Evidence of the startling conditions in. Harbin which leads. the Harbin British Chamber of Commerce to refer to the "inadequacy of protection to. fife and property Harbin, andthe inolislency of those from whom we should natural. Ly expect. protection" is, contained
on Mrs. Florence Helen Wo a the full account of the wife of Mr. Cyril Thomas Woodruff, of the B.A.T. Ca., who was shot oad by bandits on' October 12.
At the inquest on Mrs. Woodruff, Mr. S. L. Burdett, British Vice-Consul, sitting as Coroner, returned the following verdict:
ix"Gnd. that onthe morning of Qetober 12, 1982, Drs. Woodruff eft her house in a motorcar with her two daughters and the daughter of Mr, Walter Napier; that four armed Chinese, whose identity unknown, boarded the motor ear with the oh: Ject of kidnapping. the occupants; thatthe motor cay came to a stand atrabout 9.20 am. at the corner of Bolshot. Prospekt and Linoyanskaya Stree, in Harbin; and that Mrs. Woodrut! in an attempt to rescue the three children from the motor ear avas killed by a bullet, which was red at her' by one or other the Chinese bandits whose ident ity has not yet been established.
"To these findings I must add the following tiders:—By his courage and presence P! of mind the chauffeur, Ivan Petrovitch—Yasiushenko, undoubtedly saved Mrs, Woodruff and the three children from being Steeped} "'Bkaterina Petroyan Boleva—at the risk of her Kfe—reseued. the sree salves et the street whilst shooting was in. prowess "itewrs, Beveaovaky, and Grinznoft," who were unarmed bravely ' pursued three armed bandits, and succeeded in cap: turing " and di the bandits, who ws killed,—Griaznoff being wounded twice' in the course of the struggle with the captured bandit.
"The courage and self-strifice of have four persons is worthy of the trust that the Chief, of
to the fact 4 at no time—from Police will ge serious attention the beginning of this outrage to Hie cultinati inthe murder. of Mrs""Wootruft andthe capture of tne' of the four" bandits-aid: the police make. an Tier be speed to. rescue the vietins of the. eut= rage! synopsis of the evidence taken at the inquest brings out the following facts of this distressing outraver Of, Walter Napier, Manager ote Ments, 'A Lopato Son, Lid, find Mie G, Woodruff reside No. 17 Tiehlinskaya Street, New Town. The house is a bungalow containing two sets of apartments, tone of which live Bes and Mrs Napier with their daughter Hua Napier, aged 10, and: fu the_other live Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff with their two daughters, Audrey Woodruff aged 8 and Sheila Woodruff aged 4, A small, dark blue, Citroen leon eat, Meenco. No, if, fs used partly Yor business in" connection with Messrs, Lopato's cigarette fae-tory and partly by Mr. Napier for private purposes. For many months past this car has taken the three
Same from No. aT ealinskaya
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.