The Columbia evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-20
Soldier-Bandits of China Are
Paving Way for lnterna-
tional Rule at
Ichang.
LOOTERS MOB DISTRICT
Three American, Two British
and Two japanese Gun
boats Stationed at
Scene.
BY CHARLES EDWARD HocuE
u ni,ed Press Staff CorreSBoudent


SHANGHAI. tby mail .-Brigandage
under the guise Of military government
in the various provinces. must be check
ed by international action. if the coun
Try is to be saved from 4 hopeless con
ditinn. according to Mr.. ]. Harold Dol
lar. vice-president and general manager
Of the Robert Dollar Company.
Mr.. Dollar has Just returned from a
trip up the IanEsze River and has first
hand information as to conditions that
led to the slaughter Of l.5OO so-called
mutinous soldiers. who were really mar.
iyrs to 4 treacherous leader. and the
Iooiing Of the cities of Ichang and Wau.
chang.
Foreign authorities should not take
into consideration the niceties Of inter
national law when they are dealing with
the so-called soldiery here" declared
Dollar They are dealing with uni
formed bandits who do not deserve any
consideration other than that of out
laws
That the reported muiiny was really
insiigaied by the military chief at Ichang,
Mr. Dollar has no doubt. His version.
after a careful investigation. is that the
soldiers-rfally organized bandits in uni.
form-had received no pay for some
time and were growing restless. Hence
the leader minated that lchang offered
fertile field for loot and let the men
go 10 il.
The result was that many Of the Chi
nese residents of the city found them.
selves homeless and minus their savings
and stock in trade and many foreign
firms were temporarily put out Of bust
ness by mobs of loot-hungry uniformed
robbers.
An International Settlement al
lchang i the only proper solution Of the
commercial problem on the Upper Yang
tsze. according to Mr.. Dollar Unless
the foreign governments step in business
there viii be badly disrupted permanent
". lie asserts that this is the view Of
the Chinese merchants. who suffer more
heavily from the bogus soldiery than do
the foreigners.
Mr.. Dollar gave a vivid description of
The slaughter of the men who looted
Ichaue. From the accounts gathered
by the steamship man il appears that
after the commander Of the troops al
lchang had allowed them 10 loot the city
he placed them aboard ship for trans
por, to Wuchang. Upon their arrival
at Wuchow the soldiers were disarmed
and promised safe conduct 10 their
homes up country. They agreed TO this
when immunity from prosecution for
muiiny and looting was made.
The train went TO a siding about 60
miles out of Nuchow and the cars were
shunied onto the. track iiiere. The 10.
conceive was sent up the main line a
considerable distance and then two ma
chine gun nests were unmasked and
opened fire on the cars containing the
soldiers The machine gunners did their
, work thoroughly. and the entire con
iingent was wiped out.
Petitions have already been prepared
by the Chinese merchants at Ichang ask
ing for an International Settlement. anc
will be forwarded 10 the proper auihori
lies in the Legations at Peking as wei
rs to the Chinese authorities. Thes,
ask for the organization of Settlement
similar 10 tha, of Shanghai.
Admiral Strauss. commander of III,
American Asiatic Fleet. is up-river a
The present time personally directing tht
operations Of the river boats.
There are now three American. tw,
British and two japanese gunboats sta
TONED at lchang