Three Old Women Shot in Hungjao Area, Others Wounded: Gardener Near Death FLOW 2 Sapancse soldier went on 2 drunken spree in the Hungjao district and, being unable to obtain the women he demanded, shot and killed three old Chinese women, shot and wounded another old woman, and either shot or bayonetted four men, was revealed on Jan. 15 by 'a Briton who, happening to hear while he was out west of the railway, conducted an exhaustive investigation on the spot.
In a second incident, a Chinese employee of a British firm was shot and badly wounded when, it is alleged, he was unable to give two intoxic ited Japanese soldiers any money. The "North-China Daily News" informants, and other foreigners who have confirmed the accounts or given details of other cases, are business~ men of long standing.
Other instances of interference and of looting activities recently have jelso been reported, and it is under stood that the matier is to be taken up with the Japanese military authorities.
"The Incident involving. the drunken eddier occurred early on Jan, 13 afternoon, the "North-China Daily. News" Is informed. The soldier, said to be young, armed with a bayonet and rifle and already. somewhat intoxicated, appeared at the village just behind the Hungjao Golf Club and called for "women and drink." No women, it so happened, were Present, but liquor of some sort' was found.
Young Women Flee 'The soldier drank all that was put before him, the foreigner states, including a whole bottle of samshui at tone gulp, and then weaved his way' to another village, not far from the 16th green of the Golf Cab. News that he was abroad had, however, spread like fire to the surrounding. district and all young women had either hidden themselves or fled to safety.
In front of one house sat three old Chinese women, all well over sixty years of age, and the soldier asked them whether there were any young women about. They said there were none. He immediately shot all three dead, firing at them from a distance of about three feet.
SUN apparently on the search for women, he wandered on to the Golf Course'and, coming upon the mother: of one of the caddies and the brother of the club's assistant caddie-master, shot and wounded both of them, and then proceeded to bayonet the father of the caddie-master. The latter was hot seriously wounded, but the other two had to be taken away to the Red Cross Hospital in an ambulance summoned by certain members of the club who happened to be on the premises when the wounded people which they had, in accordance with the old Chinese custom, purchased some time ago on the approach of old. age; all three were, of course, clad in their finest clothes, Second Incident Another incident, this time involve. ing two Japanese soldiers, and which resulted in the wounding of a Chinese who is now lying in hospital and is hot expected to live, occurred at 330 pin, on January. "14, the British. owner of a large flower nursery in the same area told the "North-China Daily News" in an, interview that day.
Four of his workmen, he said, were hard at.work in the nursery digging!
gladidla bulbs when the two Japanese" soldiers, both of whom' were farmed and, according to the gardeners later, "seemed to be slightly drunk," came up and demanded money. The workmen, scared, said they had none, as was indeed the fact, and the two soldiers then commenced hitting them about the head and body with their rifle butts, This seared one of them so much, the gardeners told their master, that ran away. The Japanese fired at im, and then gave chase, while the other three stood and watched, in mortal terror. They saw the pursued man and his pursuers go round behind a grave-mound, in the direction of a creek, and disappear from view. 'A. second shot was heard, and then the two soldiers were seen walking away, After a minute or two, the three gardeners went forward and tried find their comrade, without success Later, that evening, the owner of the flower nursery-was approached by the French Police, who told him that his} gardener had been picked up and hushed to hospital, where he was now lying, seriously injured with a bullet shot through the intestines; his condition was said to be extremely critical. The other three gardeners refused to Mesnwhile, the soldier wandered Into the country south of the club} and, it is reported, shot and wounded tivo other men after walking for about mile. On Jan. 15, the bodies of the three old women who had been killed were "ying in state" on top of coffins
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.