Appalling End of Plot That Failed: Family's Suicide From aw ANHUI Connespoxpen?
It is not always that the victim of a bandit kidnapping affair is the one to suffer all the tragic consequences. Most terrible, retribution has been visited upon the would-be kidnapper and his family in a most dramatic affair, in the city of Luchowfu, in central Anhui, number of kidnappings and Dandit outrages have been reported from the country outside the city, but this is the first to occur within the city walls where many wealthy families have taken refuge. The principal villains of this incident appear to have been a local young man of only 24 years named Shu, and a man named Chang Huei-po from Yangchow, Kiangsu.. These two had become acquainted while serving in the army of Chang 'Tsung-chang in Shantung. It appears that young Chang was able to supply the brains and the pi necessary for the establishing. of the profitable and popular kidnapping business. Shu on the other hand, being a local man of good family aiid' wide acquaintance was able to make connections with sultable prospective "customers.
After laying their plans carefullys the two wont to work. They rented a house in a quiet part of the town under guarantee from the well and favourably known Mr. Shu, A narrow cell was constructed with thick mud walls Just high enough to on which watchman would lie to guard the captives who would be put inside the cell Last Saturday evening the watehed for opportunity came. A young man named Fan, son of a wealthy family, and son-in-law of family, was birds with an air rifle a evening: approached. Mr. Shu went out and accompanied him, encouraging him to go in the direction of the bandit Jair. When suffd tly close Mr. Chang and his assistants rushed and seized the two, both Mr. Shu and his unsuspecting victim, "Mr. Fan, The latter was placed in the carefully prepared cell, and une Known to him, Mr. Shu was re-eased. This arrangement was supposed to protect Mr. Shu, for when Fan should later be released on payment of large ransom, he would not hold Shu respon any way. The pair hi two assistants to "k'an ptiao," ie. "watch the check" as it i common kidnapper's pari For the victim if properly han was now worth some tens of thousands of dollars. They sent a note to the father of the victim demanding $50,000 ransom. In the note which was written by the viet himself, the father was told that the victim was outside the city and was threatened with immediate death unless the money were pai promptly.
The father on reading the note suspected that the statement that the victim was outside the city w a mere blind, moreover he noti that the writing looked very fresh, barely dried in fact. He imi Gintely notified the local Dis Magistrate, Fortunately District istrate Wang of Hofiehsien, in which Luchowfu is situated, is a man of action, in fact he is) noted being something of a bandit catcher. After a little preliminary investigation he was able to determine the approximate section of the city in which the kidnappers were located. A dragnet of police and volunteers was thrown around the district and a thorough search made. The victim was found to-wether with Shu and the two wretched assistants who had been employed for the miserable sum of $10 per month to guard the Unfortunately Chang, instigator of the crime, had sensed the storm coming and escaped.
The three caught red-handed, could do nothing" but confess. Tt seems that Shu had been living fast life, and while his family is respected and reasonably well off, he wished to get more money for vicious purposes, and had planned to use this means for getting it. The acquaintance with his friend Chang had persuaded him that it was an ensy way for getting rich.
The three men being convicted, and there being just now a erying need to discourage others from engaging in this kind of business, they were promptly beheaded. The disgrace of the whole matter was so heavy om the head of the innocent wife of Shu that she administered olson to her So dhilren and ended liber own in same way. This [complete destruction of a whole family in such bitter disgrace makes terrible lesson to those who' might tempted to get rich from the frightful business of kidnapping.
The prompt and efficient action the District Magistrate in so completely and promptly wiping out this once law-abiding and peace fi country. The same kind of medicine }spplied extensively throughout of country would doubtless prove salute jary. Some people are inclined to think that the tide of banditry is due to famine and poverty. This may be partly true, but it may be more often due to idle young men of ability desiring more money for their evil purposes. It would seem, too, that famine and poverty is more often due to the banditry, rather than the banditry being due to famine.
We are. informed on good authorty that banditry or communism as it is called has become very extensive in the western districts of Ani, notably at Hubshan' and [Teishan. People have actually moved from those districts to Central Anhui to escape the The people are id to harvest their crops, be-it will immediately be by the communists, consequently many people have deserted their homes, Thus the land is ne-lected and poverty and starve ation spreads. Not having seen these conditions the writer cannot speak as an eye-witness, but those who have fled their homes. report these conditions as existing.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.