A curious crewd gathered around, but although Mr. Dyott had blood on his forehead and appeared to distress, no-one went to his rescue A Chinese policeman on point duty less than 20 yards away completely ignored the scene, not budging fro: his post.
Mr. Dyott was seated in the car with his hands tied behind his back.
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 Jown machine had broken down.
As soon as Mr. Dyott had been forced into the taxi-cab, it was driven off at full speed i the direction of Taku. Subsequent investigations showed that the car which had broken down bore forged number-plates.
Mr. Dyott was engaged in a telephone conversation when his would-be captors frst appeared at his house. and their first act, in true Hollywood gangster-film style, was to cut the telephone line. Mrs. Dyott, who was upstairs at the time, ran di a and tried to prevent her husband abduetion, 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. Dyott sitting in it, he was too scared to do anything.
The kidnapping, it is generally believed in foreign circles here, was the work of pro-Japanese terrorists —Reuter, 3 vote for the Government.
Frederick Beltenger,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.