Hotain, Sept. 5.
About August 20 the city of' Foushan, in the hills, near Pingyangiu, was taken by a robber band, one or two officials were killed, and the hsien-chi-si (chief magistrate) fled. There was much looting and disorder.
A few days later the important city of Kiangchow also fell into the hands of robbers. Here, too, the magistrate ran away. The gate was opened by confederates inside the city. After two days the troops from Yuncheng were able to drive out the robbers and establish order.
But on August 31 a large band of robbers came over from Shensi and looted the likin office at Yimenkeo, killing the three inmates. They then joined a force in possession of a temple at the foot of the hills near Fantsuan, the chief depdt of the coal and iron trade. From the merchants there, weapons were obtained by intimidation and an attack was planned on Hotsin city, twenty li distant The Advance on Hotsin.
They reached the city shortly before midnight on Sundsy, and found the city in a state of defence, although there were only about twenty police in Hotsin at the time, but, the official was encouraging the: people to volunteer.
Arriving at the eastern suburb the invaders first attacked the mission premises. Orders were given to burn down the door, and quanti of straw were brought from a neighbouring yard and piled against the door and along under the projecting timbers of the eaves. No one can explain why the match was not applied but it was not.
Large numbers of all sort people from the villages quickly the scene, some howl: in the maize fields vd. Found about whi the robbers were. exchanging shots with the city wall. Two grain shops and two drug shops adjoining the mission were totally destroyed by fire. The city official Hu, a Szechuanese thirty years of age, himself shot one of the robbers from the wall and sub-the outlaws back to their rendes-vous.
On Tuesday troops began to arrive from Yuncheng and Yungho, and immediately young Hai led a squadron of cavalry to attack the band in their temple.
Up to the time of writing the whole country within s wide radius is in & state of alarm and unrest, and no decisive engagement has taken place here yet.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.