Kanchow, July 1.
We have now been under the Southern Government—or rather, under Local Government; or, more true, under no Government-—for some time. The circumstances are. indescribable. President Sun hag launched this time against this. Province the greatest pack of bandits ever heard of. They systematically: rob everyone, all coming in at the: city gate are searched and even a few cents taken away from them. In the country round here every house has been visited many times this past month, and all possible scraps of anything available have been cleared out.
The northern soldiers were gontlemen of the finest brand compared with these men, for nothing seems too mean for them to do, Under the guise of providing coolies for transport, they enter homes and carry off men, women and girls, and any remonstrances are met with the rifle or the bayonet. That this is no mere threat is evident from the numbers found dead on the roads. Hundreds of wonien have been taken away, and babies have been despatched, to rid their prey of what might raise pity in the hearts of some others. Hundreds of homes are desolate, nothing being left therein as all live stock of whatever kind has been confiscate ed for food. from chickens to cows. When the district will recover from this visit of "friends" no one here dare even guess.
In the city itself things have been what they call "fair," but that means that they have laid on their order to the tune of some hundreds of thousands of dollars. This sum has, of course, been forthcoming from the proper sources, but there have been other demands which could not come through official sources, and these have been met in the usual way—every evening there are visits to one or more shops, stores, or homes, and all that is publicly known of the occurrence is the sound of rifle shots round about midnight. Ask the next morning what was taking place near where you live, and the answer is: "T mever heard anything. What were they shooting about last night? Oh! it was crackers." Even those who suffer dare not acknowledge it, such is the pass. to which these "'relievers" have brought this fair city and district. That vengeance may fall on them swift and sure is the desire of all with whom I have conversed, and if it were ever possible for the northerners to return they would have such a reception as gentlemen deserve.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.