Singular Action of Japanese Equipment Held Up: Another Case of Spy Fever?
Members of Barr's Flying Circus, who are due shortly to appear in Shanghai, seem te have experienced an adventurous time in Japan, judging from a cablegram received on Tuesday announcing that they had been compelled to "fly from the mob" and that most of their equipment was being forcibly held by the Japanese. We understand that during the tour much difficulty had been experienced by the company in obtaining due fulfiiment of contract terms, and unfair dealing is alleged.
According to our information, the Japanese interested in the tour succeeded in obtaining control of the Barr equipment, and Mr. Barr finally appealed to the U. S. Consular authorities in the interests of the performers, payment for the show being said to have run into arrears to the extent of some thousands of yen. The dispute seems to have reached an acute stage by the time the company arrived at Kobe, and matters were not mended by the fatal accident which occurred, as already reported.
Nothing further was heard officially from Mr. Barr until yesterday when his manager, Mr. Duncan Neven, received the startling radio-telegram sent out from the str. Monteagle that the company was "fleeing from the mob" and that the Japanese were "forcibly holding equipment." From recent reports it appears that Japan seems just lately to have been stricken with "spy fever" and it is quite possible that the Barr company of aviators may have fallen under some absurd suspicion. Further details of the affair will be awaited with interest.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.