This city is sharing in the panic which seems to be fairly general in Honan, The leading citizens are discussing plans of action should the present political leaders in Kei-feng be forced to retire. It seems likely that they will come this way. The Governor, Chao, is well supported by the Chun ' men of this section and he has already sent his wife and mother to Nanking.
The local troops have all left, even General Pao himself has gone and we have only some three dozen of soldiers in the whole Kueiteh prefecture of seven hsiens. This is also a great robber district and scarcely a day passes without one hearing of some one who has been taken, while travelling, by the robbers and held for a ransom, We know what may happen now that the soldiers have gone. The gentry and merchants are very nervous, The exit of the soldiers has left tke farmers temporarily at least in a very bad way. There are no animals left to do the ploughing or other farm work. All the carts and the other means of transport have been commandeered.
The lower classes suffer a great deal from these movements of soldiers. In Suichow, when I was there the other day, I found that a regiment of soldiers had been moved there just at China New Year time. All preparations had been made by these troops to spend the New Year in Kueiteh, and as they were forced to go in a hurry of course they left supplies behind. Leave was given to help themselves, and the people of Suichow were the sufferers. The, soldiers were so out of hand while I was there that it was not safe for women to be seen in the street. Few were able to attend our services on the following Sunday.
In the city of Hsiahi our mission houses were attacked by a band of these hungry ruffians. The fright tened Chinese caretaker closed the doors when be heard them coming The soldiers threw bricks, and finally the outcome was that our bible woman there is laid up with a broken arm. I am told that these troops were passing through the city on the way to Kaifeng and were not local troops.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.