Evening star., 1923-05-09
TWO i, s. MAJORS
ESCAPE WITH BOY
FROM BANDIT GANG
Chinese Government Orders
Ransom Demanded Paid
to Free Prisoners.
fourteen OF CAPTURED
TRAVELLERS NOW FREE
Foreign ENJOYS Fear Milltarists
Will Stop Cabinet Move to
Z Meet Robbers Terms.
Nv the Associated Press.

Ry the Associated Press.
SHANGHAI, May .. Fourteen
foreiGners. Including at least seven
Americans, held I'm tho hills back
Of Linchfng BY the 6uchow main
bandits, arc "almost dead" from
lack OF food and clothing and ex-
posure, according to q message re-
ceiyed hero today from Linching.
Tho TELEGRAM. received by the
Asia Development Company. said:
"Captives almost dead from e1-
posure. Long marches. Fooclehs
and unclothed. Bandits willing to
negotiate"
BY the Associated Press.
PEKING, May s.-Maj. Roland Pm
xer, Maj. Robert Allen and Maj.
pinger's son Roland, jr.. have escaped
from tho Suchow bandits. who held up
the Shanghai-Peking express early
last Sunday morning, according to
advices received here. This brings
the total Of those who have escaped
or have been released to fourteen.
The list of those who have escaped
or have been freed by the bandits, as
compiled here from various sources,
is as follows:
Mai. Robert Allen, Maj. Roland
Pinger. Roland Pinger. r.; A. L
Zimmerman, V. Haimovitch. Carl
Heinz, Lloyd Lehrbas. Emile Gems
burger, o. G. Jacobsen, F. p. Day,
Miss Lucy Aldrich, Miss McFadden,
Miss Schonberg and Miss A Corralli.
The Chinese government early tins
morning issued orders to the foreign
commissioner of Shantung province
to comply with all of the demands of
The Suchow train bandits. for ransom
for the prisoners they are holding,
and otherwise. Diplomatic circles are
not optimistic as to the result of the
order.
Fear NIilitarist Pressure.
The foreign ministers who have
studied the situation closely believe
that the cabinet Is willing to pay the
ransom demanded by the brigands,
but that the militarists will intervene
and insist on military operations
being carried out against the bandits.
Military operations against the kid
napers, it is believed, will only pro-
long the affair and endanger the
raptives
Yesterday afternoon the repre-
stntativcs of foreign governments,
intcrrupting a cabinet meeting. i'm
pressed on Premier Chang Shao-
ts"ng and his ministers the serious
ness Of the situation and the impera-
tive need for action.
Lists of foreigners held or released
still were conflicting and incomplete
today. While the names of Mrs.
Sanderson, Miss E. F. Fleming and
Miss Virginia Auld appear on most
of the lists, there is some question
whether they were on the train that
was held up, though reservations had
been made for them at Pukow. Other
Americans believed in captivity were
l.. c. Solomon, a Shanghai merchant;
J. 3. Powell, a Shanghai newspaper
man; L. F. Rileman, William Smith
and L. Friedman.
Demand 100000 Ransom.
To this list had been added today
the names of r. II. Rowlatt, British;
V. Barube. Frenchman and T. Saph-
iari Italian. Chevalier Musso. the
Italian attorney Of Shanghai whose
name also appears on the revised
list. has been reported missing from
the first, and yesterday, in a dispatch
reaching Shanghai, 1t was related that
he was desperately i'll, while the ban
dts were holding him for $1,000, 900
ransom.
The names of Mr.. and Mrs. verea
appear in some lists, but there is no
definite information about them. e.
Elias and F. Elias, Shanghai brokers
are listed "nationalists unknown"
Joseph Rathman. who was killed,
Continued on Page 2, Column 81