Charges of intimidation and attempted extortion were preferred by the Municipal Police on Sept. 26 in the Special District Court against three ex-soldiers who were arrested last Saturday for sending a threatening letter to the family of Gen. Chang Ying, commander of the 59th: Division, demanding the payment of a huge sum of money and threaten. ing to resort to violence if the sum demanded were not forthcoming.
The prisoners are suspected of being connected with the Communist-bandits now terrorizing the Central China regions because in the letter sent by them to the complainant's family, the writers declared their intention of taking a terrible revenge for the execution, in Kiangsi Province, by government troops, of Chang Jen-chi, a leading commander of the Red Army.
In the Court however, the prisoners emphatically denied this and said they were formerly under the complainant's command when the 59th Division was stationed in Hunan Province and that they had sent the letter to their former superior because the latter had failed to pay their arrears despite repeated demands, The, prisoners told the Judge that Gen, Chang was unpopular among his subordinates, embezzling the money sent by the Central Government for the payment of his soldiers and that for this many petitions had been despatched to the. National Military Council by officers of the 59th Division, asking for Gen. Chang's dismissal and punishment, Last Thursday afternoon, the prisoners continued, they and one other not in custody, carrying two pistols, called at Gen. Chang's home in Bubbling -Well District because they had learned that the General had returned to Shanghai from Kiangsi. They did not, however, intend to murder or kidnap the General, they intending only to arrest the General and, then through the Muynicipal Police, to hand him to the National Military Council for trial on a charge of corruption. ales Questioned in regard to their intention to take revenge for the execution of a Communist leader, as stated in the letter received by the complainant, the accused said this was a mistake because their intended revenge was not for the execution of Chang Jen-chi, but for that of the late Col. Tseng, former*subordinate under Gen. Chang, who was executed several years ago by order of the General in Kuangsi for apparently no reasons, The case was remanded till next Tuesday morning,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.