On the 5th of the month a daring theft of mail matter took place 5 li away from the city. The mails were travelling from Hankow to Fanch'eng and Laohokou. Besides containing the usual local and foreign mails the bags contained 2,500 ounces of silver the whole being in charge of three couriers. On the 3rd inst., the couriers were met on the rocd by a respectable-looking fellow, who enquired his way to Laohokou. The men informed the stranger they were to journey together. travelling to the same place and all agreed first day all went on well and the second dey also, and indeed so well that, The affair fell into the hands of the Hsien, and a week had gone by, when the friends up river began to be anxious about their mails, a8 no news of the theft had reached them. The American Swedish Mission have just purchased new premises in Siang: yang, and a large portion of the silver coming by this mail was the purchase money. Enquiries were set afoot by the hong people at Tanch'eng and news was sent from Ngan-lu that the silver and the mails were safe in the yamen here, but the mandarin being very sick the affair would have to wait for his recovery.
Two days ago a telegram reached us here saying, "Silver arrived Siangyang," and the same evening one of the missionaries reached our place, also on a mission of enquiry for the missing mails. It appears however that the mails had been forwarded two days previously and would pass the missionary, as he came down by boat.
The would-be thief turns out to be a Hunanese Soldier on his way from Kansu, but meeting with such well provided friends a few days' journeying out of his way and the indispensable lies would be of no loss to him; what a disappointment he had.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.