The Catholic church in Wubaisi of Qizhou, Hubei Province, was set on fire by nearby bandits on the morning of the third day of July in the sixteenth year of Guangxu. Everything in the church had already been looted. Father Gao Weidong, a foreign priest, and Father Gao Zuolin, a Chinese priest, quickly fled to Guangji and later ran to Hankou to hide. In Tongzhou, over eighty church member households were burned and looted. It wasn't until mid-August that an observer was finally dispatched to accompany Father Gao back to Qizhou to address the situation. The lost belongings of the church members have all been compensated for. As for how to punish those bandits and the church's compensation, it will be written in the following clauses.
The Catholic church of Hu Shibai in Huangmei County was burned by bandits at nine o'clock on the evening of the tenth day of July. The news spread all at once, and upon hearing it, the bandits went to rob the homes of twenty church members that same evening. The next day, outside the county town of Konglong, several households of church members had their houses burned and looted. It wasn't until the twelfth of September that Father Shen was sent to Huangmei County to handle the case with County Magistrate Zhang. A total of more than twenty troublemaking bandits were captured, and the county paid over three thousand strings of money in compensation, excluding the church's compensation.
The Catholic church of Tian Qing'Er in Guangji County was set on fire by a group of troublemakers led by Zhang Lanting on the night of the eleventh of July. Over twenty houses of church members were also destroyed. Later, the local official County Magistrate Huang handled the matter with Father Gao, ordering each bandit to compensate one hundred and twenty strings of money per household, with the compensation for the church not included.
Fortunately, the churches in Qizhou, Huangmei, and Guangji were all spared, and no one was injured. The Bishop of Hubei has already sent Hu Siduo to rebuild these three churches. The church members whose houses were destroyed will receive funds to repair their homes themselves. Here are the specific terms:
Firstly, regarding the affected Christian families in Qizhou, Guangji County, and Huangmei County, the local officials have already assessed the damage to their homes and property losses one by one, and have provided compensation accordingly. Additionally, the deputy magistrate investigating this matter and the county officials have also donated funds for disaster relief, striving to ensure that everyone receives compensation.
The primary instigator of the unrest in Qizhou, Wang Xianlong, has now been sentenced to three years in prison. The key fugitives, Mei Liming, Chen Jinmen, Sun Danfu, and Ming Huoyuan, have had an announcement issued by the acting inspector supervising the Jianghan Pass, along with the deputy magistrate: they are required to surrender to the local authorities within 30 days. If they are found to be guilty upon questioning by the local officials, they will be sentenced to three years in prison and released after a period of observation; if they surrender after 30 days, regardless of their status as main instigators, they will face a heavier sentence of four years in prison; if they are caught by the authorities after the deadline, the penalty will be escalated to life imprisonment. Mei Liming and the other three have already had their properties confiscated and houses sealed. As for Mei Kaisheng, Sun Kunshan, and Sun Xingwen, these three criminals will also be pursued and punished harshly. Please carry out these directives from the supervisory department. Those who participated in the unrest to a lesser degree and have already been apprehended, but are not the main instigators, will be punished according to the severity of their involvement and then released.
The primary instigator of the unrest in Guangji County, Guo Songting, has now been captured and will face severe punishment, with a decision made to sentence him to six years in prison. Another suspect, Cai Honghuai, has also been apprehended and will be sentenced to three years in prison. The other participants in the unrest, Tian Xinyou, Ke Yuji, Zhang Ersheng, Zhou Sanyi, and Zhou Baimao, have all received harsh penalties. The main fugitive, Zhang Lanting, has a bounty for his capture, and it is imperative that he be brought to justice. Please carry out these directives from the supervisory department.
Chen Chang'en, the ringleader of the unrest in Huangmei County, has been arrested, harshly punished, and sentenced to six years in prison. Hu Xianlin and Wang Hong'en, main culprits, have been sentenced to three years. Mei Dianxiang, Liu Zuying, Cheng Sanlian, Xu Huazi, Lu Shuping, Wang Maoyuan, Yu Xigou, Huang Chunrong, Xu Jinfang, Hu Benjin, Mei Lichuan, Wang Zhuoshan, Zhang Liansheng, Hu Benzhi, Hu Benyuan, Xing Changjiang, Tong Chunbiao, Feng Fazhi, Wang Longlao, Li Bingxun, (one name unclear), a total of twenty-one people, all involved in the unrest, have been severely punished. Wu Sheng, known as Hu Bingkun, who remains at large, has been stripped of his position, and Hu Jinxi, Deng Jinxi, and Hu Zhong'er will all be strictly apprehended and brought to justice. This matter has been reported to the supervisory department, awaiting their instructions for implementation.
Part Two:
The Catholic Church of Five Hundred Temples in Qizhou will be compensated with five thousand five hundred taels of silver; the Tianqing Second Church in Guangji County will be compensated with one thousand five hundred taels; and the Catholic Church in Huangmei County will be compensated with one thousand two hundred taels. The local gentry and officials in Qizhou, Guangji, and Huangmei must jointly write a guarantee letter for filing and archiving. It must be clearly stated that foreigners coming to the mainland to preach is stipulated in the treaty and decreed by the emperor to vigorously protect the safety and property of priests, churches, and believers, without discrimination against them. They should never cause trouble again and must sign peace agreements with the priests to prevent conflicts forever.
Part Three:
When the priests return to Qizhou, they must be escorted, and the officials and gentry of Qizhou and the five townships must be notified to treat them well. The gentry who were implicated in this matter must also comply willingly and eliminate any grudges forever.
Part Four:
These regulations are all aimed at allowing the believers to live peacefully. If there are still lawbreakers who repeat the same offenses, local officials will be tasked with investigating and punishing them severely.
