Missing for 48 days and presumed Jarowned in a whirlpool on. the Whangpoo River, eight years-old Vladimir Loukomsky has returned to his home, looking bronzed and fit. Vladimir was one of the trio of youthful Russians who intended to make a trip to Tsingtao ina sampan The trio, under the leadership of 12 years-old Vadin Gravitsky, went down near the Point for a swim when their sampan trip proved unsuccessful. Vadin's story. regard. ing the bathe was a tissue of falsehoods, it is understood. The! three left the river bank happily and safely, but after proceeding a short distance op the road back to Shang-bai there was a disagreement between them. Vadin wanted the trio to become beggars, but Vladimir had other ideas, and he parted from them.
Vladimir says that he lived in the fields, sleeping under trees, for the whole period, and only returned home because the colder weather was setting in- He claims that he lived on apples, peas anything he could find growing in the fields. He managed to acquire a jacket land a pair of Chinese trousers. Speaking Chinese well, Vladimir claims that he had no trouble with the natives of the Woosung dis Police circles, however, consider that Vladimir' in all probability spent most of the 48 days aboard a Chinese junk sailing out of Shanghai. His bronzed and fit condition life at sea than to existence in the fields on an unusual diet.
What led Vadin Gravitsky, the "captain" of the trio, to testify that Vladimir was sucked under by fa. whirlpool on the river is not known. He further told this story to Vladimir's mother and said "I aim sorry to tell you this." Actually Vadin's original story fits in with that of Vladimir quite well. It is suggested Vladimir's prolonged absence led Vadin to tell a story which would appear plausible and {at the same time put an end to the episode.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.