Messrs. Bosshardt and Hayman Are Still Alive How the Frenchams Died Hankow, Mar. 6.
The "Central China Post" to-day publishes a denial of a report from Hunan to the effect that Messrs R.A. Bosshardt and A. Hayman, of the China Inland Mission, who were captured by Communists in Kwel-chow in October, had been killed. Tt states that a telegram received here declares that both men, who are still in captivity, are alive'and well.
is surmised that, it any forelgncers actually have been killed, they may have been the two French Catholic fathers who recently were captured by bandits in Kwangsi—Reuter. scape and Recaptare Peiping, Mar. 6.
Strangely contradictory—reports concerning Messrs. Bosshardt and Hayman are contained in despatches received here to-day from Changsha. 'A missionary named Becker, reporting from Yuanchow, in west Hunan, says he has learned that both men escaped, from their captors on Feb-Fuary 10, only to be recaptured three Gays later, He adds that messengers saw both men alive and well at Tayung, in west Hunan, on February 16—that is, after their recapture.
On the other hand, reports from Changtah, Hunan, state that it is rumoured there that a Chinese saw near Tayung, on December 30, ten dead bodies, including those of two route joined them. Suffering severe hardships, the party, after walking for eight days, reached Ankang. The majority possessed only the clothes they were wearing when they Joined the trek, and most of the women were clad in Chinese garments, From Ankang, the refugees made their way to\ Laohoukow by boat and travelled the remainder of the dis. tance to Hankow by bus and train, The Frenchams Warned Mr, Moore declared that, towards the end of January, he visited Mr. and Mrs. S.-C. Frencham at Ningkiang and suggested they should evacuate, in view of reports that the Communists were heading in the direction of Ningkiang, Mr. Frencham, however, did not consider such a measure' necessary, Mr, Moore is of the opinion that both Mr. and Mrs. Frencham were captured by the Reds, He said ho had heard' from Chinese military officials that they had been killed by their captors, but had not been able to confirm this All the British missionaries. Shensi, with the exception of Mr. and Mrs. Frencham, have reached places of safely—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.