Officials Who Would Put Them Down Starved for Troops From Our Own Correspondent.
Huaiking, Ho., Sept. 4.
After the looting of Menghsien city by the Loyang bandits last week there continues to be state of great uneasiness among the people. No wonder that the two bands of soldiers passing through from Taokow were treatec with suspicion, While they were passing here the city gates were closed and all traffic stopped. Food and entertainment were provided for the soldiers in the south suburb, afterwards they went on to Menghsien and Tsiyuan to hunt the bandits who as a matter of fact most people know are not there at all. So it is literally true that in good faith the hsien official here wished the officer in charge of the soldiers a safe journey while in pursuit of the bandits in the Menghsien and Tsiyoan areas.
For some time the inefficiency displayed in the execution criminals has been a much talked of disgrace. Since it has been the custom to shoot criminals instead of the old form of sword execution, so often rifles have been unreliable as well as. the soldiers' aim. Now that the bandits have made off with the old arms and caused the soldiers who have leaned on them for years to flee in terror for their lives, let it be hoped that something more useful, both as to men and arms may be found forthe future protection of this city as well as other cities and market towns in the district.
The Chinyang official continues to be diligent in his hunt for criminals within his hsien. Three -bad bandit characters were executed outside the north gate yesterday. The point that requires question is why should this official, who was appointed here by Feng Vu-hsiang, have been recently left with so little help to enforce and order. Last year the military yamen force began to dwindle. First it was reduced to 500 men for the Hwaiking area, then. further reduced to 100 until now there are left about 40 men. It is well known that in 1920 after the bandit attack on the Canadian Presbyterian Mission compound and the murder of Dr.
Menzies by. bandit rifle shots, Many assurances came from the officials at Kaifeng that hereafter there should be adequate provision made for the protection of foreign residences in the area, but now evidences of the further fulfilment of those promises are swiftly vanishing. The fault cannot be laid at the door of the Huaiking' officials, because thay. howe frequently reported conditions to their superiors.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.