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Tulsa, Okla.J. Russell Morse, missionary to China, Tibet, and Burma,,

has been released after having been a prisoner of the Communists for
more than fifteen months and is -aw-return1^ to the States.
t-

In a recent

telegram to his {Mother, Mrs. Ruth Morse, he indicated that he is "in fair
health". Following the announcement of his release, Laverne Morse wired,
Will go first to Los Angeles and then

"Hope to be in Seattle by July 3

to Tulsa".

Concerning Mr. MorseXJ^, Howard L. Phillips wrote from Hongkong, June 21, "This is a day of good tidings.
on June 4*

J Russell Morse left Kunming

He traveled by bus and train to Canton and then again by

We were surprised and delighted to hear his voice

train to Hongkong.

over the phone yesterday evening at 5:45.

We had just started dinner, but

we dropped everything to pick him up at a small hotel where he had regis tered and to take him to his wife and son, LaVerne.

"One can't imagine his surprise and amazement as well as his great rejoicing on finding his wife and son were here^ solitary con-

finment he had gaLfc heard the rumor that all of his, f^ily except Eugene and Helen had been arrested together with other missionaries^of thoig-i
work.MSC He had also heard that LaVerne had been executed near the end of
/

the fULM past year.

The whole world situation is news to him.

It was

a treat to be<, here and witness his joy.

Mr. and Mrs. Morse and LaVerne

will take the first available plane rocorvation after Mr. Morse gets his

passport papers.XiUaX Mr* Moroo is in fair health but needs a physica3^

checkup and perhaps an operation. His mind is quick and alert fthpough-

his fifteen months of internment and the strain of believing his family
was in danger and even some ifi836MKXIXg had been executed."

Mrs. Ruth Morse writes, "I thank and praise God for His watch care

over my son.

The American Consul said there was nothing we could do

but to trust God; and God helped him out of prison in time to meet Gertrude and LaVerne. I thank all friends for their prayers on his
behalf

A-

June 20, 1952

Ths first line I have received from my son, Jo Russell Morse in fifteen months was a telegram from Hon^ong, as follows8 Praise Godp I arrive in Hon^ong June 20 p in fair health. Met by Qertxnide and LaVerne. All Plying to Stfltefl by first available plme
Deepest Love J Russell

Then followed a letter from H. L Phillips

HongkongJune 21, 1952

Dear Mrs. Morse: This is a day of Good tidingsJ. Russell Morse left Kunming on June traveled by bus and train to Canton and then

again by train to Hon^ong.

to hear his voice over the phone yesterday evening at 5sif5

W was surely surprised and delighted

We had

Just started dinner, but of oousae dropped everything to go pick him

up from the small Hotel Mi^ere he had registered and take him to his wife and son LaVeme in the hotel, (Metropolitan Rest Home) \!i^ere wer formally operated the Mission home. You ccui imagine his surprise and amassement as well as his great rejoicing on finding his wife and son were here, the more so since in solitary confinc^Bnt he had gathered a rumor thatsll of his family but ISugene and Helen had also been arrested together with other Missionaries of theIr work and

he had heard that LaVerne had been executed near the end of tl^ last
year. The whole world situation is news to him. It was a treat to

be here and witness his Joy and the Joy of them all at reunion*
They will take the first available plane reservation after J. Russell gets l^s passport papers and set right by the American Consul here. Gertrude and LaVerne were to fly on Thursday but decided that it was too much rushj in the goodness cmd wisdom of God they postphoned leaving til this Sunday. J. Russell is in fair health but needs a physical check up and say reqi:dre an operation for bdmia-that can be done better at home than out here. His mind is quick and alert

though his fifteen months of intement and the strain of believing his family in danger and even some executed has of course been very
severe, but he is not at all like earlier rumors of i l l hecdth. Well

Thanks be to God Our Father.

Yours in His Fellowiship

Howard L. Phillips

I thank end Praise God for his ^tch care over my precious Son.
see the hand of God in all of i t . The Jtoerican Consul said there

was nothing we could do but trust God, then God helped RusseUL out of prison in time to meet Gertrude and LaVez*ne, then held them

21|. hours to meet Russell.

I thank all friends for tiieir prayers

r Lovingly & Ppayepfully
^'other Morse

on his behalf.

IMPRISONMENT AND RELEASE OP J# RUSSELL MORSE

By Gertrude Morse
August 1, 1952

were allowed to continue their work of preaching and teaching and about 235 new converts were baptized during 1950* Gradually, however^

about a year and three months#

government on December 9, 1949, to the Communists, Russell was able to carry on a charity medical work among the pooi* people of Kunming for
The Chinese pastors and assistants

Despite the sudden turn-over of the Yunnan Provincial Chinese

first, they did not seem to pay particular attention to the fevr remain ing missionaries, but by November of 1950, when the Chinese Communist Army ehtered the Korean War, their suspicion and hate of the Americans became much more pronounced* The Churches were ordered to sever all connections with the foreign missionaries who were Increasingly being
ostracized and restricted in their activities#

the new (communist) government tightened their hold on everything#

At

foreigners, moSit of the few remaining ones applied for a permit to leave the country# Some applications were granted but others, includ ing Russell's, were not# Instead, on March 22, 1951, in the early morning* Russell noticed quite a number of plain clothes men scatter

Because of this changed attitude of the government toward the

ed at a short distance around the mission oompound* Near 11 o'clock in the morning, while Russell was standing on the back porch, about 16 of these men converged on our place with drawn pistols, Thompson subikmachine guns, and bayonets# With their guns pointed at him, they marched him away# They did not let him enter the house to get any- .

prlsoni Russell whispered a prayer asking the Lord to help him to be

ml^t come#
faithful unto death, and to <?ndure as a Christian soldier whatever

things and he never saw it again# On the way to the largo provincial
The Lord gave him Phllipplans 4:4^ 6, & 7, to bo his

guide and stay: "Rejoice in thp lord Always) ^nd again I say, Rejoice# In nothing bo anzlousj but in everything by pi*ayor and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests bo made known unto God# Airatho peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus#" What precious reassurance this gave him in that hour of triall The Lord went with him and made him strong to endure all things for His sake, for ho must endure to the end#

Matt# 24)134

which were later boarded upi There was a small stool, and a cot which vfG^B afterwards taken away when he refused to confess the false accusatibns# That evening they sent a man to our house to set a '

in a coll about 10 by 14 fceti

Upon arrival at the prison, he v/as put into solitary confinement

It had a hard play floor and 3 windows

amount of bedding and a change of clothes# About 8 o'clock that night some armed guards came# After putting hand-cuffS on his hands, a sort of sack with eye holes over his head, they marched him away to the secret military tribunal consisting of 4 men# Upon arrival there, they r6jnoved the handcuffs and the hood# Then they tried for 6 hours to get him to confess that he was a spy for the American government,
that he had a radio transmitter with which to send our messages, etc#

Since these accusations were false, he refused to confess and tried to

explain*

Thereupon they brought in a rope and twisted his arms and

This was so painful that it made him break

tied them behind his back#

out with perspiration all over his body# Wheil ho still refused to confess, they beat him over the head so severely that his head was swollen for several weeks after* This torturing lasted for 4 hours or more and he got painfully thirsty from the much perspiring that ho could scarcely talk* Finally when they untied his arms, because of
the extreme shook from the torture his body shopk uncontrollably with
nervous chills for about half an hour*
cell*

Later he was led back to his

The next night Russoll was led away to the tribunal again, and again they tried to make him confess to the false accusations by 6
hours of torture which was e^on more severe than that of the lst - ^ V.

night#

cracker*"

This time they also threatened to press his head in a "nut

This would have boon fatal.

Ho secretfly cried to the Lord

One member of the tribunal

for help and GDd changed their purposes*

motioned to the others and they went out into an adjoining room for a little conference* When they returned, they told him to write a

history giving account of the activities of tho mission and its members, expecting to get a confession of his being a spy* He wrote nearly 500 pages of mission history and explanations* He worked on this for about 8 months* During this period he was sometimes taken
out and questioned and sometimes tortured in various ways with hand cuffs and heavy chains on his feet* He never knew what hour would be

his last, but the Lord stood by him and comforted him*
23j4

walk through the valley of tho shadow of death, I will fear no ovill for thou art with met thy rod and thy staff they comfort mo"Psa*

"Yek, though I

He took communion every day, using water and the steamed broad

which he saved from his mealsi and the Lord taught him much about "the fellowship of his sufferings*" Many precious promises wore brought to
his remeiiibrance from time to time but Phllippians 4t4, 6, & 7, were

givoij to him over and over again*

How very important it is that all

Christians memorize lots of Bible verses that the Holy Spirit may ': v bring to bur remembrance as we need them* His food was not a problem for they gave him r^be and soup with a bit of Chinese spinach in it twice a day* Once in a while there were bits of meat in the soup, and about once a week^ they gave him a bit
of steamed bread which he saved for his communion serviced He was

able to get hot water to drink from some of the guards who were more
considei?ate* He cut his own hair with one-sixth of a safety razor blade which he found* He pulled out his beard with the help of a

small pioce of iron which ho got off of a drum lid outside his cell window# He could not have his Bible or anything to road, except

toward tho last they gave him some 6 months old Communist papers in English from which he found out bits of news*
Under the present Communist legal system in China, there is no

Bill of Rights as we know it* Russell was never allowed any legal help, nor any witnesses to disprove the false charges against him nor to prove the truth of the statements which he made, but the Lord was

his only legal Counsellor and Comforter*

The verse, "Trust In the

Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thy own understanding," was

brought to his remembrance over and over again. On June 2nd, two guards oame to his room and took him over to the military tribunal where a paper was read to him saying that going to deport him by way of Canton, Hong Kong, because he was a dangerous character to have in their country. On June 4th, they came to his cell, told him to get his things together and come with them.

They took him to the tribunal and gave him the rest of his money and several pieces of his clothing which they had gotten from our houRe. Then the 2 armed guards took him to the railway station where they bought tickets, using Russell's money. They went about a hundred miles by train. Russell was so thrilled to see the gjeen grass and

trees and israia-ride other things which he ahad for about months. Aftei-the they took busnot to seen Chungking, and 15 after^a few days, a river boat to Hankow. He could ask the guards to little necessities, but was scalded if he bought any food, for they were secretly intending to possess the remainder

Russell saw an American, the only one he had seen on the whole 16-day trip. The man, who was a missionary, whispered to Russell as ho pass ed him. "Are you an American?" The guards saw him whisper and scold head, keep your mouth shut."
ed him and then turned to Russell and said, "If you want to keep your

the end of the trip. On the boat, some of the Chinese started to talk to him. but the guards scolded them sharply. So after tlmt no one dared to speak to him. After the boat trip, they took the train for the last lap of the journey in Communist country. On this train

remaining money - about 100 U. S# - and gave him about

Chinese customs officors examined Russell's things and took his

At last on Juno 20th, the border ("Bamboo Curton") was reached. It is a little over an hour's journey from Hong Kong. The guards and

which to get to Hong Kong. Then.:ha.-6rosaod "no man's land" which is

received him very kindly. He told him that he didn t afraid any more because he was among friends and gave him a cold drink of Hong Kong "pop." A French Catholic priest gave him fow egg

^ J .

about 150 yards wide, and mot the British immigration officer who

sandwiches and another bottle of pop. It seemed so very to^im to be treated with kindness instead of cruelty and sarcasm. Russell asked the immigration officer if he knew Howard Phillips wore in Hong

Kone. Howard Phillips is a missionary friend of ours who very kindly helped to forward money to Russell during the year before he was arrasted. The 1st. officer said that he had gone homo to toerica, but then a 2nd. officer came along and said that Howard had returned and ho told where ho waa living. How surprising it was for thorn to know him when Hong,Kong has a population of about three million people! Upon Russell's arrival In Hong Kong, he went to a reasonable Chinese hotel which the Travel Agency at tho border had reoomended to hta.
There he found Howard's telephone number and called hta l^n ho

that it waa Russell. Russell aaked him if he know whether hla were alive or not. While In prison he had overheard the namea of the famllT called, so that ho had thought all, except Eugene and Helen, were In prison. Howard told Russell tliat not only wore all of Ws family alive, but his wife and lAVerno wore then In Hong KongiJJ

phoned and told who he was, they just gasped and could hardly l^elleve

4-

Howard said he would bo right over, tout he lived across the bay about an hour's journey away. Russoll immediately rushed to a nearby barbershop for a haircut and a shave Then, when Howard arrived he brought him and his bit of baggage over to the place where LaVerne and I wero staying. We had only been in Hong Kong 6 days and wore trying to trace down every source of possible information about Hussell, but wo
had found none. There seemed to be nothing we could do to help him

except to continue to pray.

we had found out no news#

theso expeditions that very day.

LaVorno and I had just finished one of

We were feeling plenty blue, because

Then I had returned to our hotel while

LaVerne had gone to chock up on our reservations for the trip home.
About an hour after I returned to my room in the hotel, I hoard a

~was~n^ "a splril^it)ht^ow happy we-were, -and how wo did: ^hankour^

knock at my dodrl Upon opening it, there stood Russoll and HowardllU I could hardly believe my eyesjj Ho looked so natural and reall Ho
heavenly Father for taking care of him. Soon LaVerne Just think,

precious

arrived and there was moro rejoicingiII

Surely the Lord's ways are past finding out.

from him.

Russoll had not heard from us for 15 months and neither had wo heard

different countriesM

yet, there we were actually mooting in Hong Kong having come from two
Our meeting and plans were timed so perfectly,
that I often wonder what kind of a spy system the Communists would

Furthermore, we did not even know if he were alive or not,

think we have. Our meeting could not have been done so perfectly by a man-made power. Only our powerful, loving, heavenly Father could have made our plans for usi LaVerne and I were scheduled to leave on
because we htd not finished our business in Hong Kong we postponed

June 19, a day before Russell arrived (unknown to us, of course) but
our departure 2 days. In the meantime, he arrived.

Praise the Lordj

He ordered our going' and our delays.

prayer of many, many friends in Burma, Japan, the Philippines, and the
United States.

Besides opening the lion's mouth to release Russell, the Lord did it at just the proper time for him to meet usthat had been the

Inglowood, where Ted Hurlburt is minister had had a week's (24 hours a day) prayer meeting which ended the same day that Russell was noti
and prayed for his release about that time. Surely the Lord answers the prayers of His people today the same as in Daniel's and Peter's day. Let us all remember to pray earnestly and faithfully each day
for Roland Sjodin who is yet in prison in China.

Russell's living link church, the Christian Church of

fied that ho was to bo released, and I know of others who had fasted