The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-04-10

Army Ambulance Attacked
by Mob-Police Hamper In
quiry.
WASHINGTON, April 10.-Firs
detailed reports of the recent clasl
between American and japanese
troops at Tientsin, China, have reach
here and show that the incident has
many serious aspects which may re
quire international adjustment.
Statements by eyewitnesses show
that Japanese armed troops, led by
Mr.. X. Kamei, the acting concul gen.
eral, on horseback. invaded the French
concession, took the law into thei1
own hands and seized every American
soldier they could find.
Contrary - international law, they
dragged American soldiers from ter
ritory under French jurisdiction to
their own concession, Knocked an
American noncomnlissloned officer
senseless, beat an American soldier
almost to death and threw him in a
courtyard, where he was later rescued
by American civilians and officers
headed by Mr.. Hintzleman, the Amer
ican Consul General.
1t develops further that the ambu-
lance carrying an American soldier
was attacked by the Japanese, the
commanding officer of the japanese
troops making no eort to protec:. the
American party despite the fact that
the American consul general accom-
panied the ambulance.
Admits Japs Were at Fault.
The japanese consul general, in a
statement issues after the clash had
subsidized, admits that the Japanese
were at fault, but gives version of
the encounter setting forth the whole
Japanese side of the encounter.
The detailed report, giving the
fcause of the developments in the clash
is contained in the North China Star,
an American newspaper published in
Tientsin. 1t is as follows:
One hundred and fifty japanese
soldiers, with fixed bayonets, led by
half a dozen mounter officers and the
acting consul general on horseback,
and followed by large mob of their
countrymen, entered the French con-
cession on Wednesday night, causing
a real riot after some trouble that
had taken place between American
soldiers and Japanese, due to hard
feeling resulting from a previous
quarrel in the Japanese concession.
Civilians Join in Melee.
Every American Soldier who hap
pened to be passing was siezcd by the
troops, while the civilians threw
stones and bottles.
In the fracas one American soldier
was brutally cut up, while another
was wounded and arrested by the
japanese gendarmes in the French
concession. According to the Japa-
nese authorities, ten of their country
men were injured.
One Tuesday night an American
soldier was assaulted in the japanese
concession by band of japanese hoo
ligans, among whom, it is believed
were gendarmes in civilian clothes.
A member of the military police was
also set upon and brutally attacked.
Two other American soldiers were
also attacked. The four Americans
are now in the hospital of the Fif-
teenth infantry.
Japanese Throw Rocks.
On account of this the Japanese
concession was put out of bounds for
American soldiers on Wednesday, and
to prevent them from going into the
concession detail of military police
vas stationed near the boundary be-
tween the French and japanese con-
cessions.
The result was that about IS Amer
lean soldiers congregated near the
Kwnag Ming theatre. Because of
the incident of the night before.
word had been passed around among
the japanese that the American SOL |
diers had gathered to make trouble
and rocks were thrown at them by
japanese.
A fracas ensued and the japanese
made an attempt to drag several
American soldiers into the japanese
concession. By this time en- enor-
nous crowd of japanese civilians had
gathered and the Americans found
themselves surrounded by a hostile
and menacing mob, who poltod them
with stones and anything they could
lay their hands on.