricks and mortar. We also saw the graves of our dear departed ones at the rear of the premises. We also met Mr. and Mrs. Shorrock, Dr. and Mrs. Young and Dr. Robertson of the English Baptist Mission who had all stayed at their posts through thick and thin and had really done a most noble work for the wounded and dying. They had 600 in their hospital then.

Sianfu was very unpeaceful during our stay, with talk of the soldiers rising. The head of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs dispatched eleven soldiers to watch the place we were staying. The last night we did not undress by request of the Christians. Thank God nothing harmed us during the night — we all had some sleep. “He giveth His beloved sleep.” We were joined by Mr. and Mrs. Martin Ekvall, Mr. and Mrs. Snyder and Miss Galbraith, also five children, all of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and Messrs. Bristow and McGillivray of the Pentecostal movement, increasing our number to nineteen in all.

Mrs. Ekvall had found the strain too much for her and so her reason had left her, yet we are glad to report she was much better on the road than at their [mission] station. We left Sianfu on April 15 with an escort of 22 soldiers, traveling by cart. We arrived at Honanfu in Honan province taking eleven days. Found this place also very unrestful all for fear of soldiers rising. We spent the night there and leaving the friends of the other missions, started next morning by rail for Hankow [Wuhan]. This was real rest and change for us, our first railroad ride in China. We could now forget our horses and mules, or mountains and rivers, the snow and cold, the sickness and the little suffering, and did rejoice in the Iron Horse! The children were just delighted!

We stayed three days in Hankow and then went down river to Shanghai where we stayed some two weeks at the headquarters of our China Inland Mission. Once more we started by steamer on the last section of our journey and reached Chefoo in three days, making in all three months to the day between Ninghsiafu and Chefoo. [Editor’s Note: As compared today to perhaps an hour by air or 36 hours by train!] We hope to be here till the end of August [1912] and if the Lord tarry may again return to our former sphere of work. Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. O give thanks to the Lord for He is good , for His mercy endureth forever.

Yours in the blessed hope,

John Fiddler

P.S. Much more might be written but let me only add that the man spoken of who wanted to kill us was himself killed on May 8th 1912. “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; Vengeance is mine; I will repay saith the Lord.”

NOTE: this rare pamphlet has been slightly abridged for reasons of space.

Copyright OMF International