While the audience was. passing lout of the house at the end of last night's performance at the Honam Theatre, bomb exploded with a deafening report on the stage. It was intended to snuff out the life lof Chien Li-chu, the Mui Lan-fang fof the Cantonese theatrical world, for, second best, to end the mortal existence of any other of the stars fof the performance, In part the Chien Liehu escaped injury and] possibly death by the narrowest of Lam, who play's minor killed outright. A star factor, Li Min-long was hurt, but apparently not very seriously, and three attendants were injured, two fof them perhaps mortally:
Close by the side of the dead man, Chien Wei, prince of the Honam' underworld, dropped one of his calling cards. In bold type his name! was printed, and written beneath] were the words expressing the idea [Chien Wei was intent on killing the leading performers in this show.
Two letters both signed by Chien had reached the. theatre earlier.
(One was written in the hope that {$10,000 might be exacted from the troupe as a whole. The second was addressed to Chien Li-chu calling] upon the star to come through with] 133,000. Both were phrased, "You money or your life."
This bold criminal is @ new-comer among the bold, bad leaders in crime! in Honam. His name has been so Tittle known outside of police circles that the theatrical people! hesitated paying what had been demanded. He had been but a common private in the army of Li Fuk-Jim, and with the compulsory retire ment of the Honan "Governor fatter he had raised his hand against the existing government. Chien Well began to rise to a position of greater and greater importance Jamong the many Honam ¢rooks.
Only a year or so ago, the first bombing outrage atthe Honant theatre took place, The concubine of a bandit chief who has since} Jdroyped from power planted that infernal machine, which wrecked the inside of the play house and Jereated large casualty list, All the dead and injured that" time were spectators of the show.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.