BANDITS IN CHINA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15504, 10 January 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

BANDITS IN CHINA.

WHOLESALE EXECUTIONS.

Eecent .reports from Shanghai .state that, the exploits of White Wolf, the dreaded robber chieftain of Honan and Hupeh, who recently took prisoners all the members of the Lutheran Mission of Tsaoyang— being rescued only after great suffering and the loss of all their belongings— drawn attention to -the question of brigands generally in China.

White Wolf is, of course, the .most famous. He was appointed "Tu.tah of Honan" by the rebel General Hsingj and with a following of some 3000 men had pillaged many towns, eluding all the Government's efforts to capture him. With him was formerly associated a formidable bandit named Wang Tien-chung. But the Government, being .unable to seize him, offered him a military post according to the time-honoured device, and Wang accepted. He is said to have noble qualities and to be proving a very faithful servant.

A parallel case was that of Hsu Paosan, the famous "Tiger Hsu" and bandit, who entered the service of the late Manchu dynasty 10 years ago, transferred his allegiance to Yuan Shih-kai, and was ultimately blown to pieces by a bomb, sent to him in a parcel just before the last rebellion. White Wolf was made a similar offer, but refused. He is not only against the present but against every Government that savours of reform, his ideas and actions having their roots in the Taiping rebellion. White Wolf has a colleague south of the river named Kaifengfu, who is beginning to become famous. But no details are at present obtainable about him. At Funing in this province (Kiang-su) we hear of an organised band, of a well-defined aim. not indiscriminate killing and robbing, but the systematic spoiling of the rich. But General Chang Hsun, who, whatever his faults, is a terror to robbers, will probably hunt these men down. Only % ecently a correspondent wrote, describing fa e simultaneous executions at Hsuchowfu 0 k % robbers, whom some of Chang Hsun's troo^ ,s ' d captured. And executions of two 4 na three men are reported to be of almost occurrence. These executions are accA mpanied by horrible mutilations, but it (Vnn ot De denied that these are the sort <% methods which Chinese best understand Finally, irr the south may be noted one Choo, who tri.\ "* unsuccessfully to loot Canton and fled to- Fushau. Unhappily, some of the soldiers s» ,nt against him threw in their lot with hin\ m & Choo is at present driving a brisk btst iness. The immense dist.v -1068 > tne wildness of many regions of Chirk x ant * the want of even passable roads th ake >* extremely difficult to proceed sua " essfull y against these bandits, and to sort e , extent China has always suffered from sua.' 1 - But & cannot be questioned that two ye* re . cf revolution and relaxed authority har« g lven &m exceptional opportunities,' and thx'' terrorism they exercise is badly holding tip trade.