"Foreign Devil" Adapte Visit of League Body Defied Himself By Birds of Prey From Ovn OWN Cornesroxoest From Aca OWN Conesroxoen?
Haichow, Ku, June 4, Harbin, June'7.
Now that the days are warm and the time draws nigh when the kao-long will soon be high enough to offer sheller for roving bands of robbers, and bandits who are becoming more active. In most places the activities of the robbers are confined the night time, because the Fkaoliang does not yet give the day-{time protection which they will get little later. Some daylight robbing is now going on, Several times, travellers on the roads only few miles out from Haichow have been attacked and robbed. The big: business of the bandits sta when the sun gets below the horizon. Out at Sha He, some 20 miles northwest of Haichow, the shades Jof night brings bandits who have ventured up to almost. within the [shadow of the Sha He wall in their business of kidnapping.
The vis of the League of Nations Commission on White Slave Traffic was: marked by two incidents Japparently arranged for the purpose of showing that the people engaged in this nefarious trade "snapped their fingers" at the work The first incident was that for a couple of days before and during. the whole of the visit there was large display advertisement in a local Russian paper seeking 6 to 8 dancing ladies for a Tientsin Cabaret. There is no doubt that such an advertisement appearing only once, Toast 50. replies, cept going for ten. days, it was evidently put in to see whether the commission would look' into the matter.
The second incident has only now 'A few nights ago, *"|come to light and proves that the Jone of the largest work of catching girls was being whole Haichow District, 1 was jearried on with impunity right surprised to. hear a tremendous under the noses of the members of fusillade of rifle shots, which, from the Commission. It was an entirely the sharpness of the sound, seemed new game and was so successfully to be only a few yards away. This rifle fire was repeated at inter worked that six girls were carried off to be sold to houses in other several times during the night.
Early the next morning, one of my parts of China. friends came in and asked: "Do It seems that a young Russian you know what lady arrived in Harbin a short was about last ni ago and told a story of how was: "No, do you?" The reply she had been engaged to dance in a very enlightening. He said" that house at Tientsin where she was Jo young girl had come over from exceedingly Well treated and where Hiwantenbu, a large market town! met a foreigner to whom over 20 miles away, and had now engaged to be ma brought with her witnesses to say Clothes in Harbin being cheaper that she" had the "power to see than In any other part of China, demons at night, and that. if people she had come specially to purchase would follow her directions they could rid their "premises of her wedding outfit, dangerous demons who had been She visited restaurants and making life miserable for them. cabarets where girls were looking The method which she proposed, for employment and told her story to many, thus it was not long be-Jout to the letter that night, was which Thad" evidently been curried fore several came and begged her that the master of the house should to secure them situations in Tien first fire off a Title inside his house sin, At first she demurred but and thus scare the demons out into finally she agreed to do the best she the open. The girl herself was to could and pretending to send a stationed at the door of the telegram, she steted she had reccivhouse for the purpose of pointing ed instructions to arrange for not lout to the riflemen who. stood by more than six. 'There was almost a her the exact Position of the de-fight between those who wanted to mons, so that they could fire on go and those who were chosen were them' put them entirely to rout. considered extremely lucky, but no So it turmed out that the night's tone noticed that only girls of 18 lorgy of shooting was all a part of years of age who had separate the programme. of the young Passports from their parents, were damsel who claimed to see the Chosen. This was done to avoid the police becoming suspicious, Inthe past I have heard of The "bride" advanced money, for numerous methods of dealing with clothes, railway fares and visas, troublesome spirits, but this is the taking receipt that the amount ex: first time I have heard of the use pended would be repaid out of future earnings. rather dangerous ex cubied times like these, Pre-No mention of the place to where iously one of the favourite daylight the girls were going was made till methods has been the firing off of the day before departure, and it, quantities of fire-crackers to scare was only after the party had left the devons out of specially troubled Harbin that some of the disappoint houses. In fact, one of the mised girls began to make enquiries. Jsionary group here made use of a The address given was found to knowledge of this practice to stamp po an invention and information the practice of, shouting naving been given to the police, foreign devil" by urchins of @ the latter telegraphed to Tientsin, Shanghai and Dairen to stop the party if teand. Probably the calmly sat down fo his home and Cunning dealer "White" slaves parents came to inquire the object his visit, he told them that their child bad called him by the name Just mentioned, and that he would stay in the home until they used the customary method of ejecting evil spirits, namely, the fung off The parents were filled with con-stomation, After waiting for some time to see whether the foreigner really meant what he said, they went out and." bought some fire-[crackers and fired them off in the oom which he occupied. He told them that there were mot enough fire-crackers to more a spirit of Ihis type—they must go out and buy some more. After some. time, seeing that no other plan seemed feasible, the parents went out and {invested some more good money in crackers and set them off inthe oom. This time, the foreigner moved of leaving a wholesome Tesson behind him which in, future availed to keep the words "foreign devil" out of the vocabulary of the children of that neigh "To return. to the subject bandits: The chief scene of their activities has now shifted to. the fection ta. the west of Haichow ity. Not so long ago a large band fof robbers burned about 150 [Chinese houses about 20 miles west fof Haichow. This news stirred the west country considerably and the coal militia is now using more vigilance than formerly. About! makes her plans so carefully that liber prey will not be discovered.
It seems that one of the girls a waitress ina well known Confectionery Store, the lady getting into conversation with her by: constantly buying sweets. 'The gir! fived with her mother and father who strongly objected to her leaving the town, but as she was 18 and had her own' passport, she refused to listen to her parents' advice and has become a victim of this new method of enslaving innocent girls.
It is to be hoped that the Members of the League Commission happen to read this story of! Harbin, and the manner in, which they were flaunted by the "White Slave" dealers, Jeix days ago, the militia attacked band of robbers and in the hasty Fetreat by the latter seven of their humber were separated from the main body.
This seven took refuge jenelosed yard belonging to a family Hiving outside the nearest village. The militia came up behind the house in whose yard they were taking refuge, burned the roof of the hous, and then threw numbers fof bland-made hand-grenades into the flames. By this method they succeeded. in killing all, seven of the bandits, and had only. two of their own number wounded.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.