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Chungchow, Sze., Mar. 10.
"That place of robbers and cutthroats; was the brief word of comment made by a Chinese business man when the writer a few months ago informed him that! he lived in Chungehow. And] jin recent years the city and district surrounding it have well earned the vame- During the past few years the city has again and again changed hands, and many times has licen losted either by victorious Jcoming troops or defeated retreating ones. And the district about the city for a radius of from 100 to 200 li has been a robbers' para-
He had been taken by the soldiers jas he was about to land from local ferry boat. "A robber spy coming down to market" was the report of him given us by the Chinese 3 about, Twenty Li below. this town - the Loatmen called our attention to a small band of soldiers moving up river along the shore, They were escorting four men dressed in civilian clothes and with hands tied beind their backs, A woman hurried: along after them a couple of fiundved yards. bel The wife Jof one of the robbers" remarked four boatmen, dise, In November of last year the writer came up from Ichang by steamer. After we passed Wanhsien steel plates were fastened! jon the sides of the boat. "We never know when weill get it up yonder" said the chief officer in explanation. Up yonder meant the Jdistrict mentioned above. As a matter of fact the steamer was fired Jon that very trip 30 li or 0 above Chungehow city. In December I Jcontinued nly trip up river from Chungchow to Chungking. Again the steel plates were up and while passing through " specially bad section of the river the foreign sengers were advised to sit behind these plates or come on to the bridge. Nothing happened, bur the peeeaution taken by the ship's oticers tells its own story about the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.