Chang. Apparently Desirous of Buying Over Liu Chen-nien friction between the police, who were 'a pruduet of, and at heart loyal to, the old regime, and the Min Tuan, or People's' Protective Force (Militia) who were 25 a body dis. tinctly sympathetic with the Nationalist 1
Chefoo, Mar. 1.
The: American missionaries at! Tengehow, Huanghsien and Laichow are remaining at their stations as they consider it their duty to relieve the suffering of the local population y-means of hospital work and other They report that the country.
their respective districts ha eon ravaged by the troops of both sides, They state that many vily Yages shave gone up in flames. while there has been much looting and the people have suffered terribly.
Chang Chung-chang gave very. little information to Mr. Leroy Webber, the United States Consul, during the latter's recent conversa: tion with him at Tengehowfu, Deyond assuring him that foreigners would be protected.
It is apparent that Chang Chung chang desires to buy over General Liu. Chien-nien, but the latter, 0 far, is sitting tight. Both sides' are consolidating their positions and favouring to obtain the assistance of the more or less independent Jactions in north-eastern Shantung, such as the 9,000 troops commanded cly. Colonel Sze Chung-cheng at General Liu Chien-nien is still awaiting the arrival of substantial assistance from Nanking. The pinion is expressed locally that the National Government should take the opportunity immediately to send material assistance to General Liv Chien-nien to clinch his loyalty and to prevent Chang Chung-chang from obtaining a stronger footing Very strict martial law is being enforced here. Merchants are very uneasy concerning the situation and business ix almost due to the pars in sport up-country caused by" the com mandecring of carts, mules und rooters by the military.
H, M.S, Cornflower is relieving HOM. 8, Magnolia here to-day.—
This, fri hostility in October, and on the 27th of that month broke out in a pitched battle between Police and Min Tuan, This crisis was precipitated by the fact that the head of the Min Taaa, while making a round of the city on that date, was shot—by whom or at whose instigation is not known, but popular conviction in the city itself is that the Police instigated the crime if they did not actually commit it,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.