Evening star., 1922-04-29
CH|NESE'F|GHT|NG
AT TGATES0 F:PEK|NG
Hostilities Open on 1o0-MiIe
Front Between Forces of
WI and Tso-Lin.
By the Associated Press.

PEKING. April 29.-Fighting began
tien, twelve miles southwest of
Peking. Heavy artillery firing is au-
dible in Peking.
Fighting south Of the Peking -Tien-
tsin railway was still in progress at
noon today. The forces of Gen.
Chang Tso-Lin. military governor Of
Manchuria, and Gen. WI Pei-Fu, mill
tary leader Of central China, were re-
ported engaged along a line extending
from Machang, twenty miles south Of
Tientsin, to q point south Of Peking.
A dispatch from Tientsin says there
has been heavy artillery firing near
Manching for the last twenty hours.
The Peking-Tientsin railway con-
meets Peldng with Taku. her seaport.
served notice on the Chinese northern
government that this line Of commu-
nication must be kept open as a means
Of safe egress for the foreigners in
Peking should the capital be men
aced by the forces of Wu Pei-Fu.
1t would appear that Chang Tso- Lin's
forces were endeavoring to protect
both the capital and the railway. The
dispatches indicate that the battle
line is approximately 100 miles long.
Foreigners Are Warned. :
The foreign legations here have ad-
vised the nationals of their respec-
tive countries who are now outside
Peking to hasten to the capital as a
measure Of self-protection. /
The fighting at Changsintien
was continuing o'clock this after
noon. There was artillery firing in
the vicinity of the Marco Polo bridge,
which spans the river Yungtingho
near the west gate Of Lu-kou-chiao.
The latter place is ia q little .ian more than
(The Marco Polo bridge Is 80 named,
because it was mentioned by the cele-
brated traveller in his account OF his
Journey through China. 1t is Of stone,
500 feet long and "a feet wide.)
The firing opened along front ex-
thirty miles due south. Both armies
are intrenched along the Peking-H Han
kow railroad, with WI Pei-fu's base
at Pao Ting-fu. The artillery firing
was heard distinctly In Peking and
thousands OF people. including many
IOTelShcESs MO0heSN SAS StSy "0AASs
from which the smoke Of the battle
field was visible.
Brisk Cannonade Opens.
During the night sounds Of inter-
mittent firing came from the front,
but with the dawn a brisk cannonade
began. the city rousing to the mount
ing sound. Some Americans ventured
out to the racetrack west Of Peking.
where they saw Chang Tso-lin's g
troops directing artillery fire from the
hills.
have apparently warned their forces
to avoid approaching the city on ac-
count Of the warning of the legation
that they would not tolerate disorder
in Peking. The government Is pre-
pared to close the city gates at any
moment, but this has SO far not been
deemed necessary. The members of
the government, headed BY Hsu Shih-
chang, are as one in lafnenting the
tostilities. The president declares he
will remain neutral and Acting Pre-
mier Chou Tzu-chi says that efforts
to prevent civil war are being con-
Foreign observers report that. wu
Pei-fu is attempting to turn the right
Nank of Chang o-lin'stroops by
wedging in between the latter's front
and Peking. Feng Yuh-Siang, known
as the christian General" is In COM
mand of WI Pei-fu's operations near
Pekfng.