When Chang passed out one Wany! took over general control and headed one division while What actually turned out to be the principal campaign.of the whole aid, in and about Chowkiakow, may roughly be divided into four stages. 'The first including the march eastward and the spreading out of the army for the converging attack on the city; the second, the following, month during which' the robbers plundered the country round about; the third the next four or five weeks when they remained stationary about, Pahtsuen and Tan-chuan, about 100)
south west of Chiakiakow and the! fourth the subsequent movements north and east to a position about) Yencheng, leading up to the present, situation as last reported, When Chowkiakow was taken the region was under the military con trol of Goreral Jen Yao-wa's men, but they were entirely ineffectual checking the bandits or in taking any steps for the release of the Rev. Freeman Davies who had been captured in the city. Br. Lack, in charge of the C.LM. at Yencheng was able, by constant agitation, t5 bring about some sort of half hearted, negotiations in which the bandits! demande $5,000,000 with a quantity automatic pistols various other chieftains, of equal rank, manded the other two.
The pro. gramme as regards the sack of Chenliu seems to have been carried {out as planned. But that of Ckenliv, seems probable, was a mere preli-minery to the capture of Kaifeng (or even its suburbs) 15 miles} further on, the plans of the dead; chief decidedly collapsed for, at noon Jen the day following the capture, the bandit army filed out of the south ware of the city and turned] back on the way they had come,} south westward. They pillazsl, towns and villages on the way {took no place of any great imprt-Vance. Ar. Ryding in tells of this march repeatedly referred ta the very apparent lack of intel Teasership, and ths whole organiza-
{of the bandit army sensed to be] thorwaxhly demoralized. To all bearances they merely drifted with} satinite plan of action unless it] Was, perhaps, to rejoin the section] under Niu" Sheng-wa in the] south, and wher cared ant dus, Freeman Davies sunter Just before on the scene, they broke up a Alike wind driven chat s9 Me. Davies? release, but no serious! the final "round up" only mut of some 400 remained to be aken into the army." It is not] improbable that a good number the disbanded robbers did eventually join their associates near Chowkia: until, Yen Yueh-jen, personally to investigate when, through more jons with the bandits, the missionary was restored to! ow, but the mumd up, sone 701i, Hsuchow completely put stop to any further organized] activity in the north and what was undoubtedly designed Drineipal eampaiin of the raid came to an early end. The scene of chief interest shifted to the south, where Niu Shoog-wu had taken over the cad Chane's job as first chieftain, and we may take up again his move ments from where we left kim with fon the Country Whether or not it might have been due to the range in personnel the surrounding troops or some terms, in the negotiations at the time of Mr. Davies' release, or whether the bandits may have already. secured all the captives they could comfortably: handle, th stopped their rob-
Ding and kidnapping activities abou the two divisions of the "second the middle of October and comsarmy™ at fi Luckang, The Move on Chowkiakow After Chang had left for ty north it appears that Nia did not placestly "squatted" on the country giving their whole attention to the business of collecting ransom money' for the captives they held. During several divisions of the that time th kow, into more} "army" occupied the territory sur-and smaller sections and spread rounding the towns of Tanchuan and Pho-tsuen, where "General" Nia had occupying towns and villages to th his own headquarters, and daily ject of attack. He appears t" h collected thousands of della oont Fecruited very rapidly at this "in by the friends of captives, also it would seem that On November 19 a report reached id. perhaps, taken with him only Chowkiakow, where I was. ther the "wid hands" and left all staying, that the bandits had, tsvo with Niu, for his thi nights previously, occupied the town are Said to ha of Shing-liungkow, only 13 miles only 000 mon at the time! almost due east of the city, Later Chenliu was taker two original di short time expanded ints five, all full strength of about a thousand 1en. On September 16 they al [gathered together at a point clu: south of the doomed city and, during the night, rushed and captured it.
The story of the capture and suck of Chowkiakow will be tchi in subsequent articles, and it may [only be emphasized here that sial Mestruction that attack were far} story wf banditry Honan.
1 visited in Honan six other] walled dits was far Jest than: that inflicted on Chowkiakow. The banc its took: six ays to complete the job, and then spread out sain pillaging smaller places to the west.
Tine southeast CORNER
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.