CAPTURED BY BANDITS

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1933, Page 8

CAPTURED BY BANDITS

MISS B. K. TOBIN’S EXPERIENCES. ADDRESS GIVEN AT HAWERA. ’ The story of her- capture by Chinese bandits and her experiences while she was held for ransom was-related at Hawera on Tuesday night by Miss B. K. L. Tobin, who for the past ten years ' has been engaged in missionary work for the, Church Missionary Society of New Zealand. Miss Tobin’s adventure occurred four years ago, when she was returning fiom a furlough spent in New Zealand. She had been appointed to the city of Kweilin, in the Kwangsi province, and had to travel, from Kuchow up a small river. With her was a Miss Watkins, of the Australian Church Missionary Society. They had been assured that the country through which they had to travel was safe, arid for three days they journeyed in a small boat without molestation. On the afternoon of the third day the boatman pulled alongside a bank to prepare a meal, when suddenly they were surrounded by bandits. Money ■ and jewellery were demanded, and the bandits also rifled the whole of their luggage, breaking open suitcases with. axes. Two Chinese girls were taken captive and tied together by their necks, and similar treatment might have been meted out to the two white women had they not agreed to submit without resistance. The others of the party were ignored by the bandits after they had 'been searched, and finally the four women captives were marched off. ■ After they had gone some distance inland Miss Watkins collapsed -because of the pace at which they were forced to travel. The bandits held a hurried consultation and decided to release Miss Watkins, expressing the opinion that they would, obtain no more ransom for two captives than they woujd for one, and that one would be less trouble to them- The bandits pushed on with Miss Tobin, the party travelling the whole of the night and part of the next day through ricefields and mud fiats, .and at times wading creeks, before reaching the bandits’ quarters. The bandit chief fixed her ransom at £6OO. Miss Tobin’s hopes of release were raised when spies brought word that the soldiers were close at hand, but the ban.dits immediately prepared to move off and successfully evaded them; For some weeks the bandits were afraid to travel except at night, and by day they hid in wooded country' The bandits narrowly avoided capture when they entered a small village which had been occupied by soldiers only a few hours earlier, and the chief decided to divide his party. Miss Tobin was taken into a mountainous region with 20 bandits to guard her, and negotiations were entered into for her release. ‘ ’ Finally the ransom demanded was raised by the people of the district in which she was held, not because of any love they had for' her, but because they were ordered to do so by the provincial authorities. . Miss Tobin glossed over her sufferings during captivity by stating that she was treated as one would -be expected to be treated under such circumstances and by such captors. Most of the bandits had not seen a white woman before and their curiosity was unbounded. I was never out of their sight, and their proximity was most unpleasant, said Miss Tobin. . • , , , Miss Tobin, who is on furlough, also outlined various phases of missionary activity in China, and on behalf of the mission made an appeal for assistance to further the work. . „ u The vicar Hawera, the Key. Whitby James, presided. ' .