While Shantung is having its own excitement with the J' Ho Chan, Society the northern part of Honan has also had ite little excitement. This, however, until the J Ho Ck'uan, has nothing to do either with foreigners or their converts, though both are pretty strongly represented in that region, In fact, the leader of this affair, having heard that the foreigners suspected him of designs against them, sent them a polite letter assuring them he meant no harm to them! And he has kept his word, too, The people of certain villages east of Changtéfu, apparently pressed by hard times and drought, began to "tsiang-ko fa-tze" They demanded money from the olficiuis, levied contributions on rich men who would be bullied into giving, and generally THREATENED THE PEACE, of the district. Soldiers were brought up from the South, but did nothing much, and the Asien magistrate paid the Society called Lien Chuang Hui 400 tiao on promise that they would disband. Unluckily for this scheme, just at that time four members of the Society ho were to receive blackmail from a certain village which had previously been compelled to promise payment, were themselves captured and handed over to the mandarin, who best them three or four thousand blows each, with the usual fat result. The Society hereupon refused and, but the official with commendable bravery went out to have a personal interview and find out their reasons for such conduct. The Society demanded remission of taxes, liberation of prisoners, and 2 general amnesty, but the magistrate refused. Backs stiffened on both sides, and the leader of the Society is esid to have attempted to shoot the official, but a military official who was present sliced off his head before he accomplished his purpose. Blood was up, but the mandarin managed to hold the fort till reinforcements arrived, when
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.