{"id":861,"date":"1869-04-18T12:53:00","date_gmt":"1869-04-18T19:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peipioneercemetery.com\/dev2\/1869-the-mandarin-s-secret\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T13:32:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T20:32:00","slug":"1869-the-mandarin-s-secret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peipioneercemetery.com\/staging\/1869-the-mandarin-s-secret\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mandarin&#8217;s Secret (1869)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The following is story that was published in the FAMILY HERALD of Montreal, Quebec, and which has since ceased publication.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story has its beginning in China.&nbsp; Three men from St. Margaret&#8217;s, P.E.I., who were part of a crew on a merchant ship were in court.&nbsp; The surname of one of the men was <span data-scayt_word=\"MACPHEE\" data-scaytid=\"1\">MACPHEE<\/span>.&nbsp; The surname of the other two men was MACDONALD.&nbsp; They had went ashore the previous night, got drunk, got in trouble.&nbsp; Arrested by Chinese police, placed in jail.&nbsp; The penalties in China were very severe, one, two or three fingers cut off depending on the <span data-scayt_word=\"offence\" data-scaytid=\"2\">offence<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As they were waiting to be called before the Judge, called a MANDARIN in China.&nbsp; One of the three P.E.I. men spoke to the other two in Gaelic.&nbsp; &#8220;LETS MAKE A BREAK&#8221;.&nbsp; To their surprise the MANDARIN answered them in GAELIC.&nbsp; &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t try that&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Mandarin called a recess to the court, he took the three men into his office .&nbsp; He told them that his name was <span data-scayt_word=\"MACPHEE\" data-scaytid=\"3\">MACPHEE<\/span> and that he was from St. Margaret&#8217;s, P.E.I.&nbsp;&nbsp; He then told them the story of his life.&nbsp; He had been shipwrecked on the coast of China.&nbsp; Somehow he had reached shore more <span data-scayt_word=\"deaad\" data-scaytid=\"5\">deaad<\/span> than alive.&nbsp; He was found by a man, a Mandarin, who was out for a walk.&nbsp; This Mandarin had no sons, he did have daughters.&nbsp; He considered this to be an answer to his prayers to God for a son.&nbsp; The Mandarin took him to his home and nursed him back to life.&nbsp; He married the Mandarins daughter.&nbsp; When the Mandarin passed away, he inherited the position of Mandarin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had no memory of his previous life after the shipwreck ordeal.&nbsp; When the P.E.I. man spoke in GAELIC, it brought back his memory.&nbsp; They told him that his parents had passed away several years ago.&nbsp; That his parents had placed a monument in his memory in the St. Margaret&#8217;s cemetery.&nbsp; He told them to leave the monument as it was, that he would not be returning to P.E.I., that he had a wife and children.&nbsp; China was his home and life now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Monument:&nbsp; MACPHEE, LOST AT SEA, 1869<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following is story that was published in the FAMILY HERALD of Montreal, Quebec, and which has since ceased publication. 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