Shanghai, Mar. 23.
CHEVED to be an act of retaliation for terroristic activities directed at members of the Nanking-sponsored Central Reserve Bank, a mass arrest' of more than 100 employees of the Bank of China was effected by Japanese gendarmes at ubout 12.30 am, yesterday when they raided the quarters for unmarried clerks of the Chungking bank and took them to their headquarters at 94 Jessfield Road.
These quarters, called the Tsung Hong Bik Nich and housing approximately 190. bank employees, are situated at 96 Jessfeld Road, opposite the corner of Jessfield and Kinnear Roads and next door to. Japanese Military Police Headquarters. Last night, When all the employees were asleep, the Japanese entered the dormitory, finding more. than 100 bank employees. The Chinese were fold to nct up and were -hustled. away to the Japanese headquarters. Some of them, it was reported. had eon {axe to'76 Jessfield Road, the Local headquarters of Wang Ching wel's political police, The interesting point of this mass arrest was the fact that the bani] employees had lived there for some time and" at no time been threatened with arrest. Friday's assassination of Ler Tien.chuen of the Central Reserve Bank, however. sav what appeared. to be, a brutal. Yenge meted out on' employees "of Chungking banks. 'This started with the mass slaughter of clerks of the Farmers' Banke at their dormitory at 1412-10 Rue Lafayette at 1230 yes terday when six men pretending to policemen, entered the promises and, without giving the employees any' chanco whatsoever, opened ye, killing five outright and" wounding six others.
Their job done. the gunmen ds appeared and a little later the vie~ tims were taken to Ste, Matie's Bos. pital, where yet another employee tigetimbed to his wounds. "The six men wore Van Zai-kan, Sih Vu-san, Chu Halong, Chany Zao-2ung, Van Zing-kiang and Zin Suny. The Inst named died at & a.m, yesterday.
The wounded men were Lee Ya~ wong, wounded in the chest, Chang Zu.seng, in the leg, Zing Ssu-ming, [suffering from three wounds in the body and Sung Yang-za0, sustaining minor injuries to his leg."
Although n0- motive had been riven for the mass arrest of the bank employees, Chinese circles yesterday believed that the men had been taken to be held os hostages against any other terroristic activities dircetel agaist officials of the new regime.
"According to reports, the bank em. ployees were arrested shortly alter two ears had stopped at. the en. trance.to- the lane in which the qeriers were. Many Japanese. and lines jumped out of the vehicles and rushed to the dormitory where hey (ook the sleeping bonk clerks, Bank Official Assassinated Shanghai. Mar. 22.
Sinza district was the scene of 9. political assassination yesterday morning when Ler Tien-chuen, 60. head. of the Development Board of the Centval Reserve Bank, was shot and killed by a lone and Unidentified gunman who had lain in wait for him and who fired one shot at him at close range outside his home 85/02 Sinza" Road. The assailant Immediately took to: flight. A few] Chinese in the alley outside the} victim's home were "questioned by the police. who were seeking to) establish the identity of the killer.
Shanghai, Mar, 22, 'Shot as they were sleeping in the! eds, five Chinese employees of the' Kiangsu Farmers' Bank were kill sharily after midnight this. mamie land six others, who also were Ing. were wounded, some of then seriously, when a gang of six armed men forced their way Into a house In Avenue Joffre after informing a watehmen what they were policemen. Ailer emptying their pistols in the Yoom where the men wore sleep lit the gony made yood its escape.
All the dead and injured employees of the bank, who had recently ar= rived in Shanghai from the provineow, were billetted at House. 10, Lane i412 Avenue Joffre at the door of which a ear drew up shortly after midnight. When accosted by a watchman in the lane six Chinese, who came out of the car, pushed Kim aside and (old him" that they were policemen.
After entering the house the gai, made its way {0 the first floor where they burst open the door of a room where about a dozen employees of the bank were sleeping. Firing their pistols into each' bunk. members the gang then ran downstairs and into the walling cars which quickly drove om When the police arrived at the scene" they found that five of the leaping persons had been killed instantaneously in their bunks while six. others were wounded, some of them seriously. The latter were removed to St, Marie's Hospital.
Although no motive for the crime was apparent early this morning, It believed that it has political background. Investigations by the French police were still under wi at 145 a.m and were likely to cor Hinue for many more hours at the scene of the mass murder When the police arrived in answer to a call from the house a gruesome sight mob their eyes as blood trol the dead and wounded men saturated the blankets which, covered ther Not one of the men had had a chance to defend himself, this being apparent from their postures. which denoted that they had been sleeping yhen attacked, There was no clue this morning as to the identity of the attackers, Whose task was mode an easy one owing to the fact that there were people. except the watchman. in the lane, at the time they drove un the house.
The murder was committed at about 8.45 am. when the victim was! Teaving his home to go-to his ofice. No sooner had he stepped out of his house into the alleyway before he was fred at and collapsed in a heap with a bullet wound -in his Jchest. "Ho was rushed to the Paulun Hospital, but died on the way.
The, deceased, who was a native of Shaoshing, "the famous wine producing centre. was an elderly Hatesman and was at one time secretary of Mr. Liang Hung-tse, the head of the former "Reformed Government? before the establishment of the Wang Ching-wel Government in Nanking.
The successful attempt made on the life of the bank official marked tone of a series of attacks on omployees of the bank during its month fof existence following ils establishment by the Nanking Government. The victim yesterday was at one lime divisional chief of Naoking's Finance Ministry, 'Owing to the early hour there were only a few people' in the alleyway where the shooting took place, which made it diMleult for the police to secure an accurate description of the assailant. A week ago. it will be Feealled, an employee of the bank' was shot and killed in the French Concession.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.