Shot -at by Soldiers Returning from. Races; Bullet Passes Through Car: Officer Says "Mistake": No Apology.
Last Priday evening, three foreigners returning to town in a motor cor from the Kiangwan Races were shot_at: by a Chinese soldier who lay ina trench bounding Kiangwan Road, and. were lucky to-escape without wounds, 'The bullet passed through a door of the car, grazed the leg of Mr. Tobias, and went cut through the opposite' door.
Messrs, J. H, MeGregor, Tobins and R. V, Meyer had been the Kiangwan Races and left the course soon after 8 p.m, As they approached the junction of Kiangwan Road and the unnamed road which leads to Yangtszepoo, a bullet assed through the car as above re-ated. They were travelling. very slowly and the ear drew up in it own length, No warning was given and, after a moment or so, a youth in a soldier's uniform popped his dread over the crest of a ditch bounding the road and approached thi car with his rifle at the "ready" The occupants asked for an explanation and subsequently demanded that an officer should be called. indirectly recruited by the same. authorities, whilst traveling along 2 pat road controlled by the authorities who issued the licence.
In any country, even if a trespasser approached a guard, the trespasser: would be challenged. The motorists had a perfect right to be on the road. They were authorized to use the road after payment for and the: receipt of their licence, Attempt to Stifle Complaint After the outrage had been explained asa "mistake", the for-igners intimated that' the fact) would be reported in the proper: quarter, whereupon the officer truculently remarked, that unless an undertaking were then given that nig trouble would be made, they would not be allowed to proceed. A request was then made that the car be allowed to return to Kiangwan. This was also vetoed. After much arguing extending over a period of tone hour, the car was allowed to go on to Shanghai. The incident was reported and it is hoped that those responsible will be suitably dealt. with.
After a wait of some 80 minutes, an oiler appeared, the position was explained, and an explanation quested. "There was, of course, no reasonable explanation forthcoming, but the theory advanced as to the unwarranted shooting was laconien.- Jy summed up by the offer in the tone word "mistake", No apology was offered, must here be borne in mind that the occupants of the ear might easily have lost, their then is. the position, motorists in a issued by responsible hot at by an underling In connection with these incidents, it may be added that the searching of foreigners on Kiangwan Road has developed into an outrage, For~ eigners who live in this area and who travel in their own cars four times a day on Kiangwan Road, are daily compelled to submit to search. One would think thatthe reasonable way to deal with such a situation would be for the Chinese authorities to compile a list of foreign residents in the area, obtain Consular confirmation, note the numbers of these residents? motor ears and pass them through the barriers without let or hindrance,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.