Bandit Echo

The latest story of the bandit affair is being thrashed out in a diplomatic battle at Paris between the Japanese Embassy and the Chinese Legation.

The Chinese assert that the bandits were paid by the Japanese Government to capture and keep as hostages a number of American and Europeans the idea being to involve China and other Powers and so ultimately impose on China international political control.

The Japanese deny this, stating that the bandit episode was due to the feebleness of the Chinese Government.