The breaking of the Chin-Maun Railway, bad as it is, is means the Worst result of the present disorganized state of affairs Bandits ure once more native in northern Hupeh. as well as all over Honan. ft appears that in spite of the activity of Gen. Keo Yin-chieh, who ix junrding the border ae Wusengkunn, some of the leader-Tese Honan troops have got over the border, and have been commit ting the usual ies in the sion round tien, the large market yon their line of mare tone of the first places to be visited in these raids, hus suffered again. Further on they looted Hsiao, a fairly lure town only 25 li from the sity of Suis} After that, the pundits took a westerly dircetion, and passing by the walled city went and ravaged Huntin, more than 100 Li to the northwest, Then, it is so ver the Honan their old huunts in Tungpeh Hai It is becoming monotonous te port these bandit raids from Ho) into Hupeh. They al follow pret nieh the sume course. The same places are visited, and the same crimes perpetrated of looting, barning, ravishing snd laying. There is also kidnapping and torturing. One needs to know the district and the people and their manner of life, in order to appreciuce the horrors that lie behind these ugly words. Quiet, peaceable country farmers, shopkeepers and "small craftsmen, They are fairly intelligent, they are cheerful und hard-working. Given settled government, freedom from unjust taxes and a =ystem of liberal education, and they would develop within the space of two or three generations into as respectable a bourgeoisie as could be found in any Jecuntry of the West. But they are ground down and oppressed; they fare cowed and trampled upon. They Ido not _knaw from one day to an-Jother whether their homes will be left standing over their heads, when ther their children will not be euro ried off by callous robbers into some desolate mountain region, and there starved and held to ransom, or when ther they themselves will not be robbed of all that they possess, wound-fed with gunshot, tortured or burned alive. The uncertainty goes on from month to month and from year to year. What chance have they of developing into-a decent civilized community, and becoming. Jas they ought to be and might be the backbone of " strong and healthy nation?
Last week, another launch-robbery Joceurred on the Han River. The Tauneh was the Hanyuin, pursuing its customary journey from Hsien Tao Tsen down to Hankow. The robbers followed the usual plan of attack. As the launch rounded a corner _ncar a more or less lonely part of the river, a sampan sud-coly shot out from the bend, rifles were pointed, and the pilot of the ch was ordered to stop. Ten med men jumped on board the launch, and at once all the pasien-Jeers were ut their mercy. Mer-Jchants travelling down to do business in Hankow were relieved of their ready money. Every-one on the Munch was robbed of any valuables which he happened to be carry ing in his luggage or on his po sen. This work completed at leisure, the robbers got back into their sampan and allowed the launch to proceed on its way. One man, a postal courier wearnige a postman's badge in his cap, was shot dead; six other passengers were wounds These robbers are of quite a different type from the brigands who evoke the countryside. They are wt Tunaway soldiers, but probably. local inhabitants who' bear (as they well may) w grudge against est lablished authority and possibly think that this kind of performance is a means, not only of getting rich more fouiekly. than by honest work, but also of protesting against the prevent state of affairs. Their dislike fof anything associated with the government is shown by their shoot-1 at once the man with the badge.
is always men in uniform who shot in these outrages on the river. Their ignorance is shown by their inability to distinguish between the badge of the harmless post-office courier und that of the soldier. Their promiscuous shooting their inability, either to handle their Weapons oF to control their tempers. Altogether, a pitiful exhibition of the citizen-turned-robber type which would not be found in any well-governed country.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.