Italian Police Official of Tientsin Shot at While Metoring Down from Peking Tientsin, Dec. 18.
The "Peking & Tientsin Times" reports another serious anti-foreign outrage. It appears that on Saturday night Signor Hoven, the Chief of the Italian Police in Tientsin, Signor Zotti_and two n chauffeurs left Peking for tsin by road. At the south barrier of Tungchow a soldier demanded tax to the amount of $1.90. Signor Hoven offered a $10 note and asked for change, but the soldier insisted that the exact amount should be handed him. While a conversation was proceeding other soldiers began loading their rifles. Signor Hoven gave his card and suggested that the matter should be adjusted with their superiors in Tientsin. He assumed that the matter had been settled and re-entered the oar but had only gone 10 yards when three or four shots were fired. The foreigners immediately stopped and left the car.
Signor Hoven went to the soldiers' but in order to investigate, when soldiers struck him with their rifles. While he was there hundreds of shots were fired, 52 of which struck the car, but the foreigners were all at a safe distance and were not hurt. All the foreigners then went into the hut. The soldiers re-entered the hut and cleaned their rifles but did not molest. the foreigners further. After three hours an official arrived. He. apparently reprimanded the soldiers and allowed the ear to proceed. The damage is estimated at $400 but the car was workable and reached Tientsin on Sunday morning.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.