Evening star., 1938-02-04

canton COUP HELD
GOAL OF JAPANESE
Martial Law Rules City as
Ships Attack River
Forts.
BACKGROUND

St0HtIy Spe00tn0 III CHtnQ, Jap.
anese face problem Of supply and
turn attention to gains possible
through political maneuvertno.
Widespread bombardments in both
South and Central China haze been
postponed. Foreigners haze been
asked to erdcuate Central China.
u the Associated Press.
HONG KONG, Feb. 4.-Martial law
was in force today in Canton. South
China's great metropolis, amid reported
attempts to set up q South China
puppet government under japanese
guidance.
Four Japanese destroyers attacked
the Bocca Tigris forts defending the
river approach to Canton.
Japanese airplanes flew over the city
throughout the day in = continuous
demonstration. occasionally veering to
the south to drop bombs on the Chinese
forts.
Hong Kong was full of rumors Of an
impending coup d'etat at Canton, 80
miles northwest Of here, either by
pro-Japanese group or by Chinese
politicians independent of the Chang
Kai-shek government.
At Canton. these rumors were
officially denied.
However. reliable sources reported
that an attempt was made yesterday
to assassinate Tseng Yang-fu, Canton's
mayor. Several shots were fred at the
mayor but he was not injured.
Flag Raised Over Islands.
Supporting the rumors OF an i'm
pending Japanese coup d'etat were re-
ports that the nag OF q puppet regime
had been raised over five islands in the
Canton River delta below the city.
Foreign shipping from Canton to
Hong Kong found that Chinese had
re-established the boom preventing
traffic between the two cities. A num-
ber Of foreign ships. including four
British gunboats, were bottled up by
the boom.
Japanese planes bombarded an area
between the Portuguese Island of
Macao. across the Canton River from
Hong Kong. and Honeymoon, to the
northwest. and struck at the railway
between Canton and Samshui.
A train carrying 80 Americans,
mostly children, out of the war
menaced middle Yangtze Valley today
was two days overdue at Canton.
presumably Is a result of heavy
Japanese air bombardments along
the southern section Of the Hankow-
Canton Railway.
The train left Hankow early this
week and was due at Canton Wednes-
day to enable passengers to catch 4
steamer from Hong Kong to Manila.
The children aboard the refugee
train nearly all came from the school
maintained by American missionaries
at Kikungshan, north Of Hankow.
Isolated Division Hard Pressed.
SHANGHAI, Feb. 4 (P.-A ring OF
japanese bayonets closed in today on
a Chinese division cut of from REIN
forcements and supplies on the frozen
bottom-land battlefield north Of Nam
king.
| japanese sources, which sent word
Of the struggle along the Hwai River
Valley. said the Chinese division was
in retreat from Pengpu when swift
Japanese detachments isolated it.
The Japanese. they said, were fight-
ing at close range with bayonets and
rife fire to wipe out the entire divi-
| sion.
1t was caught at the village Of
Hsushan. II miles southwest of Pengpu
and west Of the line of the Japanese
advance norhtward against China s
Lunghai corridor. which separates
conquered areas of North and Central
China.
As Japanese smashed their way
north from Marking toward Suchow,
the Lunghai Railway nerve center,
Nippon's stretegy became apparent.
Military observers said Japanese
were alternating their pressure on the
northern and southern borders Of the
approximately 180-mile wide corridor.
Chinese had to shift their armies back
and forth to meet the alternate
| threats.
Up the Yangtze River Valley from
Nanking. two japanese gunboats
shelled Hohsien while Japanese troops
landed nearby. Chinese asserted
they had scored one victory in
Yangtze Valley fighting. ambushing
and wiping out japanese detach-
| ment near Wuhu.
Chinese terrorists continued their
activities in Shanghai, hurting .
grenade which exploded against Of
fees occupied by the United Press in
the building of the American-owned
Shanghai Evening Post. No one was
| injured.