Considerable consternation pre vailed among the people of Wan Ding, a station on the Shanghai-Nanking Railway not far from Wuish, on September 20 as the result of a fight which broke out between a company of the salt smuggling prevention force and large party of smugglers a little way to the north of the town.
An officer and a number of members of the salt smuggling prevention force were wounded, one was taken prisoner, and three rifles and a considerable quantity of property was lost. Casualties on part of the smugglers are unknown but were believed to be fairly On September 19, some 40 junks carrying several hundred salt smugglers arrived at a. village near Wusih and fore?) ed the people to purchase salt which they had offered for sale. Learning of this, a company of the: Kiangsu. smuggling _prevention force rushed to the place and succeeded in dispersing the smugglers and seizing two of their vessels, on board of which a large quantity of, smuggled salt was discovered and later confiscated.
Angered over the seizure of their vessels, the smugglers gathered on the following day and, with the stance of another gang numbering} more than 400, they made plans to attack the salt smuggling prevention force.
Armed with rifles and pistols and using many boats they set sail for a place a little to the north of Wan Ding, on the Shanghai-Nanking, Railway, where most of the patrol-boats used by the salt smuggling force were undergoing A villager learnt of their plans to make a surprise attack on the smuggling prevention force and he promptly reported to them. Fea ing that they were not strong, enough to cope with such a large number of smugglers, the prove tion force sent a message to their comrades in Soochow, appealing for reinforcements, Owing to the distance between Soochow and Wan Ding, however, the Soochow men failed to arrive in tim 'The smugglers arrived at their destination at about' 8 p.m. on Saturday and used flashlights from a bridge in order to find out where the headquarters of, the smuggling prevention force were and how many men wore stationed there.
Members of the force, seeing the flashlights from the bridge, knew that the smugglers had arrived, so fire was immediately opened onthe marauders. The latter replied and a fierce clash took place which lasted well over two hours.
During the: battle, some of the smugglers set fire to a patrol boat, whilst others succeeded in occupying the headquarters of the smuggling prevention force and looting it.
However, members of the force fought desperately and soon recaptured their headquarters, but found that all their personal belongings had been carried away or destroyed by the marauders.
After fighting for more than two hours, the smugglers ran short of ammunition and had to retreat.
Crossing the Shanghai-Nanking Railway, they fled in a northerly direction. As they crossed the rai way line, government _soldie stationed at the Wan Ding Station opened fire on them, but without effect.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.