Determination to burn his shop and that of his competitor next door, and to perish in the flames himself, was expressed in an alleged statement to the French Police by a Chinese, following a fire early on Tuesday morning (Oct. 9) in Rue Brenier de Montmorand.
'A pedestrian saw a Chinese setting a light to a shop, and summoned the fire brigade. Subsequently detectives arrested the man, who is said to have made the remarkable statement.
The man's business had failed and his rival was doing well, thanks to a loan made by a third' party who lived in a room behind the two ad-the rivals, and so he decided upon his strange deed. An onlooker and the fire brigade saved his life.
On the same morning that he was to have appeared as defendant in 44M. Police Court in a French Concession traffic case, Mr. Archie Leech, Committee' Cierk of the /Sbanghat Municipal Council, was found dead on Friday at his residence in Avenue Jofire, a pistol bullet in his chest, Mr. Leech, who had been employed Committee Clerk for nearly twelve years, was known to have worried considerably over a traflle case, an which two persons are said to have been injured, and at the same time to have grieved deeply over tne death of his mother three weeks ago, His body was found shortly after '9 O'clock and examination showed that death had been caused by a gunshot wound in the region of the heart. The pistol which had been used lay near the body.
Court Awaits Case In HM. Police Court on Frida; morning lawyers, police, and report fers awaited the opening of the tragic ease between the French Municipal Police and Mr. Leech, when the de-
/fendant failed to appear. Among the lawyers present were Mr. H. A.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.