Standard Oil Ca. Salesman Kidnapped but Released Within Three Hours One of the neatest pieces of work ever carried out by the Shanghai Municipal Police took place on August 27, when, within two and a half hours of a kidnapping, they released the victim, shot dead one of the kidnapping gang and arrested two others, and within a further half hour arrested two more, Thanks to an carly alarm energetie patrol made on outlying roads, the police profited by a well-deserved stroke of luck in meeting the ear used for the kidnapping. Rapid interrogation of the chauffeur and a quick follow-up led to the release of the kidnapped man, one of his guards being killed by the police after he had attempted to open fire on them, Det, Sgt. Golder made no mistake and the man fell to tae ground shot through the lungs.
The victim of the kidnapping was Mr, Tso Yang-san, a salesman of the Standard Oil Ca. of New York, who lives at 1360 Hart Road, not fax from Avenue Road. Apparently well conversant with his habits, the band of kidnappers, three in mura-ber, laid wait for Mr, Tso yesterday morning when he left his house to to office.
Mr, Tso walked out of his hous? at 8.15 a.m., and was promptly con. fronted by the pistols of the three gangsters. They ordered Mr, Tso into his car, which was waiting foe him by the roadside with his own. chauffeur at the wheel, and told the latter at pistol point to drive off in northerly direction.
With one of the kidnappers sitting beside him carrying an unpleasantly menacing pistol, the chauffeur drove for some distanc., following the directions of the gang, When the car reached Edinburgh Road, the chauffeur was ordered to int, and one of the gang took his place." Covering with their pistols the chauffeur standing by, the road~ gang and their victim drove The chauffeur wasted no time, and at 8.80 a.m, only quarter of an hour after the kidnapping, he reported to Bubbling Well Station and tol all he Ienew. Detectives got busy fon the case immediately, and farm was tured in to all police Stations in the International Settle-mont, French Concession and Chinese territory, calling, for, the hal' ing and detaining of Mr. Tso's car, pearing settlement licence plates numbered 2081. 3 Police from Bubbling Well station turned out in three cars and motor-cycle side-ear outfit, and commenced a thorough search ant patrol of the extensive roads in the Bubbling Well police district, every now and then stopping to warn con: tables on duty at various places.
At 10 a.m, occurred the incident which was to enable the police o bring the matter to a rapid conclusion. One of the cars searching the district was occupied by Inspec-for A, O'Dwyer, who is in charge of Bubbling Well Station, and a police chauffeur, and this'turned into Hungjao Road not far from where the kidnappers' car was also moving along the road.
Tie chauffeur, keenly on the alert, vas the first to realize the fact. Just fas the police car was passing the Hungjao Road cemetery, he uttered fan ejaculation and said "There it fs." Inspector O'Dwyer drew pistol and told the chauffeur to accolorate and get alongside the other ear, Speeding up the' Hungjso Road, the car drew level, and Insp. O'Dwyer shouted to the driver, who was its sole occupant, to stop. The man refused to do this, and stepped on the accelerator, trying to get ahead.
"Put him into the ditch" said the Inspector, and the police chauffeur accelerated and crowded the other car in to the side of the road, forcing it to come to a stand-till' Jumping out, Insp. O'Dwyer arrested the man, bundied him into the police car and rushed his back tothe station for interrogation.
The driver fairly soon told the police what had happened. He had driven Mr. Tso and the two other kidnappers to the end of Hungiao Road, and left the three to wait for him in a field. In the mean time he was on his way to leave the car at Siccawei, in order to throw the police off the track, and was then going to return to the others. His capture by the police occurred when he was within © minute or two of his goal.
By the time the story had been told the other cars had returned to the station, bat it was. not long before they' went out again. Three parties of police and detectives, wearing bullet-proof waistcoats and heavily armed, turned out again for the run up to Hungjao, taking with them the captured kidnapper.
Warily walking slong the path indicated by the captive, the party reached a field of indian corn, where the captive said the three were con-coaled, taking advantage of the cover from view afforded by the thick and high indian corn. Suddenly the police party came upon the trio, in 2 alight depression in the feld. kidnappers, a8 soon as rapidly drew a pistol and took a their ection, The cartridge misfired, however, and the man turned and ran away, throwing his gan away.
Det.-Sgt. E. M. Golder took up the chase, firing at the man, who after going afew yards "drow. another Pistol, which would not have been of much use to him if he had got a real chance to use it, as" the magazine was subsequently found not to be fully pushed into place and no cartridge could, therefore, reach the breach, Hit by a shot from Det.-S¢t. Golder's pistol, the man fell to the ground dead, shot through the side' of the chest. The other kie was not armed, and was given no opportanity to Yun away, 30 he pre-fented no difficulty and was soon in handoutts, while Mr. Tso was released.
This was not the real end of the, affair, which has not yet actualy' been reached, as further inquiries were made by Det, Sub-Insp. J. A. McFarlane, Det.-Sgt. Golder and Det. Prob.-Sgt. T. W. C. Tuck, who were working on the case, Shortly' after Mr, Tso had been released a raid was made on a house in Tatung Road, as the result of information obtained from the two captured men. At this house the police arrested two more in connection with the affair, a man and a woman, Other raide" were made Yesterday afternoon but no more arrests were made.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.