Harbin, Sept, 12, Taitsikar Chinese merchants report that for the first time in the History of Manchuria a steam yess! has. made its way up. the Nonni iver above Tsitsihar and into its tributary, the Gang-he. This. small steamer arrived at Tsitsihar from Harbin and after taking on coals and. provisions, proceeded on "its Yoyage of adventure in unknown "The banks of the Nonni are infested with "bandits who claim tribute from every passing junk Which is argo. irom Tsitsihar to Morgen, a distance of about $40 miles. The stream runs swift pace making it hard work sail against the current "and therefore bandits have every chance of, stopping vessels and. demanding tribute." Jank owners state that on the voyage they have thrown. as much as 00 eases of kerosene over Domrd #0 as to save themselves from Doing killed by the bandits Who are well armed, "The appearance of a steam vessel on the iver filed bandits and peas-fants with surprise, but as she showed the barrels of two machine guns, hho one dared even attempt The mysterious vessel kept steadily on her course and took no hotiee of the armed bandits on the Danks of the river, Making her sway carefully up the Gang-he, some of her crew landed and made a jour-hey into the interior of the country, but for what purpose, nobody seems to know. After. spending several days, apparently exploring, the party returned fo the steamer and ade all haste back to Tsitsihar and thence. proceeded to Harbin.
The Chinese merchants state that the man. in command. was foreigner, probably an Englishman, Dut the object of the trip was kep* secret, the Chinese skipper of the steam vessel having no. iden why he was ordered to go. up into un-Known. districts, Jchance to jump into the water and, hide behind the bulwarks of the boat, After a few minutes interval bandits began firing again, but time the foreigners. replied taking steady aim at the hut, One of the Russians jumped overboard and swum in safety to an island where he hid in the bushes.
For a whole hour the firing continued from both sides and. then it was noticed that a bandit was jerawling along the bank to shoot from the rear and this man was shot by the foreigners. "Another man was severely wounded, as well a3 the leader whom the foreigners eked out on the shore near the ut. Several bandits attempted to man a boat and row out but bullets drove holes through it and they all scrambled out. After three Lours' continual firing, the bandits stopped fand at the same time the moter stopped running. Through the compradore overtures were made to the bandits who cent an unarmed man on board, who agreed to peace on condition that $150 and 'a' Browning revolver with ammuni-_ tion was. handed over. While negotiations were going on six well armed bandits came out from the shore and boarded the motor-Seeing them coming a large'
money and rifles were carefully hidden away in places where they could not be seen.
'The bandits took all the rifles and ammunition they could find as well as all the provisions and cloth-Ing and then pulled the cutter off the bank and Invited the party, on shore. 'Their rings, Kodaks, feld glasses and further' clothing' were taken and matters, looked extremely unpleasant. but for a new incident. Tt seemed that three of the bandits were badly wounded and Mr. Witt started binding up their veunds and giving all assistance he could. partake of it.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.