Chungking, Mar. 23.
'A Japanese report that General Cheng Chien, Commander-in-Chief of the North-western China, succumbed on Tuesday to injuries sustained dur~ Ing the bombing of "Lanchow by Japanese planes on February 23. slated here to be entirely unfounded.
Touter is authoritatively informed that General Cheng Chien was not in Lanchow on February 23 and that he has not sustained any injury in the course of the present hostilities.
The "report concerning General Cheng Chien is believed here to have arisen from the fact that during the Japanese bombing of Sian early this month, several bombs scored direct his oh the dugout in which he had taken shelter, 'The yates of the dugout were blown in, and it was some time before the' debris was Cleared to enable the general to leave.
suffered some discomfort owing to Jack of air in the dugout, but was tot injured, and returned t6 his office to attend to his duties shortly after Router.
Tientsin, Mar. 21, Four days have passed without a single trace of Mr. H. F. Dyott, 52- year-old chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce, who was Kid~ napped by three Chinese from his home at No: 1 Newchwang Road, in the former German Concession, on March 17.
The British authorities here are doing their utmost to locate Mr. Dyolt and effect his release. The Japanese authorities, through whom much of this work has to be done, have promised their fullest cooperation.
Concern for the safety of the missing man, who was managing director of Messrs. Wilson & Ca. and one of the most prominent members of the British community, Details pierced together from the stories of trustworthy eyewitnesses show that Mr. Dyolt might have been freed within a few minutes of.his abduction but for the apathy of a Chinese policeman and a crowd of Chinese, After forcing him out of the back oer of hhis home into a waiting machine, the kidnappers hod travelled Jess than 200 yards when their car developed engine trouble and came toa stop.
No Rescue Attempted, A curious crewd gathered around, but although Mr. Dyott had blood on his forehead and appeared to be in distress, no-one went to his rescue. 'A Chinese policeman on point duty less than 20 yards away completely ignored the scene, not budging from 'Mr. Dyott was seated in the car with his hands tied behind his back. He remained there until, fully half an hour later, he was transferred to another motor-car, a taxi-cab which his abductors had' secured at pistol-point from a garage in Taku Road, not far from the spot where their own machine had broken down.
As soon as Mr. Dyott had been forced Into the taxi-cab, it was driven off at full speed in the dircetion of Taku. Subsequent investi tions showed that the car which had broken down bore forged number plates.
Mr. Dyolt was engaged in a telephone conversation when his would-be captors first appeared at his house, trid their frst act, in true Hollywood gangster-flm style, was to out the {elephone line. Mrs. Dyott, who was upstairs ut the time, ran down and {sled to prevent her husband's abdueton, but was struck and pushed aside.
The kidnappers gained entry into: the house after intimidating the Chinese cook and boy with pistols. After their escape, the cook followed, but although he saw the broken-down car, with Mr. Dyolt sitting in It, he was too seared to do anything "The kidnapping, it is gen: lieved in foreign circles the work of pro-Japanese corverists,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.