Many Ci ians Said to Have Been Killed by Japanese Bombardment: City Now Cleared of Southern Troops Nanking, May 12.
An official communique issued by the Headquarters of the Nationalis Forees and signed as such, says:—On the 10th instant, the Japanese forees surrounded the city of Tsinan and attacked. our troops, who were besieged within, but who offered no resistance as these troop: had been ordered to avoid any conflict with the Japanese forces. They therefore withdrew (o the parts of the city, after the Japanese mounted six big guns on the city wall and bombarded the city indiscriminately. Among the casualties there are a lieutenant colonel and a number of soldiers, but the greatest number of killed and wounded are fo be found among the civilians, who were again thrown into a great panic by the bombardment," Japanese aeroplanes also flew over the city and dropped many bombs, News received at five pan. on the Air-mail Carrier Shot At On the morning of the 11th one of our aeroplanes made a_ recon: noirring flight to Tsinan with five bags of mail. When the machine Passed over Tangehiachuang the Japanese fired their ant guns in an attempt to bring it down, but the machine succeeded in carrying out its mission. It reported that the outskirts of Tsinan were filled with Japanese soldiers and that there were two Japanese tanks and one aeroplane at Changehuang. A Japanese armoured train has ached Tangchiachuang, Nation:
is! Furious Resistance Peking, May 12, Only the most meagre reports are reaching Peking "vith regard '0 Feeent events at Tsinany, but. it appears that: consid took place from early on May 8, when the Japanese ultimatum ex: plyed, till dawn on May 11, when the Southern troops within Tsinan id down their arms. The Narialists made frequent counterattacks as the Japanese tried to storm the city and fired down from the walls and houses. The Japanese finally made two breaches in the walls and blew down two gates of the outer wall and three gates of the inner wall. Fighting raged on May 10 round the West Gate and North Gate and the lake 10 the northeast of the city. Finally th: Japanese were completely victorious and the Chinese forces were driven out and disarmed or killed.
The Japancee since yesterday morning have been ce-operating With the Chinese police in scare hi for stray soldiers and disarming thera. Many had cast off their uniforms and were dressed like civilians: hence the task: was not. easy, but no fighting has been re-Ported since early yestentay morn ing.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.