Chungking Resident Charged with Smuggling Arms and Confined in Chinese Prison Suffering from manifold injustices, being spat upon and beaten, and forced to march overland with the retreating army of Gen. Yang Sen the entire distance from Chungking to Wanhsien, Elly. Widler, captive in the latter city, wrote to Shanghai asking for immediate and stern assistance for his release. Mr. Widler, a resident. of Chungking and for his entire 35 years a resident of China, was arrested on September 10 by the soldiers of the Second Army, defending that city against those of the First, and was detained by them there until October 16, the date of the fall, and subsequently was forced to march to Wanhsien where he was still being held captive at the time of his writing. Although had a Swiss passport in his possession at the time of arrest which he produced and showed to Gen. Yang it made absolutely no difference to that official who kept him in the worst sort of conditions, so bad that he contracted dysentery and nearly -lost his life. In addition to the passport, he had, according to his letter, with him a certificate of registration in the Swiss Consulate in Shanghai and Tls. 3,000, all of which were taken from him and confiscated, as well as all his clothes. A charge of smuggling arms was placed against him, but to date he has had no opportunity of defending himself and clearing himself from the allegations. Mr. Cornell S. Franklin of Williams Franklin & Faison, has been retained by Mrs. Widler, his mother, to represent her in efforts to get a speedy and just hearing.
Mr. Widler in his letter describes the most horrible conditions under which he has been forced to subsist. His captors appear to be not content with starving him and feeding him with stuff unas-sunilable by the foreigner, but have actually deprived him of the necessary factors to keep body and soul together. Besides weakening him physically through these means, there seems to be a determined effort to reduce his morale to nil, for has been beaten and kicked, spat upon, strack and forced to wear unhygienic clothing and has not been permitted to as much as bathe. Conditions rapidly became worse and with the advance of Gen. Yang Sen toward - Chungking again, the change was immediately noted. The General had him confined in the servants' quarters under supervision, but turned him over to the Magistrate when he.left, who was afraid of the possible escape of the captive and has tightened his bonds unbearbly. Mr. Widler was placed in a Chinese prison and had to as-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.