Trumped up Charge and Unmerited Death From Our Own Correspondent Kueiyang, Kuei., Aug. 13.
Brigadier-General Ho has successfully dealt with the wounded soldier problem and for days now we have not heard of their misconduct. A band of soldiers patrols the streets day and night, and the officer in charge has orders to deal with any unruly or disorderly people with whom he may meet.
Some time ago an officer was degraded for extorting money from the people and his successor tried to curry favour by collecting evidence to prove that the authorities had really been lenient with the offender. He had an amanuensis arrested and subjected to the most awful torture, and when the man confessed, because of the excruciating pain, to complicity in the wrong doing the official had it all written up in proper form and sent to headquarters. The commanding General sent word back to say that the military officer was to take the necessary steps for punishing the scribe and a common soldier who was also under arrest at the time.
When the despatch arrived the officer was about to leave on a journey and in consequence had some friends there to take breakfast, with him prior to escorting him on his way. After he had read the despatch he gave orders to call out a filo of soldiers to escort the prisoners out for execution. The prisoners were also brought out and the amanuensis recognized among the guests a friend. He immediately got down before him and begged him to save his life, and others too helped him plead. The friend in turn asked the official to be lenient towards him, and the official desir ing to gain favour with those present magnanimously ordered the release of the amanuensis. The poor common soldier had no one to say a word for him so he was taken out and shot. Justice of this kind is not uncommon in Kueichow at this juncture.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.