Exactly what happened between the hours of five and six on Mon-Jday evening in the vicinity of Avenue Edward VII and Honan Road is, of course, difficult to ascertain. The incidents occurred so swiftly and in such an atmosphere. Jof general excitement that a clear account is hard t> arrive at.
The version of a foreign eye-witness Jwho took no part in the affair is, therefore of interest. The gentleman in question was M. A. clu Pac ide Marsoulies, Officer of the Legion @'Honneur a member of the French Municipal Council, and who is a well known advocate in Shanghai.
It happened that there was a meet. ing of the French Municipal Council, convened for 5 p.m. on Monday. The councillors were in session coming from the. clu Pac, ben excited, cries were heard with thers descended and, from the corner Consular and Rue Protet mob advancing towards the Settlement boundary, On reaching this corner, those in the crowd who had banners unfurled them, shouting and yelling at the tops of their voices, This was at about 5.15 p.m.
Just before the mob reached this corner, M. da Pao slipped into the French Municipal offices and, cross ting the compound, reached the /Avenue Edward VIT entrance before the rioters. From his vantage point he had a good view of whi took place. He saw the mob cro the avenue into the Settlement and [make at an angle for Honan Road, Many of them were able to push their way well into Honan Road, but after a short spell they were repulsed and fell back again in disorder into the French Concession.
As they were driven across Avenue Edward VI the French [police pushed them further into the Concession with the object of direetjing them through French territory into the Chinese city. Meanwhile the Chief of the French Detective}
Force had telephoned to heaqut ters for reinforcements. Whilst this pushing and hustling business. w proceeding, M. clu Pac heard a shot which, after a minute or so, was followed by five or six others. The mob immediately broke up, and dived in all directions. The French police, which had by this time been considerably reinforced, made a number of arrests,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.