Changsha, Sept. 18.
The city is still in the possession of Chao troops. To-day a battle has been waged about two-thirds of the way to Siangtan. Telephonic news from Siangtan (with which we were still in touch at 4 p.m.) tells us the firing was distinctly heard there. It had decreased by that hour. Men have begun to dribble back, but no news has leaked out. Once more the larger shops are tightly shut and locked; fair sized shops have one shutter left to put up in a moment of emergency. Still smaller shops have the shutters arranged handily for immediate use when needed. There is a good deal of going about on the street, but things are not normal.
A Provincial Christian Conference had been planned to meet from September 27 to October 3. But the Committee of Preparations which met this afternoon has felt obliged to send' out information to all concerned postponing it sine die. Amongst: the things that were told in the committee was a thing which had happened to two ladies of the Wesleyan "Methodist Mission who were travelling to Yiyang last week. They left Changsha by the Monday launch. When little more than half way, they were met by "soldier-bandits" or '"'bandit-soldiers.'"' The launch was ordered to stop, and did so. The women and girls were ordered to remove themselves and their belongings to an. open boat and go ashore. The last girl who stepped on to the boat proved one too many, and the whole boatload were thrown into the river. One of the English ladies said to one of the "soldiers" "You are not a bandit, are you?" "Certainly not." "Then, of course, you will help get us all out." And he proceeded to do so. While the getting out was in process, the crack of rifle fire was heard, and in an instant the bandits disappeared into the grass, except one who was still helping a woman out of the water when he was cut down instantly. It turned out that some of Chai Chu-yn's men had! turned up in pursuit of these very men.
The women folk had not a dry garment or piece of bedding anywhere. They were taken to a Roman Catholic Chapel not far off and given shelter for the night. Both the ladies lost one of their hoxes in the accident.
Of course no one can think that it is at all likely that things will so improved by next week as to justify so much travel as would be involved in a well attended conference,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.