N.Z. WOMAN.

Grey River Argus, 22 November 1928, Page 5

N.Z. WOMAN.

CAPTURED BY BRIGANDS. Missionaries’ Thrilling Experience. (Australian & N.Z. Cable Assrt). HONG KONG. November 20. The story of a New Zealand lady’s indomitable pluck whilst forty-four days in a brigand gang’s captivity, has been related. On September 18. Miss Watkins, an Australian, and Miss Blanche Tobin, a New Zealander, both of the Church Missionary Society, were travelling to Kweilin from Wuchow. on a river junk. They were surprised and captured by a Chinese brigand gang, and compelled, at rifle points, to go to the hills.

Miss Watkins, unable to keep the pace, was allowed to return. Miss Tobin and two Chinese girls were hur ried forward. They repeatedly feigned fatigue, but loaded rifles were employed to overcome further reluctance. The night-long march, lighted by electric torches, brought the party to the brigand chief. Miss Tobin’s first food was a little rice. The chief instructed the captive to write to the Society demanding £3OOO, later agreeing to accept £lOOO. It was then pointed out that Miss Tobin was believed to be a man. In fact, the gang insisted on this, but later admitted the error.

For many days and nights it was continual marching, Miss Tobin occasionally sleeping on straw, from sheer exhaustion. She once overheard a captor expressing a fear that soldiers were near. Consequently, she sang, hoping they would hear. The ehief became angry and thrashed her with a stick, which twice broke. Then followed more inarching through mountain fastnesses, the party once hiding for four days in a cave, thence to a forest in which they spent three week’. During her whole captivity, she wa-' onlv th ee nights under a roof. Bishop Holden, meanwhile, offered himself in exchange for Miss Tobm, but the gang receiving the message refused to exchange. Miss Tobin was gradually losing strength, owing to lack of food and long wanderings. Her shoes were worn out and the feet bare and bleeding. At this time a letter was written a Chinese Magistrate insisting on payment of the ransom. During the negotiations. the chief took Miss Tobm to a cave down the creek, maintaining a strict heavily-armed A _ew days later she was instructed to proceed with the brigands towards a district where the ransom would be pamThis necessitated four days’ marching. The captive was still showing able pluck, although completely unfit to march, whereupon the chief, real ising the impossibility of Miss To m further walking, ordered a chair, in which she was carried. Ultimately they reached a point whence the captive was told to proceed alone. After a short soldiers approached and informing h of her freedom, provided essentials for carrying Miss Tobin back, and restoring her to her friends. She is now receiving much-needed treatment after experiences many men would have been unable to stand.