vg. Tt was on August 24 of this year that Simon Kaspe, half owner of the Modern Hotel in' Harbin, was number of uss street, just opposite the Hate Several letters were received from him stating that the bandits who had him captive refused to let him go for less than 300,000 yen, a gum which was quite impossible for Ais father to pay as he had not xo much in cash and the Hotel itself wai heavily mortgaged to a bank.
As Simon Kaspe was a French subject, the matter was taken Up by the French Consulate who insisted that the police of Harbin must him liberated and as eer} rial came to light regarding the formation of the gang who had kid-sapped him, the rench government took up the matter very strongly, instructions being given by the Japanese itary Mission in yj Harbin to Yoguchi, chief of the Griminal Department, to make every endeavour te trace the whereabouts the kidnapped man, Notwithstanding. the efforts of the police it was a long time before they got on clues which enabled them 45 trace down the kidnappers but doing x0 they learned that the leader of the yang was a detective Police inspector named Martinof.
The first man that Was arrested was named Ivanoff, who had a house in which he used' to hide persons when they were first. kidnapped 'This Ivanoff, on being interrogated, grated that' he knew a certain Shander, a house-owner, and mem~ ber of the Russian Refugee Committee, who had been directly. eon: fected with the Kidnapping of Hoffmann (who was killed) and young Sherell de Florunce who had BAY, Pansom before he was
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.