Disgraceful Usage of Passengers:.
Yangtze Shipping Held up Ichang, Feb. 20.
The Dahvar, a Chinese-owned vessel, has been commandeered by the Szechuan military forces, though as it was on its way down to Shanghai for repairs after being damaged on the Chungking run, it must be in a dangerous condition. The captain, who is a foreigner, has remained with the ship.
Foreign passengers, who were travelling down to Ichang by the jDahvar, were put off the -boab ab Wanhsien after having been held prisoners by the soldiers and their baggage searched, on the pretext that opium was being smuggled through by the boat. About nine piculs of opium were found amongst the baggage of the Chinese passengers but it was all sealed with the military seal.
The soldiers boarded the vessel lat Wanhsien on February 9 and simply took possession of it. The foreign' passengers were practically held as prisoners as they were not allowed to land. Later the Commissioner of Customs boarded the vessel and the passengers were allowed to go off in his sampan. A British gunboat was lying in the port and the commander protested against the treatment of British subjects as prisoners. After that they were allowed to come and go but it was four days before they: were allowed to leave the ship with their baggage. The captain of the Dahvar made arrangements for a native boat to take them down v9 Ichang.
General Tan Mou-hsing has left Wanhsien for Chungking evidently to keep his hold on that centre, while his army remains to guard against any menace from the direction of Hupeh.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.