Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-17
AMERICAN TROOPS
CALLED To GUARD
CHINESE RAILWAY


sociated Press)-American troops
here were called out early Sunday
morning to be prepared 70 guard
railway property following reports
received at American military head
quarters Of battle in progress be
tween Chinese troops and brigands
at Tangshun, fifty miles west of
here on the Pekin-Mukden railway.
DEATH TO CAPTIVES
THREATENED BY BANDITS
SHANGHAI, May 15.-By the As
ISOLATED Press.l-Foreign diplomatic
representatives were under peremp.
tory orders today from bandit
chieftaip called Wang to guarantee
by nightfall that the Chinese gov
eminent would meet his demand
that several thousand of his follow
ers, entrenched in the mountain
Businesses of Shantung, be forgiven
for their depredations and accorded
the status of regular soldiers. Should
the diplomats of the Chinese govern
ment fail to comply, the price, as
fixed by Wang. in a letter delivered
to the American consul at Lipcheng,
is death to the foreigners held as
hostages.
The letter was brought from the
bandit headquarters to Lincheng by
Rev. William Lenfers. an aged
priest, Of Lincheng, who, walking
night and day through the wild
country. reached the mountain top
where the captives were held Sun
day. He conferred with the chief
tain, received the message address.
ed to the foreign ministers in Chi.
ma, and left Immediately on the
perilous, exhausting return jour.
ney.
I Reaching a village high on noun.
tain Saturday night, Father Lenfers,
i'll from exhaustion, was told that he
could interview the chieftain at 8
o'clock the next morning.
Leader Tells Terms
'l slept we'll in the bandit village"
he wrote, land the next morning
was ready to confer with the bandit
leaders. 1t was nine when a mes
senger came telling me that the sec
ond in command was coming then.
He arrived with an armed guard
with three rifles and about twenty
drawn Mauser pistols. He ordered
me to march with him Climbing.
we went over the mountain Top and
arrived at another smaller village.
where he told me were the headquar-
|, tiers. saw bandits sT~>r7-wheze. but
all were respectful.
II was taken into house. In a
clean room, having a table and four
benches, I was given the place of
honor at the head. Sun Mei-Jan, the
second in command. seated himself
! opposite others who entered. Then
| young man, clean, we'll dressed,
wearing eyeglasses, appeared. The
others showed him every mark of
respect, and then learned that he
was called Wang, the commander in
chief. Throughout our intervic he
; was quiet tHned, cordial. friendly.
| grim.
Taking a seat at my left, he eX-
| planned that his men We're not ban
| dts. but had been deprived of their
livelihoods when they were dismissed
! as soldiers, unpaid. They determined
on the wholesale kidnapping of for
| eigners to force Pekin to re-enroll
| them all in the military service. He
emphasized that they did not want
money in return for the captives.
Wang quietly told me that he
! had prepared for the slaughter of
| his captives unless his demands
| were accepted within, first he lsa:d,
three days, then two Gays. The de-
| mands were that troops be with
drawn, with the assurance given
| that there would be no reprisals in
any form and guarantees that the
bandits be re-enlisted in TIE military
| forces.
IT talked with him for more than
an hour, but was unable to soften
or modify the demands. which in.
cluded guarantees from the foreign
diplomats, since the bandits were I'M
willing to accept any pledges from
Chinese officials however placed.
Then 1 begged to see the cap
tives. First they brough; in Leon
Friedman. He looked we'll, He then
called Eddy Elias. Elias also was
well. Major Allen then was brought
in. He was calm elf-possessed.
Next the younger Elias was carried
| in-carried because his right foot
was infected and badly swollen, the
condition of it looking serious. When
he asked for medicine, the bandits
told him a doctor was coming to see
Chevalier Musso ian Italian attOr
ney of Shanghai. Elias said his
foot panied him.
Firm on Death UItimatum
II talked to the captives, told them
all that was being done and explain
ed the demands Of the bandits.
Then ] resumed my conference
with the chieftain. After | had beg
Red him and pleaded with him. he
agreed to lengthen the period of his
ultimatunl, fixing three days from
May 12). He absolutely refused to
modify his terms. Talking with an
unmoVed expression IN an unralSed
voice he declared that if his de-
mands were not met in three days
he would kill all.
II said to the chieftain: You are
too smart, too intelligent. to shoot
these innocent persons for nothing
He replied: Do not deceive your
self, or believe me soft. What I
threaten | will carry out exactly as
| nrOn1iSp Won mis-
and you know that what 1 say is
true
"The conference ended about noon.
l begged to be allowed to take along
Major Allen, since it had been prom
ised the preceding night that we
would be allowed to take out six of
the captives. The bandit leader,
however, told me that at 10 o'clock
a mHSSGn ger, had al.l,iI,nd mort n o.