Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27
.L|NDY ATTACKED
BY CHINESE MOB
Flyer and Companions Flee as
Starving Sufferers Pre-
vent Aid.
BY the k--ociated Press.

BY the k--ociated Press.
MARKING, China. September 90
Charles Llndbergh's experimental flight
to take physicians and medicines to
fiood-isolated centers Of Northern
Kiangsu Province failed today because
a starving Chinese throng crying for
food rushed the plane and endangered
the initial relief expedition.
Declaring the failure ''the most heart
rend.ng experience Of my career" Col.
Lindbergh and his companions sadly
returned to Marking, convinced the only
way to place doctors in the hcod towns
would be to send them with military
escorts.
Mrs. Lindbergh did not accompany
her husband on today's fight. missing
a dangerous and distressing experience.
She remained in Marking. deciding that
the two medical men who accompanied
her husband needed the space In the
plane on the fight to Hinghwa, 10 miles
northeast of here.
Crowd Gathers Quickly.
The passengers were Dr. Heng Liu,
head Of the National Flood Relief Com
missions medical staff, and DR.. ]. N.
Grant. American member CT the Peiping
Union Medical College faculty. The
plane was loaded with medical supplies:
AS soon as Col. Lindbergh allghted
on the. flood waters on the outskirts OF
Hinghwa, normally city CT 6OO,O0U
population, there was rush Of sampans
crowded with starving people who, see
ing the medical packages in the planes
fuselage. believed food had come at last.
Most of the people in the mob never
had seen a plane before, and some re-
garded the machine as some miraculous
intercsSsion.
In the midst of the clamor there arose
the cries of women and children, and
prayers which may have been CT thanks
giving.
Hundreds of hands stretched for the
packages visible The mob padded to
the plane in Sampans. tubs, anything
fioatable, and threatened to sink or at
least damage the plane.
Attempts to Explain.
DR.. Liu. the only one of the party
speaking Chinese. tried to explain the
mission, but his voice was lost IN the
din. Leaping from sampar to sampan:.
he tried to salvage his medicines ana
explain their use. His efforts were
futile.
The hunger-mad people tore open
many of the packages and, finding no
food, turned upon the doctor. The air
rang with shrieks of disappointment.
The situation looked desperate. 1t
was evident the three men were in dan
ger of bodily harm. Liu regained his
place in the plane only with fireat dih-
Guilty, leaving the crowds fighting over
his packages. The three decided it was
helpless to try to face such an ap-
palling situation and that it would be
better to save the plane.
! Col. Lindbergh said tonight 1t was not
the danger that worried him and his
companions as much as the bitter re-
| alization of their helplessness in the
face of stark human misery, with hum
dreds so near starvation they were I'M
able to understand the humanitarian
purposes of this visit from the air.
Lindbergh Given Medal.
The plan had been to take physi-
clans and medicinal supplies to flood
center, leave them there and return to
Marking for another medical unit for
another center. 1t had been hoped
this method would check the spread OF
epidemic diseases in the food area,
many parts of which are inaccessible
save by air.
| But after the experience at Hinghwa.
Col. Lindbergh and his companions said
| 1t was apparent military escorts would
be needed to protect such expeditions.
Earlier today President Chang Kali
Shek at formal ceremony in the ma
tional government Offices decorated Col.
Lindbergh with China's aviation medal
the first awarded since the decoration
/ was established.