Native of Charleston's Version of the Shooting of Dr.
Williams An recount of the killing of Dr.' J. E, Williams and of other events at Nanking, Merch 24, has appeared in the' "New York Herald-tribune" of April 24, which has profoundly annoyed many other eye witnesses of events on that fatal day, particularly quite a few American missionaries. The authority quoted by the "Herald-Tribune" is a Professor Robson, of Nanking University. In missionary eyes his greatest offense, if he has been correctly quoted, lies in the implication that Dr, Bowen had corroborated his theory that Dr, Williams was accidentally shot. A copy of Dr. Bowen's written statement, done on the U.S, Destroyer Noa, March 26, has been submitted to us and it certainly gives a very different impression of Dr, Williams' death from that which Prof, Robson has tried to give America, Dr. Bowen admits that neither he! nor other witnesses who were with him actually saw Dr. Williams killed, They saw a soldier relieving. him of his watch, which he was giving up reluctantly.
They heard the shot that killed him just as they had turned away, and they saw him then, stone dead, with a bullet in his temple. They then saw the soldier who had been robbing him and had shot him, proceed with the Tooting of Dr. Williams' body with more compunction, as Dr, Bowen writes, "than if he had shot a do Professor Robson could certainly be safely challenged to find a jury in any country that would see in this anything but cold-blooded murder, Other witnesses, still in China, hould be given un' opportunity to "tell what they think of Dr. Robson's account, so it is felt that the "Herald-Tribune's" account is worth reproducing in full. Apart from the attempt that Prof. Robson makes to show that Dr. Williams? killing might have ben nccidental, his facts are not easy to challenge; but a number of'his colleagues who are still here object to the impression he gives of the friendliness of the civilian population. Dr, Robson' written statement makes it abun-dautly clear that the civilian mob gleaned after the military harvest. Other witnesses saw students set fire to mission buildings and others saw mi congregations wreck the buildings that the military had Jooted. Well verified inst there are of servants, students, who risked their lives' over foreigners from danger and abuse and to save their property; but it is equally well ablished that the gunboat bar-forestalled a general massacre avd that the military, civilians, and students became most _solicitous about the welfare of the abused foreigners after Admiral Hough had threatened to level the town.
Prof. Robson's Story The following is the New York. Herald-Tribune's version of Professor Robson's testimony:
An exhaustive inquiry among eyewitnesses as to the manner in which Dr, J, E, Williams was shot in Nanking by a Cantonese soldier points strongly to the theory that he may have been killed by accident, accord. ing to the details told by Professor Horace G. Robson, of Nanking University, upon his'arrival here yesterday, The Cantonese were shooting wild. ly over the heads of the Americans to frighten them and it is the fixed opinion of one of the eye-witnesses that the soldier who killed Dr. Wil-
Hams had no intention of harming Among those who witnessed laying and later talked to Dr. Bowen, president of Nanking University, and James Speers.
Dr. Robson has just arrived from China to report to the trustees of Nanking University on the slaying of Dr. Williams and conditions in general. He gave an interview in the offers of the Methodist Book Goneern 150. Fifth Avenue, and denied reports that Dz. Williams had been armed or had attempted violence, of any kind, He had Jeat- Infantry Brigade has been completed with the soldier as the Cantonese fingered his watch chain, Jested With His Slayer "Here, you don't want that," he protested, telling the man that it was his mother's watch.
But in another instant he was dead and his body wes quickly looted. Dr. Robson reconciles this with the theory of accidental shooting by saying that the man had merely intended to frighten him. The bullet entered his brow slanting upwards.
Dr, Robson emphasized the friend-lines of the Chinese to Americans, relating: how a family of them sheltered and protected him when he fled, dressed. asa native. On the! morning of March 24 his servant ran Into his house with the news that the Souther soldiers were Killing and looting foreigners. He went out on his veranda and two soldiers jumped over the compound wall, leveling guns at him. He threw up his hands. "They walked over and asked him what his nation-
Hee told them he was an American land they proceeded to loot him, taking his wrist watch and other valuables. Then they led him into the house and ordered him to open up all the locked drawers. When they' had finished their search they lof, firing over his head as they went.
Dr. Robson Donned Chinese Clothes A second group invaded the premises and demanded money, Three of them cocked their guns at Dr. Robson and threatened to kill him if he did not hand over all he had.
He had hidden $65 in a tin beside the stovepipe and was obliged to let them have it, One of the group hit him in the face as he left. Tt was Jatter this that he got into Chinese [clothes and slipped over the wall to hide in the home of a friendly Chinese family.
'A. significant fact connected wich the events in Nanking was the {friendship shown the foreign popula-{tion by the Chinese people on numer-Jous occasions during the day of the Jooting," said Dr. Robson. "The [Chinese staff and students of the university and others did their best! ito protect the foreigners from the /madness of the soldiers even though it imperiled their own lives, "When I was believed to be a white Russian soldier trying to escape in Chinese disguise and the soldiers insisted upon shooting me 'a student in the university saved my bite by stepping in between me and the guns, saying: If you must {shoot some one shoot me.
Many other foreigners passed through similar experiences. A pro-eminent Chinese Christian leader in the city raised $10,000 within a few hours among the Chinese business Ipeople as a ransom for our release HEvte were found necessary to use "At no time were the hostile soldi-era able to arouse the antagonism of the people against Americans, according to Dr. Robson, There were tears in the eye of the impassive Chinese when they left the Univer-city for sia Kwan, the port of [Nanking, and one man insisted that Dr. Robson take his watch in place for the one which had been stolen from him.
"From reports, it seems as though the so-called bombardment of Nan-{king has been grossly misrepresent. Jed," said Dr. Robson. "In the first {place, the bombardment' so far as the American navy was concerned, \consisted of a barrage placed areand the Standard Oil residence in which Consul Davis and forty other Amer-[Hens were taking refuge, and leading over to the city wall across an area which was not "occupied by Chinese dwellings.
"This barrage made possible the escape of this party over the {Some other shells were dropped near' the British Consulate, according to reports which came to me, but from careful questioning of a large number of Chinese on the day following the bombardment and of Chinese friends who came to Shanghai se-}veral days after the bombardments, did not find a single instance where jarly one was clear in his own mind that a single civilian had been killed by the firing of the foreign gunboats. The assertion that hundreds fof thousands of civilian Chinese cerned, utterly without found:
Dr. Robson is a native of Charleston, W. Ya, Hoxckoxc, May 28—The 15th fed by the arrival and disembarkation of the 52nd and 98th Field Batteries, Royal Artillery, and the 56th Field' Company, Royal Engineers, who came on board the transport City of Poona—Reuter's Pacific Service.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.