I am glad to say that our immediate community has not yet been attacked by the bands of robbers doing awful damage and terrorize ing in the regions near; mostly, so far, in Horan districts. I am persuaded that these bands are intimately connected with the base near Lincheng that did that hellish deed on May 6. Our little community is stirred to the depths over this dastardly outrage and we shall feel that the occurrence is not in vain if it results in the foreign governments taking steps thoroughly to break up this fearful menace. The writer was one of the missionaries in Taianfu in early 1900 who told the British Vice-Consul, who was sent to investigate! the Brooks murder, that we felt that Vu Hsien's head, demanded by the foreigners, might prevent more serious disasters later, and that the least that ought to be demanded was everlasting disgrace for him; but we were laughed at and called bloodthirsty. They did demand his life in 1901, but five! months after the Brooks murder, he was given a yellow garment and made Governor of Shansi, and seven months after the Shantung murder he was himself killed in his own yamen in Sianfu! Too late, too late, was the drastic action! Shall it be so again?
Our school examiner has just come in from a trip in Rungcheng. He had to omit examining most of our schools, because they were scattered. Many of the people do not pretend to sleep at home, but in the fields and dry river beds. The teacher-in our boarding school here says that his young wife and children slept in the fields even ai good part of the winter, often haying their quilts white with frost in the morning! Now we hear that they are, by means of ropes with thorns or spikes on them, dragging the fields to find the hidden treasures. Soon this process caused the people to seek the river beds, and one party, seeking a lodging under a bridge, found it already occupied by these fiends and were en. Our examiner reports that yesterday at a market 36 li from here, the tufei were carrying on a theatre and sending invitations to the well-to-do people to attend. They seem to have had' such performances -at another town near for three days. They seem to pass near to the large market of Tsoahsiencheng, which is 65 li on the road from here to Rungcheng, as they go south, and load up and then return, making in the direction of Tangsan, which I take to be probably less than 100 li from Lincheng. It Was at Tsoashiencheng that the battle occurred which reported in my last and the head of a band was killed. One of our women in from there this morning reports that the robbers have sent word that they have declared their enmity to the town and that they will not rest till they burn the town. I heard two days ago of a battle going on for 36 hours right near the big town of Wuhsiangchi, the half-way place to Kueitehfu, with probably 100 tufei; also of another north of Kueiteh, with probably 1,000 engaged and not a few soldiers being brought back to Kueitehfu wounded or dead. This news is reported by the auto-drivers who are still plying to and from the railway station. Several carts of coppers were taken last week near the same town, being hauled here from the train.
Four persons. from this city, a Mr. and Mrs. Ma and daughter, and Mrs. Yang, who had been to Shanghai and returning, were running up to Tsinan, and are among the captives at Lincheng.
People are just now wishing for rain. The wheat which will be ripening in 10 days seems to be suffering a little. The opium will be ripening in a few days. Already they are bringing in the petals of the failing blooms which are used for wrapping the prepared opium. The opium is more apparent this year than I have seen since 1907.
There has been another line of autos put on between here and Pengpu, going one day and returning the next. I hear that they are getting good patronage, but they overload and drive too rapidly for the buses which they operate. The line of five-seaters to the railway station has declared over $240 dividend on each $500 share for the first six months! They insisted on taking this out, rather than buying more cars.
I think it is possible that this large band operating north of Kueitehfu is trying to do for some train on the Lunghai road what was done at Lincheng. House rent has gone up here five to tenfold by reason of many refugees.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.