Evening star., 1938-05-06
GUERRILLA COUP
FEARED IN PE|P|NG
Japan Takes Precautions.
Chinese Claim Big
Recaptures.
BACKGROUND

DhO n hopOOND
Jdpnnese campaign against Gen.
traL China began four months ago
and nearly succeeded In reaching
Lnnoltai Rail,oay. its ob5ectipe, be-
fore Chinese tcere able to repel at
t0ckers near T0terhchDan0. Jap-
dnese recovered, however some OF
lost territory. but neU defeats
threaten to destroy entire offensive.
Bv the Associated Press.
SHANGHAI, May Chinese
claimed the recapture OF approxi-
mately half the territory in South
shantung Province won by Japanese
in a three weeks offensive from Lini
as the undeclared war ended its tenth
month today.
And while the two armies battled
doggedly about Tancheng and Taierh-
chwang. there were significant devel-
opments on several other fronts.
Peiping's gates were closed and
barred and that ancient city OF Chi
nese culture, occupied by japanese
troops soons after the war broke out,
spent one Of its most anxious days.
Bombing Near Peiping.
japanese planes yesterday busily
bombed objectives but = few miles
west Of the citys walls and there
were persistent reports Chinese guer-
rillas and Communists were approach
ing the city. Police searched houses
for irregulars believed to have slipped
within the gates.
The few peasants admitted to the
city with foodstuf1s were marked on
the palm with rubber stamps and
those who wanted to leave had 10
show marked hands
Peiping's japanese garrison was
greatly reduced by dispatching OF re-
Inducements to Shantung.
A Chinese counter -attack on the
Yangtze River was claimed to have
occupied Tangtu. severing japanese
railroad communications between
Wuhu and so miles upriver from Nam
king.
A Japanese column reported a VIC
tory over 1000 Chinese in North
Kiangsu Province. This Japanese
column was marching northward from
Shanghai toward Haichow, eastern
terminus Of the Lunghai Railway.
Chinese aviation became active and
Generalissimo Chang Kai-sheks flyers
reported bombing Pengpu. important
center on the Tientsin- Pukow Railway
south OF Suchow. An ammunition
depot was blown up and three Japa-
nese planes destroyed.
In South Hopeh and North Honan
provinces. Chinese continued reoccu-
patton Of territory previously taken
by japanese in their advance to the
Yellow River. They said they had
reclaimed 10 towns.
Fighting was heaviest about Tan
cheng. Outnumbered Japanese had
been pushed back almost to Ssechu-
chen, IL miles north OF Pihsien. Japa-
nese almost reached the latter town q
few days ago before the full force OF
a counter-of1ensive by SOC, ,O0e Chinese
had made itself felt.
Franciscan Missionary Slain,
Sdpohcce MILITARY report 1TOm
Peiping said Father Frederick Fourre,
French Franciscan missionary. was
shot and killed by a japanese con-
trolled Chinese Peace Preservation
Corps member at Changlo. shantung
Province.
The japanese report said the priest
interferred with the soldier in per-
formance OF his duty and fired q re-
volver at him. The soldier returned
the fire.
Franciscan headquarters had no re-
port Of the incident. but expected an
account from Father Odor, also locat-
ed at Changlo. Changlo is on the
Tsinan- TSingtao Railway.
Japanese-controlled governments 1t
Marking and in the Shanghai area
have adopted drastic measures to pre-
vent circulation OF independent
Chinese newspapers In their districts.
Fourteen Chinese have been arrest
ed in the Shanghai district for reading
banned newspapers
In Soochow bootlesged papers are
selling for 81 q copy and renting to
subsequent readers for 10 cents.
Chinese language newspapers still
are published in the Shanghai Inter-
national Settlement.