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Show He thinks it more likely that Tang had persuaded the bandits to eome and kill him. He argues that so many prominent bandits have been treated in our Hospital that none of them would have anything to do with an attempt to get money out of him, and that only disreputablecharacters, not business- like bandits, would be involved in this thing* The connection be-tweea Chang, Tang, and an attack on him so too close for him to help mistrusting something. As it happens an auto that was running from Tehchow to Lintsing that day heard news at ten that morning in Sung Lin of the at tack on Dr. Hsu and heard the attackers denounced roundly by several male inhabitants of the village. It is now nearly forty-eight hours since this all occurred, this time various people, Mr, Shih, Mr. Kuan, Shin Mu Shih and others have constituted themselves a volunteer committee to fix the matter up if possible. They seem to have no basis for opinion regarding the complicity or not of Mr. '"ana. It is rumored that someone has been apprehended at Sung Lin by the constabulary who confesses knowledge of the matter. The situation is now seen to be very serious in its implications. Dr. Hsu is so busy with meeting officials, answering the inauir-ies of friends, and resting up, that he has been at the Kospital hardly an hour in two days. Impartial observers see it this way:- If Mr. Tang is convicted of having dealings with bandits he will be shot, and his friends will then surely try to avenge him and get Dr. Hsu at the first opportunity. If, on the other hand, he is not convicted and is allowed to go free, he can be depended upon to arrange an assassination of Dr. Hsu whether or not he planned one in thefirst place. Any degree of punishment in between finally results in one of the tw alternatives just mentioned, in the long run (I very much question this statement. A.L.C.) The only possibility is for various people to get together and guarantee Mr* Tang's good behavior in general and towards. Dr. Hsu in particular. The trouble is that they hardly dare to do this, for fear that he might break his bond, and they be held responsible for finding him, or failing that ]L$ take the punishment themselves. Tang is hela by the constabular whose duty it is to get after the bandits, under martial law, and the matter cannot under the present arrangement, be taken to a civil court, until he has confessedl He refuses to say anything. If various people here combine to guarantee Mr. Tang it seems to be probable that Dr. Hsu's relations with them, particularly with *r, Tang s sworn brother, Mr, Shih, will sooner or later be rather bad. Of course some of these considerations are made in the light of my foreign background, but I think I am mot far wrong. If you have any suggestions as to %ti% proper solution of this difficulty, send them at once..! Very sincerely, H.L..Robins on# |