Attempts of Minor Official to Extract Large Loan Hankow, Feb. 13, The full story of the imprison. ment of the Rev. Father Hawley Jhas now come to hand from Siningehow and for sheer effrontery fon the part of minor Chinese officialdom its parallel is scarcely found, For some weeks before the Father's imprisonment the Mission was constantly pestered by the loyal Magistrate and hig minions for a "Joan" of $30,000, but the Mission [being unable to raise this sum a joan of $1,000 vas arranged, This seemed only to whet the Magis trate's cupidity, for, after soverat personal visits during which he continually threatened the Fathers with direct penalties should the money not be forthcoming, ho at Tength appeared with a squad of amen police armed with iron rods Apparently with Ube intention of extracting the "loan" by force Fortunately for the Fathers the were being visited at the time by military officer whom "hey had once succoured when wounded and he persuaded the magistrate to sist, Shortly after this occurreno" the City was threatened with 2 descent from one of Honan's numerous secret societies and, in thi absence fof the major portion of the garrison ft the Chengchow front, the merchants were in considerable tropida: tion, Father Hawley was invited to the yamen to a conference to discuss with the merchants the best means. of defending the city. On tong (0 attend this conference was immediately into prison.
The demands for the $3,000, now the price of the Missionary's ite, were redoubled but were steadfastly refused, Finally after several day's confinement the Father was lease fon the intervention of several the more. influential local gentry. Jon the understanding that. be should rot leave the town, It has now been-ascertaind that the military had nothing whatever to do with the affair, which was purely a bare-tueed attempt at ox. tertian on' the part of ths Civil trate, The matter has been taken up with the German Consul here in whose hands it now tests. commenced, All the ay: ers will be put to work right from Taku to the upper reaches of the river, the big dredger which is now working at the bar beige also brought into operation and replaced by a smaller one. The Harbou: pates a 14 ft. race as far as the lower swinging berth at a not far distant date. known. Taxes for three years are being collected yearly. and now are eight to nine years in advo One is foreed to the conclusion that we have many friends here and The hospital, under Dr. Fun, hi cessful year," with 580 in-patients, 20,000 out-patients, a local income of $9.500, and four nurses in training wrote on their final
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.