Tsaochuang, May 24.
The entire suspension of local negotiations for the release of the captives has puzzled the bandits. The suspension is, of course, due to the breakdown of the Tuchun's proposals, and those of General Yang I-teh. All the Chinese officials left for Peking at the end of last week, or the beginning of this, so] that no more proposals have been made.
In a letter to Mr. Modde, a German engineer resident here, Father Bucs, the Catholic priest who has visited the bandit camp, mentions the bandits' surprise that nothing further has been done. One of the priests' servants went up to the camp and he was told by the chief to ask why no more proposals had been made.
Father Bucs replied that if the bandits would release Mr. Musso so that he could be attended by a doctor he would do all in his power to help. The priest suggested that Mr. Musso could return to the camp if necessary.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.