Moscow, Feb. 9.
The Soviets have made strong protests to Rumania over the mysterious disappearance of M. Theodore Butenko, the Soviet Charge d'Affaires in Bucharest. They demand an immediate investigation and severe punishment of the guilty.
Official circles here allege that M. Butenko was the victim of a political crime by a Fascist organization.
Nothing has been heard of the Soviet diplomat since he motored to his home from the Legation on Sunday evening, and entered his front door. His failure to appear at the Legation on Monday brought the Legation Secretary to M. Butenko's flat where he noticed what appeared to be freshly obliterated blood stains on the staircase leading to the ug the shattered plate-glass window under his feet, and escaped in the crowded street. Across the roadway the patrons and servants of a large Chinese restaurant came running out to see what had happened. Upstairs in the restaurant the plaintive notes of string music died abruptly away Within the "Wen Wei Pao" the acrid bomb smoke was slowly clearing. The cries of the wounded men mingled with the confused shouts of their terrified fellow workers.
Sergt. R. E. Regan, of Louza Station, was first on the scene, accompanied by Chinese constables. He turned in an alarm to the Station and a large party of police under Chief Inspecto-Shellswell rushed to the newspaper office. The "red marias" of the Reserve Unit arrived from Gordon Road and a thorough search of the neighbourhood was made. The terrorist, however, had disappeared.
A Fire Brigade ambulance took the three wounded men to the Lester Hospital close by. The condition of One victim, who lost a large amount of blood, was very serious last night
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.