MISSING MISSIONARIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22047, 1 March 1935, Page 9

MISSING MISSIONARIES

,«» —s TRAGIC EVENTS IN CHINA AUSTRALIAN AND WIFE SHANGHAI. Feb. <l7 A letter received from Sianfu, the capital of Shensi Province, des-cribss the tragic events following this entry of Communists to Ning-kiang iti headlong flight Wore the Government troops. -Mr. S. C. Frencham, a missing Australian missionary, and his wife were at the house of the Chinese commander of the Ning-kiang garrison, where Mrs. Frencham was nursing the commanding officer's wife. Mr. Fieiicham and the commander left the house to arrange deitails of their flight. They were last seerr surrounded by Communists, who escorted them beyond the city while aerious street fighting was progressing and a portion of the city was in flames. A Chiiix'Sid later discovered the body i of the <joitirnander's wife, tut, there, was no trace of Mrs. Frencham. Two missionaries set out tin, foot from Sianfu in an endeavour to locate Mrs. Frencliam. They faced a journey of 1.2 days across mountains) in the bitterest weather, but with little hope of success. • The Government' has despatched four divisions of troops* to the scene of the latest Communist outrage,' where intensive preparations are being made to. surround the Reds. An earlier message from London said the Shanghai correspondent of the News Chronicle had. reported that bandits had killed Sirs. Frencham.