Given Sled to Ride in By Bandit Captors Peiping, Feb. 21.
'A communication has been received by the Agentia Lumen of Peiping from Father John W. Comber, Mary-knoll missionary of Tunghua, Manchuria, concerning the capture of Father Joseph Burns by bandits on February 8.
Father Comber states that, on that day Father Burns, a Chinese' assistant and a man named El were outside Tunghua, travelling by carriage. Father Burns was going to minister the last rites to a dying person, the Jman Li having. arrived. at Tunghua to request him to do this.
Not far outside the-eily, the vehicle was held up by three bandits, who ted up Father Burns and. his companions. In this manner, they were taken along by the bandits until they met a servant belonging to the mission who had gone ahead on a Dieyele to find the dying man. reported to Father Burns that he ha: searched in vain for the man.
About the same time, eight more bandits appeared on the scene and they untied Father Burns and con-Later In the fo say to Father Burns, "Don't be afraid, Father, Just suffer a few hardships with us for a few days, This Is not for money and it Is not from hatred."
Before he was released, the earridriver saw the bandits put jer Burns into a sled drawn by cow and drive off. When taken, rather Burns was warmly clothed since his capture, the severe weather has moderated." At the time sending his communication, Father Comber said no word had been roceived from the captive missionary—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.