The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-02-22
CHINESE: IN
REVOLT FIRE:
ON SHANGHAI
Foreign Volunteers and
British Forces Ready
for Defense.
U. S. MARINES ON WAY
Twelve Hundred Due to Ar
rive This Week.
U. S. MARINES ON WAY

SHANGHAI, Feb. 22.-The crew
:. Of Chinese warship rebelled today
And began firing on Shanghai. The
shells from the rebellious guns
struck in the outskirts of the city.
Foreigners rushed to the water
front as the sound of firing echoed
over the international and French
settlements. Members of the foreign
civilian volunteer defense companies
were modified. The British forces
sent here to protect the city pre-
pared to discharge their duty. A
full brigade of British troops, mum
bering 5000, with pack artillery, was
available today for the defense of
the international settlement. Approx
imately twelve hundred United States
Marines are due this week aboard
the United States transport Chau.
mont.
In spite of barbarous methods of
intimidation against nationalists, the
general strike continued to spread to-
day, and the beheading of pickets,
agitators, coolies and students kept
pace.
Clumsy EXecutiOners
The decapitations are more brutal
even than during the pre-revolution-
ary days of the Manchus. The "city
executioners" are "amateurs'' with
no previous experience. The vic
TINS head is hacked off, rather than
sliced off with one clean blow.
Under the old Manchu law the exc.
cutioner who failed to cut off head
with one stroke of his sword was
himself executed. But there is now
no such law. If there were, there
would be shortage of executioners.
m Search for Victims
There is little ceremony, either to
the capture of a person or his decapi-
tation. A squad of soldiers, called
the execution patrol" parades down
q narrow. crowded stReet in the Chi
nese section of the city. Their bayo-
nets are fixed. In the rear is a tall,
menacing ''city executioner." With
great ceremony and pomp, he carries
a heavy sword encased in crimson
silk.
The terrified pedestrians crowd to
the sides of the street, not knowing
which one will next be picked out
from among them. There is ominous
silence.
On the slightest provocation a
Chinese is seized by the squad of sol
diers. No reason is given. He is
forced to his knees, his hands are
tied behind him, he head bent for
ward, his neck extended. Calmly and
with not the slightest show of emo
and starts whacking away, while the
soldiers intimidate the crowds.
Grim Reminder
The head is then placed in a
wooden cage which is nailed to
pole. The pole is placed at city
gate or some other prominent place
in the city where the largest part of
the population is sure to see it. The
body is left in the street.
There were rumors that Marshall
Sun would arrive here today to take
barge of the defense of Shanghai
it'll $4,000 soldiers. He was said to
We agreed to unite with Chang
hung-Chang in preparing for the
expected invasion of the city by the
AGantonese.
Authorities feared a greater men
ace to Shanghai from Suns retreat
ing forces than from the internal
movement. 1t is known that Suns
army is completely disorganized and
likely to start wholesale looting when
it begins to arrive in Shanghai. 1t
was also feared that the retreating
soldiers might seek safety in the in
ternat1onal quarter, precipitating a
grave Sitna tiOn