BANDITS IN CHINA

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 25

BANDITS IN CHINA

MURDER AND ROBBERY. PORT DARWIN, April 19. News by the Eastern; mail gives some i details of the taking of the Chinese city Lwai-Aen-Hshien by robbers. The city is built on an island in the Liu River, i about three days' journey from Kweilin, the capital of the Kwangsi province. The l country around is full of precipitous lime- ; stone mountains, affording secure retreats | for the bandits. The robbers killed the head officials and I many of the inhabitants. The young men of the place were made to stand in line like cattle, and were then secured by holes | pierced through the protruding* portion i of the nose or by the flesh at the back 1 of. the ankles, through which pieces of j string were passed. EvenEuaily the cantives were utilised j as beasts of burden" to carry off the loot. 1 All the young and <rood-looking girls in ; the city were also mustered by the robbers and carried off by them into the mountain fastnesses. The concluding scene in the tragedy was the setting fire to the town, i A correspondent says that, although ; little is heard of these things as a rule, outrages similar to the above are of freL q.uent .occurrence. Inland, village aftej-i-yjHaae-and city after city is plundered ;*and. desolated! by heartless bands of'.free;,hooters, who are rarely captured and punished.