More than $70,000 worth of pro perty was carried off, a merchant murdered and six others wet@ Kidnapped at Yuchukong and Tien ning chang, two large towns near. Kashai and Kashing, on the Shang; hai-Hangchow-Ningpo Railway, Sunday morning, according to re-Porta appearing in the Chinese newspapers yesterday. The ban some G00 strong, were well armed and they arrived in 60 junks early on Sunday morning and at one proceeded to loot the towns, Tienningehang and Yuchukong. are in Chekiang province and are quite close to the Kiangsu border. The former town was first visited, the tufei, who carried machine gun in addition to rifles, pistols and spears, marching at' once to the Bureau of Public Safety where they. disarmed the local police, This done, they divided into two parties, one remaining to loot Tienningchang. and the other going to Yuchukong, Which was only about a mile away, The same procedure was followed, the guardians of the law being div armed, In this manner, the des paradoes secured 60 rifles and pit~ tols, A merchant who advocated that the local authorities should resist to the best of their ability way: murdered in cold blood.
Looting then commenced and this lasted for about three hours, after which the direction, carrying off five mer chants and the commander of the Yuchukong merchant yoluntoerg, who are being held as hostages.
During the looting, tole" graphic and telephonic com munication with Kashai and Kas: shing was severed ith the result not reported When even tually the report was received, the Bandit Suppression Commissioner at Kashing sent a strong force after the bandits. A fight took place at Taochang, some miles from Kas shing, later in the afternoon. Heavy firing was opened by the troops and. this was returned. The fighting fasted for nearly an hour,—after which the bandits fled in confusion, the troops in pursuit.
In view of this affair, silent martinl law was enforced in Kashing and Kashai on Sunday and the merchant volunteers turned out with the police and troops to preserve order.
Tt is estimated that more that $20,000 worth of property was taken. from Yuchukong and that the losses, of the people of Tienningchang ex, ceed $50,000. In order to enforco\, their demands for better protection the merchants have declared a gens eral strike and this was going on: when the report was sent to Shanghai.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.