The following description of the Up to this time the procession Shameen shooting affair on June iwas perfectly orderly and just re-23 was recently presented to sembled any ordinary similar poli-private meeting of those interested. cal demonstration in Europe, in Tt was compiled by a Danish sub: 30 much so that I remarked ject, a resident of Shameen, who bystander on the orderly be-who came under fire during the athaviour of the crowd. But at this tack by Chinese armed forces. point the aspect changed. After the Christian College students had By the present I have the honour to report on what took place here passedethere was a gap in the pro-fon the afternoon of Tuesday, June cession of about 100 yards, and then came a unit flying a huge red 22, when the Chinese held a procession demonstrating against flag and a red flag with a yellow foreigners, for the abolition of the star and scythe (said to be the existing treaties and extraterritor-Soviet banner). This unit, com rights. sisting apparently of Iabourers, gesticulated more threateningly'to-'To start with, it is as well to wards Shameen and yelled more mention the events leading up to fiercely than their predecessors, and the unfortunate affair on Tuesday, the next thing I saw was a fully June 23. armed military force with arms at slope and led by mounted officers following, in their rea On June 6 a battle started be-When these had reached up tween" the Canton Government the lane leading into the city troops and the Yannanese, who had from M Li and. Fung's occupied Canton city in an endea-saw the Chinese crowd of specta-your to overthrow the existing Red tors suddenly stampede in wild Government, headed by Civil Governor Hu. Han-ming. The. Yun-panic, as if being warned of dananese were defeated and driven out ger, and simultaneously the sol-fon June 12, and the Canton Gov-diers got their arms from the ernment proclaimed that peace and cocked rifles and the first shots order would now be restored for rang outs. Bullets were flying all the benefit of the people. However, over where I was standing and I towards the end of the following Teaped for safety in through the week, it' was clear that student hotel window where I had to take agitators were busy fermenting a cover behind a pillar against the strike against the foreigners under rain of bullets aimed at the hotel. the pretext of sympathizing with The fire was immediately return-those killed in the hai affa ed by the British and French of May 30, and on Saturday, the naval machine-gun units posted 20th, the usual British river steams along Shameen followed by the Sha er from Hongkong failed to put moon police force in the Police fan appearance, the crew having Station and hotel, and was aimed gone out on strike in Hongkong. entirely at the, attacking military At the same time rumours got across the creek, which were abou that all Chinese servants em-to be the Whampoa Cadets ployed by foreigners on Shameen under their Russian leaders. The would cease work the following day proper had when firing and on Sunday morning, the 21st, reached the English Bridge, at 9 am, all servants left their employ. On Monday all crews em-ger zone.
The actual firing took flayed on foreign owned motor Place between the French and the boats and launches walked out, s0 English Bridge and was kept up that by this time the Island wi by the Shameen defenders for entirely deserted of Chinese and the about 10 minutes, while the troops foreigners practically cut off from fon Shakee kept' up intermittent all communication with the outside sniping from the house tops for world, On Monday it was further about an hour and a, half after known that the Chinese students Shameen had ceased firing. The and others intended holding a pt French gunboat stationed off the cession the following day as a de-French Concession participated with monstration against the foreigners, about eight shots from cheir heavy and it leaked out that at a meeting artillery, but these Twas later the Kuangtung University the told were blank rounds, The casu-agitators were determined to enter felties an Shameen side numbered Shameen and/or would create an incident for propaganda purposes, H.B.M. Consul-General on hearing the casualties on the of side the this immediately warned the Secre-but tary for Foreign Affairs that any figures are very conflicting, attempt made on Shameen would be myst have teen heavy. met by armed forces.
Later in the afternoon when firing had ceased, I observed from the Precautions in Shameen Shameen Police Station how the Preparations to meet any. emer-Chinese collected a large number of gency were already made during the ipped off their clothes, previous weeks' fighting by the jo street just opposite Municipal Council of the British Concession by calling up volunteers photographer along for special police duty, and the actual defence of the Island was in the hands of the British and French naval forees, who had erected sand-'The Responsibility bagged machine gun posts at, vari-In view of the fact that the ous points along the creek facing Canton Government immediately the city. latter the incident saw fit to notify During the morning of Tuesday, Ithe Consular Body, and in particular June 23, it was noticed from Sha-ithe British and French Consular Thcen that motor cars passing along Representatives, that the firing had Shakee Street—the street on th started from Shameen and that Canton side of the creek separating therefore the foreign authorities the Island from the city—were were responsible for the affair, tributing circulars and leaflets which thave availed myself of this opport-later on proved to. be unity to bring before the Govern-motory pamphlets calli ment the actual facts a seen by and sundry to rise against the myself. There is not a shadow foreigners and drive them out of doubt in my mind that the offal Shameen. was prearranged; and the fact that The procession commenced short-fully armed troops in great nu clear that the Chinese jes had taken all steps to possible disorder and only. 2 detachment of British marines was landed as a precau-onery measure.
The water procession consisted of about 30 steam launches, each towing two to four junks or lighters displaying the usual banners. Tne land demonstration was not largely attended and was not of great interest.
ELMS. Gnat arrived on Saturday. IMS. Hollyhock arrived this after-ngan. H.MLS. Despatch leaves for Weihaiwei to-morrow morning. ly after 2 o'clock and I personally watched the demonstration from the verandah of the Vict facing Shakee, from the b and was therefore an eye wi all that happened. The. procession was headed by mounted and dismounted police, apd then came sections consisting of various units, comprising students of different schools, labourers, boy scouts, and fa sprinkling of girl students, all waving flags and banners ' and shouting, towards Shameen.
One fof the last units was headed by a brass band of small boys, this being said to be the Canton Chi bers took part in an otherwise peaceful demonstration precludes Any doubt as to the intentions of the organizers, for which the Chin ese Government must be held responsible, the more so as they were previously warned against the cotisequences of such action.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.