Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-22
BANDITS To STAY
Is IF UNRANSOMED
BY TUESDAY NIGHT;
Americans Send Plea for
Rescue by Messenger
Intervention by Powers
Urged aS.LaSt Resort

WASHINGTON, May 2O.-Failure
of the Chinese, government to effect
the release of the foreigners cap.
tured by bandits in Shantung led
officials Of the American legation in
Pekin to cable the state department
Saturday that either foreign guaran.
tees or Intermediates seem to be
necessary to produce results. Di.
rect negotiations between the ban.
dts and Chinese officials, the disc
patch declared, apparently are inn
possible, because of mutual distrust.
On the other hand, the dispatches
reported that the military governor
of Shantung had offered commits.
sions in the regular military forces
of that province to the bandit lead
ers' provided the captives should be
released. Whether this offer will
be found acceptable is not known
here. -...
Minister Schurman and other for.
eign diplomats have demanded again
that the Chinese government appre-
bend and punish the bandits. Off.
Gals here, however, are more con-
cerned over the plight of the, pris-
oners than over the question Of how
the outlaws shall be disciplined. 1t,
is their opinion that the ,Pekin dip
lomatic corps will exert itself first
and forcibly to bring about the re.
lease, and take up. the question OF
punishment later, even though the
bandits at that time may be incor.
porated in the Chinese army.
BANDIT CHIEF SENDS
ULTIMATUM TO PEKIN
PEKIN. May 19.-(By the Assoc
ciated Press.)-Fifteen foreigners,
six of them Americans, some. of
them Ill, all of them weary, bruised
and footsore, poorly fed, worse clad,
tonight are looking death in the face
in the Paotzuku hills of Shantung
province as they approach the end
of their second week as captives OF
the bandits who raided the Shanghai.
Pel1in express near Suchow, May 6.
If the foreign and Chinese govern
ments are unable to satisfy the
brigands by Tuesday night that
tehir terms for the release of the
prisoners will be met, and the rob
bers chieftaintmakes good his threat.
two of the Americans and two Brit
ishers have but little more than
forty-eight hours to live.
They will be shot as warning
that the marauders mean to force
compliance with their demands UNI
der their chiefs ultimatum sent out
Saturday y
1--WE are pleading for our lives.
and unless Pekin, Washington and
London realize that the bandits are
ready to sacrifice their own lives
and those of all their captives IN
their fight for reinstatement In tbs
Chinese government, immune from
punishment, we are surely doomed"
is the statement made by Leon
Friedman, one of the American cap
tives. .- ..-
Message From Chief
Friedman's message, sent to his {
brother in Shanghai, has stirred the
foreign communities of China. In
Shanghai tomorrow a mass meeting
will be held to pass resolutions de-
manding the American and British
governments guarantee the promises
of the Chinese government to- the
outlaws and win the freedom Of their !
imprisoned nationals. Z
The shadow OF death has descend
ed seven times this week on the
bandit prison corrals in the Paot-
zuku hills. Two of the Chinese pris-
oners were thrown from the cliffs
because their promised ransoms had
not been paid, and five others were
shot down in cold blood for failure
to obey orders.
One man., Marcel Berube, q
Frenchman of Shanghai, yesterday
was given his freedom with instruc-
tions from Wang, the bespectacled
scholarly young bandit leader, to go
to Pelin and lay before the Chinese
government and the foreign diplo-
matte corps the desperate plight OF
the fifteen others pt
Berube tomorrow will tell his
stroy and present the ultimatum OF
the outlaws to the diplomats. In
GLIDING Dr. Jacob Gould Schurman.
<AItlSl llilllASIOI1 WIN AASNfo
to the capital from a trip to Shang-
hal and the bandit zone.
Negotiations Impeded
Two factors apparently have i'm
peded negotiations for the release OF
the captives. One is the pickering
between Chinese officials and Tsao-
chwang, who have poured in by
the carload to treat for the prisoners
release. The other is the bandits
demand, repeated again and again.
that because they cannot trust the
promises of the Chinese government
guarantee that their terms will be
met must be given from its respon-
sible source. Opposed to this latter
position is the stand Of the foreign
diplomats that the Chinese govern
ment is held responsible for the safe
ty of the prisoners, and it must OBJ
tain their freedom. And Friedman
says, and Berube says, that unless
thn "a nfiUpS are releaS ed Som fheV