the Editor of the "Norr-Cumxa Dany News"
Sim-—This afternoon I went out to Markham Road and the vicinity to see what were the facts about. the sinking of sampans. as reported in last, evening's paper and denied the alleged perpetrators of the sinking in this morning's press, Incidentally it might be thought that the most elementary. journalism would have "suggested sending reporters from hose papers out to settle the matter for themselves.
However, the facts are precisely as! stated in said evening paper. with the possible exception of the number of sampans destroyed. I counted twenty wrecked boats or the remains! of them and no doubt there were more. Chinese with whom T talked estimated the number anywhere from fifty to three times that number.
Anyway, that is incidental. The fact remains and is incontrovertible that, here was committed an act of Fevolting wantonness. the depriving of these poor people of their homes. means of livelihood and possessions. all on the very dubious ground -that Some boat might have concealed a man who fired at a Japanese soldier.
Now I have condemned and I shall g0 on condemning the shooting in the back of Japanese soldiers. policemen and civilians, who individually have committed no offense whatever, by Chungking-employed terrorists. 1 have said that it is a poor way to! fight a war and so it is. But in the name of Heaven what kind of a way to fight a war is an act ike the destruction of these sampans?
T have seen a good deal of misery and wretchedness but I was truly' shocked at the sight along the shores: of Soochow Creek. where the victims of this outrage have tried to make for themselves shelters out of what they may have salvaged. Tt is. a pitiful spectacle indeed. and at Same time it is a health menace that should be seen to at once.
I want it understood clearly that] I am not antinJapanese in principle and that Iam engaged in no propaganda for or against any cause, here or elsewhere. I am" simply "anti" acts of inhumanity wherever T encounter them. Other than. that! I am just an objective reporter indifferent capacity. But within the Uimits of that capacity" I shall denounce a dastardly thing like this far and wide as any written word of mine can carry. tance TT. Gneexe, Shanghai, May 11.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.