Situation Regarded as Serious by Military Hankow, May 15.
Following the capture of Simakow, which was reported by cable yesterday, the same body of bandits, according to information received in Hankow, has captured and looted Hanchuang.
This band has now threatened Tsaitien with a similar fate unless $200,000 is handed over within week. A petition for help has been, received at Hankow from the Tsai-tien Chamber of Commerce and the forts in the Asaitien district have been ordered to protect the town from assault, has been suggested in some quarters that the objective of these bandits is the Wuhan cities, and although orders have been issued to one battalion to proceed to the forts as a re-infareement, the proxibandits is causing uneasiness in Chinese circles here. The quick capture of Simakow and Han-chuang after by the bandi capture has seriously tions of the populace.
It has been announced by the Hunan "Clarification Headquarters" that the bandits who recently eaptured Pingkiang in Hunan are ¢o-operating with the body on this side of the river and that a junction planned for the purpose of attacking, this centre.
The Headquarters of the Generali simo in Hankow has issued a statement to the effect that the situation is regarded as serious, and the Ist Model Division under General Feng Netepeh has been ordered here cuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.