in Hongkong Hongkong, Mar. 31.
Following the discovery of case of rabies among Army mul in Hongkong, a foreigner, Mr. 3. A. M. Elphinstone, 25 years of age. has died of the dreaded malady.
Mr. Elphinstone was removed to the Kowloon Hospital in a serious condition this morning, and despite the best medical attention succumbed to the disease shortly after noon.
Strict precautionary - measures to prevent an epidemic have been taken by the Government sus thorities, who have issued orders concerning the grazing of Army by General Sun Wel-ju, Shens! troops commander.
The message further reports that the Frenchams who have been captured and detained at Lichiachu on the Szechwan border for seven weeks, appear to be in good health. It is Tearned that General Sun has dele-ated several officers to escort them to Sian in a few days—United Press.
"Miraculous Escape There was a feeling that a miracle had occurred when the message Jannouneing the safe arrival of Mr. [and Mre. Frensham at Hanchung yas ecelved in mission circles just before midnight on Monday, Mar. 25. Tre circumstantial and apparently well authenticated reports which had been received from time to time since the capture of the two missionaries—reports based upon stories told by refugees from Ningkiang. some of whom described with the vividness eye-witnesses the scene outside the city when Mr. Frenchm was s1p-posed to have been killed had virtually wiped our all hope for Mr. /Frencham. A spark of hope had been preserved that Mrs. Frencham Still alive. But the receipt on March 7 of a more detailed account of the supposed murder of Mr. Frencham, which included a tale how Mrs. cham had been shot while Jaflending the wife of an emeer in lehildbirth, caused that spark to diminish almost to vanishing point.
So faint had become the hopes that the couple were stil alive that, when the mission authorities here received few days azo a telegram stating: that Mr. and Mrs. "Frencham had been seen in the hands of the Reds Jalive and apparently well, no announcement of it was made, as it was considered useless to raise expecta tions amens their friends and relatives that might never be realised.
Tt was true that om cial confirma tion of the supposed deaths had all along been lacking. The reports received had been based on the tales of soldiers who had been defeated in Ningkiang, and refugees who found their way'to neighbouring cities. Tong as the Reds were in. occupation lof the city. it seemed unlikely that offelal confirmation could be obtained. Mr. Carwardine, who was searching for definite news of the couple, refused to give up until he had found lout whether they were alive or dead. however, and continued travelling round the outskirts of the district eccupted by the Reds, in the belief hat sooner or later he would unearth evidence' to support the stories fof the refugees or prove them false. Up to March 13, the date of his last written report to the ELM. headquarters, he had come across traces of the esptives at all. At that time he was at Lioyang, to the north of Ningkiang.
Nothing more had been heard from him until the tele-am a few days ago that the Frenchams had been seen in the hands of the Reds.
It will be recalled that similar Jconfiicting reports, without, however, the happy outcome of the case of the Frenchams, were received during the captivity of the Rev. Bert Nelson in Hupeh, and Mr. H. 8. Ferguson in Anhwei. "The fate of these two gentlemen remains a mystery, though tone was captured in 1929 and other in 1992.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.