The local police Tett their posts at 2,0 am. on December 81, due to their Chief, a Nanking appointee who had been here since September organizing criat defence and who was apparent-Iyin process of settling a few accounts here before leaving, being slightly wounded (stabbed it is said) in the execution of the Job and leaving town Ruddenly, At 543" am, word wai received at Headquarters from 9 former police official that looters wore working on Chungshan Road, A small party of about ten mon—all that was available then—Wwas immediately despatched to the scene and this hand {ul of foreigners. with a couple of armed Chinese policemen managed to hold. them. tip. and prevent their further progress, Meantime reinforcements kept on arriving and also manning the substations through phone messages and armed with clubs, broke up the mod which had by then swelled hundreds with baton choryos. Meantime looting was going on in various other sections of the city.
AU2 pin, Mr, Antoshewitz, foreign dolective officer attached to the loca! police force, managed of re-enlist bout 40 Raiiwuy Guards to assist the Volunteers and another 80 or x0 police returned to Join the foreigners and Defore midnight a further few guards and police Joined up. With "motor patrols of foreigners accompanying emed Chinese police touring the city, the situation was got under control.
On the frst day of the New Year. the approval of the U. S. authorities permitted American nationals to join their fellow foreign citizens in pre serving life and property here. The Whole situation {s now well In hand and volunteers have been by request, posted atthe waterworks, electric Tight works, telephone company and Post OMice to lend their support towards a continuance of these two Volunteers Injured Fortunately, only two volunteers have been slightly injured—one received a sevateh on the ear and the father was hit ly the foot by a tiecochet from a pistol shot "Quantities of. arms and munition, have been rattiied up in the various evacuated barracks, stations and posts of the troops and. police, to prevent their falling into the hands of looters and. bad characters snd much loot as been recovered and stored to discourage their further activities. A large number of Chinese houses and shops have also suffered from looters, The volunteers continue to patrol thie city as far as Saufang and are preserving peace and order in, the Absence of. a responsible Chinese administration, Meantime efforts are being made to persuade a number of respectable Chinese ceilizens to form some sort of a provisional or temporary committee to whom the volun-Yeers could hand over the protection fof life and property of all' nationals here, but so far, due to the fear of ossing their lives which might be jeopardized by" radical elements, destroyed by the Chinese when Tsin shown in the pictures above. nothing definite has plished.
'Up to the present, about 200 former railway guards and police have re-Joined under Mr, Antoshewitz and with a stiffening of about 250 foreign citizens confidence has been returning among' the Chinese population who now feel no restraint in going about their lawful occupations, even when Japanese planes are Aying overhead. 'Steamships leaving' Tsingtao are no longer crowded and a distinctly better spirit all round is felt. Outside the city, however, banditry and kidnapping seem to be rife.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.