Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-24
DEADLOCK REACHED
IN PEK|V'S FARLEY
TO FREE CAPT|VES
Hostage Describes Condi-
tons at Mountain Lair as
TERRIBLE" Bandits Re-
ject Peace Offer

! TIENTSIN, May 22.-(By the As
ISOLATED Press.)-Latest adviees from
Tsaochwang today confirmed the
complete deadlock reported in nego-
tiations conducted by the Pekin gov
eminent imam effort to procure the
release of the foreigners held by
bandits in Shantung mountain
stronghold.
Conditions under which several
foreign captives were held at the
summit of Paotzuku mountain were
described as terrible"
The only real peace offer put forth
by the Tuchun of Shantunbg prov
ince was said to have been rejected
by the bandits with the laconic re-
iteration, withdraw the troops 10
their original stations" The Tuchun
offered to withdraw some distance
from Paotzuku simultaneously with
the release of third of the priB-
oners. On release of another third,
he said, he would comply with all
the demands for withdrawal. The
remaining third were to be liberated
when the bandits, as they have.
stipulated, were formed into. bri-
gades of the regular army.
The outlaws refused to believe
the Tuchun sincere, and so noti-
fled the foreign consuls at Tsao-
Chwang.
Most of the captives have been re-
moved to the summit of Paotzuku,
and it is believed the others will fol-
low. Messengers are now forbidden
to ascend the mountain, so that 1t
is difficult to verify reports, but
letters from the captives establish
something of their movements.
One Of the hostages, Lee Soloman,
who is Shanghai agent for San
Francisco firm, wrote describing
his, trip to the summit.
Saturday evening"" he related,
"the bandits, after long pow-pcw
with their chief. decided that since
no negotiations of any Kind had
started, and since Chinese officials
and generals had been lying to the
foreigners they would go a step fur
ther and send three captives to the
fortress. They picked out Major
Allen and Binger and myself.
eve sarted at o'clock. You
climb up a mountain 1900 feet and
it is like scaling the Woodwork
building.
cat the top it is terrible. The
summit covers only two acres, all
covered with dirty dug-outs. Three
! of us live in tone of them. There are
forty or fifty Chinese prisoners here
also, mostly children"
ZERO" HOUR is PASSED;
NO EXECUTIONS REPORTED
SHANGHAI, May 22.-(By the AS
ISOLATED Press.) - The zero hour"
for the Suchow bandits has passed,
and no announcement has been re-
ceived from the brigand stronghold
of any executions. Government
troops are withdrawing as the ban !
dts demanded. The nearest soldiers
to Paotzuku, the captives' mountain !
prison, now are six miles distant.
DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS :
OPPOSED BY HARDING
WASHINGTON, May 22.-Presi-
dent Harding, in consultation with
the cabinet today, decided that the
American government must be guild
ed by advices from Minister Schur-
man at Pekin and consular officers
in China in its efforts to secure the
release of United States and other
foreign citizens held captive by BAN
dts in Shantung province.
Only as a last resort, it was said
by a White House spokesman, will /.
the United States government par
ticipate in direct negotiations with
the bandits or take any action
which would relieve the Pekin gov
eminent Of responsibility in the
case.