The archives regarding the André Alphonse Vignal cases are found in several places. First, the Qing government kept records of this case in Chinese. These Chinese materials are now housed in Taiwan in the 近代史语所 in a one-volume file. All of these are now digitized for free access. Additionally, archives on this case are also kept in the First Historical Archive in Beijing. Some of these materials are published in Qingmo jiao’an 清末教案.
Second, the Paris Foreign Mission Society (Missions Étrangères de Paris) kept archival records of this case. We can find a record of Vignal on the website of the France-Asia Research Institute (IRFA), “a site preserving a heritage passed on by missionaries since the seventeenth century.” Here, the website listed Andre Vignal’s basic information and the Tibetan mission that he was assigned to. It also included a biography of him, and most importantly, references used in writing the biography. See https://irfa.paris/en/missionnaire/2433-vignal-andre/. Most of the primary sources for this biography are kept in three publications:
- Annales des Missions Étrangères de Paris (1898-1940), also known as AME
- CR: Compte-rendu des travaux (1871-1941, 1945-1970, 1974-….)
- BME: Bulletin des Missions Étrangères (1° série : 1922-1941 ; 2° série : 1948-1962) : bi-monthly publication of a newsletter printed in Hong Kong (Imprimerie Nazareth).
A report on the Vignal case is also found on the website for Mission Thibet. In this report, the author argued that a military officer who was escorting Vignal from Sichuan to Yunnan seized and beheaded someone who was trying to ambush Vignal, but later accused Vignal for the death of the man. The report says that Vignal was summoned to appear before the mixed court of Mongtse (蒙自法国领事法庭), but he was unanimously acquitted by the judges and he then retired to Hong Kong. This report was sent back to France (who? MEP?) because the author feared that the news of the case would soon reach France. The report can be accessed here: https://mission-thibet.org/affaire-vignal-1905-1906/.
1899.07.26
MEP missionaries sent on July 26, 1899. Alphonse-Andre Vignal was one of them.
This letter is published in AME, a journal of the Paris Foreign Mission Society (MEP), 1899, No. 11, p. 231.
1905.08.17
Two letters from Vignal wrote in Dali 大理, reporting on activities in Yerkalo. One is dated on Agust 17, 1905, the other was only dated in August 1905.
This letter is published in AME, a journal of the Paris Foreign Mission Society (MEP), 1906, No. 49, pp. 7-8?
1905.08.29
A letter from another Father Monbeig, written on August 29, 1905, in Dali 大理, reporting that he had met Vignal there.
This letter is published in AME, a journal of the Paris Forign Mission Society (MEP), 1906, No. 49, p. 9?
1906
Cover of the Vignal case files in Chinese, now the originals are stored in Taiwan at the 近代歷史語言研究所. All are digitized for free access.
1906.01.9
Guangxu 31, 15th day of the twelfth month
清末教案, vol. 3, pp. 800-801
Original kept at the First Historical Archive in Beijing, China.
1906.01.28
Guangxu 32, 4th day of the first month
法公使呂班給外務部關於魏雅豐的電文。
1906.02.16
Guangxu 32, 23rd day of the first month
云贵总督丁振铎为法国教士妄杀无辜事致外务部电
清末教案, vol. 3, pp. 806-807.
Original from the First Historical Archive in Beijing, China
1906.02.16
Guangxu 32, 23rd day of the first month
雲貴總督丁振鐸給外務部關於魏雅豐的電文。
1906.02.17
Guangxu 32, 24rd day of the first month
外務部給法國公使呂班的照會抄文。
1906.02.18
Guangxu 32, 25rd day of the first month
丁振鐸給外務部關於魏雅豐是否為洋人的電文。
1906.02.20
Guangxu 32, 27rd day of the first month
丁振鐸給外務部關於魏雅豐確認為洋人的電文。
1906.03.04
Guangxu 32, 10th day of the second month
法國公使呂班給外務部照會的抄件。
1906.03.05
Guangxu 32, 11th day of the second month
丁振鐸給滇督的電文。
1906.04.25
Guangxu 32, 2nd day of the fourth month
四川总督锡良为巴塘藏民反教及派兵弹压事致外务部电
清末教案, vol. 3, p. 857
1906.07.23
Émile MONBEIG(1876 – 1942) report on travel in Tibet, mentioning Vignal multiple times. For info on this missionary, see https://irfa.paris/en/missionnaire/2587-monbeig-emile/.
1946
The South China Morning Post reported that Father A. Vignal has arrived in Hong Kong from Shanghai.
1949
The South China Morning Post reported on Father A. Vignal’s Celebration of a Golden Jubilee as Priest in Hong Kong. This report also outlines his career path as a priest after he was acquitted of the 1906 charges without mentioning those charges at all.
2016
Mission Thibet published a writing on the Vingal event. Who wrote this? It was listed as writeen by dmc. The letter indicates it was written by a missionary, likely an official for the French missionaries in Tibet, in 1905, to report on the Vignal case to MEP, before news of the Vignal case reaches France.
Who is the dmc?
Foreign Mission Society’s Biography of Vignal
IRFA has a biography of Vignal in French. See https://irfa.paris/en/missionnaire/2433-vignal-andre/. This report refuted on the charges against Vignal in 1906. This website of Vignal also listed the MEP archives with references to Vignal:
References
Pour en savoir plus sur ces périodiques.
[2433] VIGNAL André (1874-1958)
Références bio-bibliographiques
AME 1899 p. 231. 1906 p. 10, 148, 150
CR 1899 p. 294. 1901 p. l04. 1902 p. l19. 1904 p. l16. 1906 p. 3OO. 1907 p. 403194; 1918 p. 187. 1919 p. 138. 1940 p. 113. 1948 p. 242. 1950 p. 132. 1951 p. 122. 1958 p.+ 94.
BME 1922 p. 19. 1924 p. 468. 1925 p. 761. 193O p. 329, 334, 391, 392, 398. 1939 p. 282, 361, 471. 1948 p. 382193. 1953 p.721, 911; 1959 p. + 59.(photos:1935 p.1. 1938 p.282)
Articles:
AME 1906 p.7,8 : deux articles sur le massacre de 3 missionnaires
Cuilan Liu 