CO129-501-3 Chinese situation- Protection of British subjects of Chinese race 23-10-1926 - 21-12-1927 — Page 167

COPY.

Ene lesure No. 2 in Swatow No. 98 of October 15. 1926

167

Kr. Conal Kirke to the Commissioner fer

Agn Affairs,

British Consulate,

Swatow,

August 10, 1926.

sir,

I have the honour to refer you to my letter of the 8th.

instant informing you of a robbery early in the morning of that

day at the house of Mr. Teo Yee Swee, a British subject.

Since I wrote that letter, I have visited and inspected

the premises and I have now received a full report on the

matter from Mr. Teo Yee Swe e

From this it appears that at about 12.30 a.m. on the 8th.

instant a gang of robbers, estimated to number about twenty,

some of them wearing masks and others with their faces painted

black and white, broke open the main gate of the compound,

rushed through the garden and by means of a flag-stone, which

they had prepared beforehand, burst open the front door of the

house and entered it, carrying in their hands choppers, knives

and torches made of bottles of kerosene with paper wicks.

Mr. Teo Yee Swee himself escaped Zrom the house into the

garden, where he hid himself, while the robbers ransacked the

house throughout, opening every drawer and every cupboard,

leaving the whole building in a state of indescribable disorder

and taking away with them clothing and jewellery valued at

several thousand of dollars.

In the meantime, one of Mr. Teo Yee Swee's servants had

managed without being noticed to leave the compound to call

the police, and after some considerable time a body of armed

police arrived on the scene.

I have the honour to draw your particular attention to

the very remarkable action taken by th

police.

Although