CHINESE TROUBLE

Hokitika Guardian, 12 May 1928, Page 3

CHINESE TROUBLE

EYE-WITNESS'S’ STORY.

Australian Press Assn.—-United Service

SHANGHAI, May 11. A foreign eve-witness’s story of Tisinanfu shows that the Shantung commander, Chang Chung Cliang, evacuated the town on the night of May Ist., the northern troops behaving in an orderly manner, and there being no looting or disturbances. They were able to evacuate all their stores and munitions, and to save an armoured car bringing nip the rear. This car was captured on the banks of the Yellow River, however, and its Russian crew was led through the streets of Tsinanfu tied together with a stout cord passed through their noses ljy the Southerners during their entry of the city on May 2nd. Relieving that General Chiang Kni Slick’s assurance that ho would he able to maintain order, the small Japanese force removed their barricades of sandbags providing a convenient passage through the commercial area for the Southern troops, and also tending to relieve the tension, which was considerable. On May 3rd. shooting commenced. It was allegedly duo to the refusal of the Japanese shops to accept depreciated hank notes tendered by Southern sol-

diers in payment for purchases. Sol-

dier.s armed with Mills homhs and other hand grenades immediately commenced looting. Thereupon the Japanese troops intervened. There were only live hundred Japanese soldiers in Tsinailfu at this time, facing Southern forces variously estimated at from twenty to twenty-five thousand, which force was insufficient to afford protection to Japanese nationals in outlying districts, who were seized l>y Chinese,

and were murdered, with torture which in one case involved tearing out of a victim’s eyes and replacing them with stones. Japanese women were stripped, paraded through the streets nude, ravished and then killed. The only foreign property looted was a Gor-

man owned hotel. The subsequent rushing up of reinforcements enabled the Japanese to dictate the withdrawal of the Cliine.se from the commercial area, of Tsinanfu. A refusal fully to comply with this requirement led to the subsequent li’ghting cabled. The. informant reports that the lion-foreign Japancso apparently were not molested.