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over them and set fire.
He happened to be on the outer edge so got the gas only over his head. Later another similar case was brought to the hospital with more extensive burns. Ee also died. It seems probable that they were first machine- gunned but not all killed. The first man had no wounds but the second dia. Still later I saw a third with similar head and arms burns lying on the corner of the road to my house, opposite the Drum Tower. Evidently he had managed to strug- gle that far before dying. Incredible brutality.
Friday December 24th. Mr. Teng of the U.S. Embassy reports that the Chinese staff and their relatives, living in the Embassy, were all robbed by an officer and his men last night; Paxton's office door was bayonettea, two cars stolen from the compound and two more this morning- Later I had the pleasure of telling Tanaka that Manken's car which I had promised to lend him yesterday, was among those stolen. Registration of Chinese started today. The military say there are still 20,000 soldiers in the zone and that they must get rid of these "monsters". I question if there are 100 left. Anyway, many more innocents must suffer, and all are fearful and nervous. The Chinese self-Government Committee formed day before yesterday at the invitation of Tanaka may be help- ful in this but there are apies already at work. We caught one here. I just saved him from a bad beating so locked him up in our basement and later turned him over to the Chinese police. What will they do to him? Strangle him I suppose but I have told them to be careful. Constant interference from the Japanese today, more of our sanitary squad taken, also the policemen at the university gate and they are con- stantly trying to get our trucks. They also sealed up one of our coal depots but Riggs finally managed to talk them out of this.
Xmas ïve. Kroeger, Sperling and Trimmer in for din- ner with us a good dinner too with roast pig and sweet po- tatoes. habe did not dare to leave his house as Japanese sol- diers come over his wall many times a day. He always makes them leave by the way they came instead of by the gate, and when one of them objects he thrusts his Nazi armband in their face and points to his Nazi decorations, the highest in the country and asks them what that means. It always works. He joined us later in the evening and gave each of us a beautiful leather bound Siemens diary. We sang Xmas songs with Wilson at the piano.
Xmas day.
Perfect day too as far as weather is con- cerned. And conditions also seem. sightly better. There were crowds in the streets with a number of stalls selling things. But at tiffin time, while we were sitting at roast goose, with Miss Vautrin, Miss Bauer, Miss Blanche Wu, Miss Pearl Bromley
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