Marshal Chi's Sensational Charges Against Marshal Lu and Gen. Ho if Defeated: Kiangsu Leader Absolutely Confident of Victory Frost Roowey Guuaerr, Quinsan, Sept. 27.
"The most urgent message that 1 have to transmit to the people Shanghai," said Marshal Chi Hsieh-yuan to the writer this morning, "is, to beware of fire when Lu and' Ho are defeated. Anything else that I have said you can send along by any means you like, but I hope you will telegraph this and, if the ordinary telegraph service is too slow, find some means of getting this message to the community by wireless.
have information from a source upon which I am sure that T can rely to the effect that Ho Feng-lin, now desperate in the face of defeat, has purchased through the Shanghai Hsien Magistrate a huge stock of kerosine and that it is his avow ed purpose to set fire to the entire community, foreign as well ax native, if he is forced to take flight. Against this Shanghai must be quickly prepared because Ho and Lit had many interesting things to say, certainly nothing was quite so sensational ax this. He said many things detr mental to the character of Generals Ho and Lu and in many eases qualified his statements by remarking that these were stories which had come to him in which he did not have full faith, in warning but Shanghai against fire his statements were unqualified and he was 0 seriously anxious that Shanghai shoul: be prepared that one could not help ug his statement seriously.
Marshal Chi are equally sure hat La ud Marsha Hoare arly ay Tame Neither the ARE. have have heard of the vale of such quantity. of eros would heeded—a' pretty I tits quantity of Keroro zations Knowing of fis-kd.
The Secluded Chief.
Access to Marshal Chi has for some weeks past been decidedly difficult. AM! the officials to whom the writer appealed for help in obtaiying an audience with the busy com winder-in-chief demurred and gave tone to understand that it was next to impossible. It was finally with the help of Mr. Wen Shih-tsen, who took me to the Huangtu front, that the writer obtained what he' was warned would be a five minutes talk, Mr. Wen and I yesterday. boarded Marshal Chi's train to Anting' in the hope of having a chat en but contrived to get into shal Chi looking very well, not at all tired, and very "leisurely and ible as usual. I told him that to save his time I had prepared a list of questions and he gracefully waived aside the question of time and told me to go about pumping him in any way I liked. I did, however, go through the schedule of in terrogation that I had prepared and shall give it here, though the most interesting part of the interview came after I had exhausted it.
Sure of Vievory, asked the Marshal:
"Has the fight gone far enough 0 that you can be absolutely site of victory?" "He smiled broadly this and replied "Most assuredly. Why, we are only 30.1% from Shanghai. When the fight started we were just outside this town and they were up to Taitsang. We are now of the point of taking Nanziang. After Nan-ang there are no. more strategic Points to take. Once we are in Nane lung the war is over, "How much longer will it take to inflict a decisive defeat upon your enemy?" T asked. He held up four fingers, after a moment's thought, and'said:) "At most four days'
"Will Chang Tso-lin try to with: draw from the confiet in the north this fight is finished in so short T asked, hen we win here," he replied, will naturally affect the policies Jof both Fengtien "and Kunngtung materially, but Chang: will not withe draw because he cannot: and ey if he did Wa Pei-ta would not give up the fight but would throw him self into the offensive and jo of im. As to Kuangtung, Sun already finish {have established relations with hin Hunanese, and their officers no longer control them. They will Join Lin Hu and Fang Pen-jen to take Canton. "Sun knows thix now and has withdrawn from Shaokuan to Yinteh."
Who actually opened hose tilities in this fight?" Toke next, and added, "I don't want to know who proveit-Jed itor who first commenced making warlike preparations, but who actually opened hostilities 2"
"They did," he replied after a moment's consideration which seem= ed to indicate that it must have been very nearly a tie, jas Marshal 'Tuan Chiejui," 1 asked next, "played any part in' this affair—influenced Lu and Ho in one way or another?"
"That is not at all clear," he replied, "it's hard to tell what his attitude has been, but it really doos not make much difference one way or another. Tuan is finished, his strength is gone. He's as good as The Peace Ter "What peace terms are you prepared to offer Lu and Ho, if they planning the grand as.
id that the conference would be likely to last all day. General Kung offered an opportunity to see the lines under the pilotage of one of his staff officers which we accepted to kill time and when we returned to Anting station, Marshal Chi's train had returned fo Quinsan, It was late when we secured passage back to Quinsan in a steel box car and it was raining heavily, so the descent upon headquarters was postponed until this morning; and when we presented ourselves at the shad-by little school where the command-chief and his staff are living, we learned that they were again in n patiently iting room to the usual tea rettes. It was not long, however, before Mr. Wen was summoned and, after another half hour, the writer was called into Marshal Chi's reception room, either of them. When they know that they are beaten they will un to Mukden. If they did not and were eatighi, I should have to arrest, them and hold them for 1 could riot deal teniently with them, So much blood has been spilled and so much bad feeling engendered against them among my men that could not let them go."
"What could be done with the forees from Fukien if they surrendered?"
"If we caught the leaters we should have to punish them for their numerous crimes, whether they came in voluntarily or not. The men would he treated ax any others will be treated armed end sent to their homes.'
"As for Lu's own troops," I asked, "how vould they be rounded up efter a defeat and disposed of?"
T had been warned agai minutes would be the limit so, to crowd as much as possible into such a limited interview, I had hastily prepared a list of questions and J ferried them in my~hand when I entered. As it transpired there was real need of this. I found Mar-
"It depends on circumstances," he replied. "If they were driven back to the confines of the foreign settlement and still refused to lay down their arms but continued to ight, I suppose we should have' to: fight them unless the consular body and the forces at their disposal con-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.