They had descended on my informant, stating that they had just returned from Litsun,, where a portion of their gang was fighting the police. They were in a terrible rage with the latter, and openly boasted their intention of taking reprisals by burning and looting certain of the banks in the city during the night. He begged me not to reveal his identity as he would probably have to pay with his life for giving me this information, bunt he was obviously in a state of panic, and heeced me to find safe quarters for himself, his wife and children after dark. 1 heard subsequently that he had secured a temporary asylum from another friend. But what I saw on his premises convinced me that the report that all the bandits had left the city was premature.
When I left Tsingtao about 10 p.m. on Sunday, the streets were entirely deserted save for defachments of armed police assembled at the corners, and single armed patrols moving to and fro. I do not think that the banks which my Chinese friend told me were to be attacked on Sunday night are in any danger as they are all strongly guarded, But if the bandits are bent on mischief there are other more vulnerable buildings which would yield considerable loot, and I fancy that the new administration and the police are in for a hectic time during the coming week.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.