Suchien is again being visited by the tufei, and in a way that makes nobody feel safe. You may remember me mentioning, some time ago "the small knife" society, a banding together of the villagers to protect themselves from the tufei. They had several names, in some places calling themselves the 'White Flag" Society, and practised pretty much the same as the 'Boxers' or "Big Knife" Society. They considered themselves invulnerable to shot, though there were several injured. The tutee were afraid of them, and undoubtedly they protected their families, while so long, as they used their prowess on these lines they did good, Two or three weeks ago there was some trouble between them and the police in Hsicheofu, and a proclamation was put out, here forbidding them to meet an practice, I expect they feared they had revolutionary tendencies. About a week ago our "'p'aotui"" Were sent out against them with their field guns to the borders of Anhui but we have not heard of any fighting. The people—rightly or wrongly—feet the tufei are gaining courage. Previously, we always felt the city and inside the mud "nevtsi" were quite safe, but last Friday night, just after dark, six armed men entered a shop quite close to the big street, held their revolvers to the parents' heads, and carried off their little boy of eight who was asleep behind the shop with his nurse watching him. The yamen soldiers gave chase but up till now, nothing has been heard of him. They brought back an old woman who had been in the brigands' hands for some time, and saved the family a $1,000 which was
day, ready to be paid over the next
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.