Complete Prostration

Glasses perch on the nose of U. S. Trade Commissioner Harold D. Robison at Shanghai. As he sat in his parked car last week at No. 812 North Szechwan Rd., Mr. Robison saw clearly that the Japanese Naval truck which suddenly sideswiped and dented his car was No. 16460. Vexed, Mr. Robison stepped on his starter, chased the truck to Japanese Naval Headquarters at Hongkew. Japanese in the truck jeered Mr. Robison all the way.

Alighting at Naval Headquarters extremely vexed, Mr. Robison tried to lodge complaint, was pushed in the chest by a Japanese civilian wearing a police armband who shouted: "I am a Japanese. Don't!" Previously the Japanese Consul General had given official assurances that there were now no more Japanese "armband police" in Shanghai, but four of them set upon Mr. Robison, striking him with their fists while Japanese bluejackets laughed.

Most vexed, Mr. Robison removed his glasses, prepared to use his fists. But uniformed Japanese policeman No. 73 shouted: "Hold your head and go away!" A Mr. Swain also advised Mr. Robison that as the U. S. Trade Commissioner he ought not to use his fists. Mr. Robison got out his glasses again, put them on, entered his car, let in his clutch. Pantherlike, one of the armbanded Japanese sprang upon the running board, hit Mr. Robison a smashing blow in the face as he drove away amid Japanese guffaws.

Fourteen other Occidentals (male and female) also took fist blows from armbanded Japanese in Shanghai last week.

Escorted by the Rev. W. H. Tipton of Jefferson City, Tenn., Teacher Rose Marlowe of Williamsburg, Ky. went to inspect the partly destroyed Shanghai Southern Baptist Mission School. Seated in a parked car while the Rev. Tipton was walking among the ruins, Miss Marlowe who does not speak Japanese was addressed by two Japanese armbanders.

They accused Miss Marlowe (as she later learned) of stopping the flow of water through a nearby hose. When Miss Marlowe made no reply to their jabber they pitched into her with their fists, also whanged across her face and body with sticks. A third Japanese, who spoke English, soon appeared.

"You can go," he told Miss Marlowe, "after you tell me your name and nationality." These facts he entered in a notebook. Miss Marlowe went--from Shanghai to Hongkong (British). Naturally all the Consuls General at Shanghai protested to the Japanese Consul General but in the capitals of the Great Power, there was exhibited none of that spirit which the late Theodore Roosevelt, the late Georges Clemenceau or Queen Victoria used to exhibit when one of their nationals was set upon abroad.

Chinese Retreat. Battered and bombed for over a month, China's antiquated Woosung Forts (16 miles from Shanghai) became one day last week the target for nine Japanese warships, scores of Japanese field pieces and dozens of Japanese bombing planes. A continuous bombardment and bombing was kept up until all Chinese holding the forts were extinct.

Foreseeing what would happen, the Chinese Commander, General Tsai Ting-kai had ordered Woosung's defenders to evacuate before the Japanese went int action. This order Defending General Tang and Defending General Wong refused to obey. Stating that they and their men wished to set an example of resistance to the 400,000,000 Chinese people, they resisted unto Death.

Commander Tsai withdrew his 19th Route Army, which had defended Shanghai so long and so well, in some disorder. By no means a rout, the Chinese retreat was hasty. But in abandoning Kiangwan and Chapei they left to the advancing Japanese not a scrap of food or ammunition. While Japanese transports were landing 10,000 fresh troops at Shanghai, Shanghai Chinese set off 10,000 firecrackers to celebrate a--falsely reported--Great Victory.

Stark horror--dogs gnawing at dead men--characterized Kiangwan and Chapei. Japanese provided a diversion by ostentatiously setting free a Chinese they had arrested as a spy "because this is not war." Correspondents agreed that the Shanghai Japanese, many of whom were picnicking with their wives and children amid the ghastly horror, presented a noteworthy sight. The gnawing dogs and blasted ruins seemed to produce upon them an effect of giggling glee at the triumph of Japanese arms.

Successive Japanese ultimatums at Shanghai had all been granted by the Chinese last week, some voluntarily, others after Japanese had taken by force the thing demanded. Japan's last demand was that the Chinese retreat twelve and one half miles from Shanghai, and this even the heroic 19th Route Army had done last week. But still the Japanese advanced, presumably without objective to take as much of China as they could.

In Shanghai the revered widow of Dr. Sun Yatsen, "Father of the Chinese Republic," broke under the strain, suffered complete nervous prostration.

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