TROUBLE IN CHINA

Hokitika Guardian, 28 September 1926, Page 3

TROUBLE IN CHINA

[Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.! VERY SERIOUS POSITION. PEKING, Sept. 27. Seventy-live foreign refugees successfully reached Hankow from Chungking, upper Yangtse, after a perilous voyage; soldiery firirig from the river banks. There has been a complete evacuation of the town by all foreigners owing to the threats to kill. An account of the AVanhsien affair, which the Chinese describe as a massacre by the Imperialists states not a single Britsh house is intact. All wore looted and wantonly damaged. The militia is mainly responsible for the placards posted in Chungking offering a reward of one hundred dollars for the head of every foreigner and forty dollars for every servant in foreign employ. Anxiety is felt concerning the safety of foreigners residing in all parts of the interior of Specimen Province on account of anti-foreign ism. The fast falling river will soon prevent all hut the smallest craft negotiating up the river. The refugees tell a terrible story of escaping from the frenzied mob, filled with blood-lust. CHINESE NEWS. (Received this clay at 12.25 p.m.) PEKIN, September 27. The arrival of the bodies of Commander Parley and two seamen, the victims of the Wanshien incident, at Hankow, proves the commandered steamers Wnnshien and Wnnhuig were released lis promised by Yangshieri -A I camvhile the second naval expedition is remaining at Icliang, pending further developments. Other vessels and the British flag were 'temporally eoinmamJcred by the Reds for the purpose of crossing the Yangtse. It is feared this is likely to become a habit resulting in further trouble. General Wupeifu continues to retreat and is now regarded as a negligible quantity. The anti-lied campaign is almost solely in the hands of Suclmanfang. Wuchang which as btien besieged for 27 days, holds out but resistance is dwindling, on account of AVupeifu, who retreated, being unable to relieve the town There arc 22 foreigners who are unable to escape and have not been communicated with for four days. The promise, of the opposing armies to rejonsc fifty or sixty thousand women and children was withheld at the last moment, due to the defending general sheltering behind their presence, ns if tho Beds return their heavy shelling of the city will slaughter non-com-batants. Meanwhile civilians are dying on all sides from starvation, as the soldiers are commandeering the food.