Since the Boxer year I do not remember this province ever having been disturbed as it is at present. Every few days we hear of robber raids, kidnapping and outrage. A little over a month ago, the town of Huatienhsien, on the Huifa branch of the Sungari, was attacked and plundered by brigands. To day, letters Have brought the news of the large market town of Tun-hua hsien, 130 miles east of this city, having been partially destroyed by these gentlemen of the road.
About August 20, so the story goes, the magistrate of the town was notified by the robbers that they meant to attack on the 23rd and that they would enter by the East Gate and he was advised to surrender quietly, to prevent. bloodshed. The magistrate communicated this information to the military officer in charge of the garrison and help was sent for from neighbouring towns. Probably the town had 1,000 men\carrying arms before the eventful day arrived. About midday on the 23rd, the advance-guard of the attackers appeared to the east of the city and nearly the whole defending force went out to meet them and drove them back into the forest.
At midnight, the main body of robbers came in practically vnopposed by the West Gate, captured the Magistrate and the Captain of the garrison, looted the leading merchants' shops, set fire to the town, and retired before dawn, carrying with them about 100 people for ransom. Two-thirds of the business part of the town was burned.
The state of the province is deplorable, and the sooner the civil and military authorities devise efficient means of restoring some sort of law and order, safer it will be for themselves. The country people, patient though they are, have had enough of this and are ripe for something desperate.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.