Hankow, Aug. 6.
The movement: known as the Red Spear Guild, now united with Jother and similar movement called the Red Door Guild, boasts a membership of 11,000 men in six counties of the Hupeh Province lying between the Kin-Han railway and the Han River. They are divided into three bands under three lead. ers, who seem to be inspired with the' one idea of protecting the villages from impositions by the troops and from raids by the bandits, The members of the guild are expected to attend "school which me struction ig given, in the art of defence and in the principles of democracy. Left to themselves these Red Spears would probably do noth. ing egressive or lawless, but would proceed with the tilling of their fields and the marketing of their produce, only gathering together in force when their liberties were assailed, The, Communist Touch But there are ominous signs that the Communists are trying to tum the Red Spear movement. to their lown advantage, It is said that a thand of two hundred Communists, fairly-well armed, have gathered at the foot of the Meng Lan Shan, a place of pilgrimage in the Hwangpei county, These men are attempting to terrorize the Red Spears into Joining in a Communist uprising. At the same time a fanatic has appeared near Siaokan. He has erected a platform at the top of a tree and ascends there to burn incense to the spirits of the air and to receive inspiration, He claims that on one ecasion "a Hoaverly Book was given to him and on another a Precious Sword, and that he is able to impart invulnerability to those who follow him. His touching is distinctly Comimuniatie.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.