Yencheng's Exciting Experience:
Cut off from the World From Our OWN Connesroxpei®
Yencheng, Ku, Jan, 14, 1930, The day after Christmas we were startled 10 hear that several thou-and. (later several hundred) troops were approaching the city from the! northwest. There have been no troops in the city for several months, only the various police forces—city, hsien, provincial), and Salt Gabelle there would be no fighting. But there were conflicting reports about these troops. They themselves said they had been troops sent down vid Hsuchowfu and Tsingkiangpu under orders from the Northwestern Ra-organizationists (anti-Chiang Kei-that all the Kiang-peh already fallen under their sway, and that they were making their way triumphantly towa: d the Rivet and Nanking for Chiang's overthrow. But everybody locu'ly seeing ed to doubt this, because of the troops' actions. People though: they were bandits but feare} we say 30 openly,—the same larz+ Laml that attacked end looted Hutu ete. seme months ago, under the mand of the notorio now suppoted to be in cafe itin in the foreign settlements of Sacngkai, (They all know where to in time of need or of danger.)
By Sunday, December 29, racy were in charge of the city, has deposed and practically imprisoned the "hsien-chang" (magistrate) and had set up in the yamen as tempora ary magistrate, Mr, Huang Li-san, fan old gentleman of great inf driving sible with them in their demands for money, ete, and all the while getting in touch with Chinkiang, just playing for time. Meanw! Ma's nephew, Lin Han-ming, was really in charge. All the police forces were dismissed and their own men substituted therefor. Political prisoners. of the Tang Pu (Communists) were released. All outside communications were cut off—telephones and telegraphs both north and south beyond 30 or 50 Hi away. (A telegram sent from Shanghai on Christmas Eve was delivered to me on the night of the 29th, having been sent down from Funing by messenger; and I was unable to send one.) All outgoing mails were censored, if not stopped altogether, and only two inward mails were' received in the ten: days they were here. All Taunches were commandeered a8 they arrived, and. all other boats were prevented from leaving. So that for ten days we were practical-cut off from outbound communications, and almost so for inbound.
Then the first two nights of the New Year there was some looting enforced loans of money, food, clothing, shoes, arms, and ammunition—not much, but enough to cause the shor-owners to shut up tight,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.