Taichow, Che., Mar. 24, Since last writing things here! got worse, and in the country villages there has been a region of The robbers killed ind wounded a great many of the [soldiers whom the officials sent out and also captured their guns and ammunition. This success made them very bold, and they came within 10 1i of the city.
The soldiers went out again this morning but were fired on with machine-guns from the hills, where the robbers were in ambush; and were again defeated. It is sai that there are over 1,000 robbers.
'They have been pillaging the ages and forcing the people to join them, and any who refused have been' murdered, and their villages burnt. Yesterday and to-day the! smoke of burning villages could be seen from the city, Three days ago a spy was caught in the city and a letter found on him,—sewn into the lining of one of his garments—requesting that the people should deliver up to the robbers and communists the head of the chief official, also the head Jof two other leading men, then they, would come in on March 23 and take the city, The official found that there were good many communists inside the city in league with those outside. Two of them were caught, and shot yesterday morning. Fortunately large number of soldiers hive been sent from Ningpo to guard the city, and if possible to put down the robbers, but that is almost an impossible task as the robbers have their hiding places amongst the hills, and the soldiers can't find them. The official wants an eros plane to be sent, but whether the Government can supply one remains to be seen.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.