HELD FOR RANSOM

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19628, 24 October 1933, Page 8

HELD FOR RANSOM

IN HANDS OF BANDITS BRITISH OFFICERS RELEASED TOKIO. September 8. A dramatic story of the release of three British merchant ship officers after being held captive bv Manchurian bandits for 163 days, is told in a statement issued to-day by the Japanese Foreign Office. The men, Charles Johnson. W. E. Hargreave and A. D. Blue, of the Butterfield and Swire steamer Nan Chang, were released yesterday and returned to Newcbwang to-day. They were captured on March 29 while their ship was anchored off Newchwang. at the mouth of the Liao River, Manchukuo. They returned to the British consulate at Newchwang in good health and apparently not much the worse for their long captivity In the Manchurian marshes, though they said they had been occasionally maltreated by the bandits. They all wore long, unkempt beards. The men were finally released by the efforts of Japanese and Manchukuo forces. Though the Japanese Foreign Office is secretive about what, if any, ransom was paid the bandits for the release, it is believed here that a considerable sum must have been paid. An Interesting feature of the men's captivity is that in the middle of April a case of what is known In the United i States as "hi-jacking'' occurred, when they were forcibly taken from the hands of the band who originally captured them by a stronger force of outlaws. Selxnre of the Officers. The story as related In the Foreign Office's statement Is that at noon on March 29 this year the steamship Nanchang was lying some two miles off the mouth of the Liao River awaiting a pilot to enter Newchwang Harbour, a short distance up the river, when suddenly a band of brigands appeared In two large sampans. The ship's officers and crew were nearly all playing M&h Jongg on the deck. The captain, on seeing the approach of the bandits, immediately ordered that the ship be got under way. But the ship could not be moved, as the sailors, frightened by the sight of the armed bandits, bad fled to their bunks, the Foreign Office statement continues. The bandits, after doing some indiscriminate shooting and plundering what they could get their hands on, hurried away, taking four of the British officers with them. On receiving a report of the outrage the Manchukuo coastguards, under the direction of the Mukden police, began to hunt the bandits. On April 3 one of the kidnapped men returned to Newchwang, carrying a note from the bandits, demanding a million dollars and a large quantity of arms and ammunition as ransom for the remaining three men. But Japanese authorities decided to take, in co-operation with those of Manchukuo. every possible measure to rescue the men. They sent a destroyer to Newchwang and placed the affair in the hands of Captain Obata. chief of the military police at Newchwang. Stranger Band of Outlaws. Toward the middle of April It was discovered that the three British hostages were in the hands of another and stronger band of outlaws, who had attacked the original captors and seized their prisoners Negotiations conducted between the bandits and the agents sent by the Manchukuo authorities from time to time produced no results Tactics such as holding relatives of some of the bandits as hostages In order to Induce the latter to release the captives were of no avail. Nevertheless, the work of attempting a rescue was continued In the face of well-nigh Insuperable obstacles It was extremely difficult to locate the bandits, who dally moved their camp in the thick marshland near the Bay of Panshe-n. When contact was finally established, the bandits demanded huge sums of money, or made other Impossible demands The Manchukuo authorities, in despair of reaching a settlement through negotiation, resolved to release the men by armed force. They planned, however, to send negotiations in June once more and for the last time. Threat by the Outlaws The outlaws quickly got wind of this and sent notice that their hostages would be killed the moment the authorities tried to carry out their scheme. So the plan had to be dropped and negotiations were resumed with little better prospects of success than before. Finally, in the middle of July, the Manchukuo authorities decided on a punitive expedition, and 300 coastguards in five police boats and 10 junks were sent to the Panshan Bay. while a land force of police and volunteers was organised. The Japanese military also mobilised a contingent of 300 soldiers and two aeroplanes for reconnoitring, to act in conjunction with the Manchukuo forces. All preparations having been completed. a general attack was made early In the morning of July 15. The expedition Inflicted heavy loss on the bandits, but was not able to rescue the prisoners The military operations were suspended on July 17. as it became temporarily Impossible to track the fleeing bandits. Thereafter, onoe in every five days, or a week, messengers were sent to the bandit headquarters to urge the release of the captives, but the bandits persisted in their exorbitant demands. Bandits Release Prisoners. However. with preparations for a renewed expedition by the Manchukuo forces, the bandits seem to have awakened to the futility of further putting off a settlement and lost heart in the face of the determined attitude of the Manchukuo and Japanese authorities. They finally showed willingness to surrender their captives. Accordingly, the local chief of police at Newchwang. accompanied by Captain Obata. went on September 3 in an armoured car to meet the bandits’ representatives and recovered the captives, who were turned over to the British consulate st Newchwang on September 8. The rescue work entailed extraordinary patience, tact and hardship on the part of the Manchukuo police and coastguards, as well as the Japanese especially Captain Obata. It Is stated that they all took these pains, however, willingly end unselfishly for humanity's sake