Prox Our Own Connesronoexet Hankow, Jan, 7.
Robberies continue and kidnapping has begun, Three days ago, ten armed robbers broke into the house of a well-to-do farmer at the [Shang Ssu Bridge, outside Wuchang, and ransacked the place. On leaving, they took the twelve year-old son of the farmer with them, saying that he would be restored alive if $400 were taken to the Kuan Ti Temple within three slays. The farmer raised the money ind "went with it to the temple indicated, He was gradually surrounded as he went towards the temple, and it was not till the guards were sure that he was alone that he was allowed to enter. payment of the money, the child was released.
At Sangyuan, two miles above Hankow, three men in plain clothes entered the house of a poor man and cartied off 500 coppers, woman's few ornaments and the well-worn clothes of the family, A gang of nine accosted three poor men who wore making their way Wuchang, at a point about ten miles up the river. The robbers [were armed with sticks and the first man was greeted with a blow on the head. The other two rushed Jdown the bank and hid, When the robbers had gone without any booty, it was found that the poor traveller had been stabbed to death.
It is getting ax dangerous for the poor as for the rich to travel after dusk, Word has just come outrage three days ago at a small town up the Han called Sinkow. Tt is a centre to which bouts ce from Hankow to purchase rice, ant one Jor two of the boats carry the rice: merchants and their money. wards evening, a band of men in rags entered the town and sought [cheap lodgings, as they were famine refugees, At midnight they sudden.
turned into brigands and rushed the seventeen, cored near. the street, Some mou [while others searched for money, and the takings were well lover $10,000, Two of the boa who offered resistance were shot The robbers also attacked two shops Sinkow and collected another $1,500, The local police were roused by the firing, but deemed discretion the better part of valour fand did not go out to attack the robbers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.