Victories

Chang Avenged. Last week the mills of Chinese poetic justice ground a traitor and his wife exceeding small. The traitor was General Kuo Sung-lien, once the most trusted henchman of the great Manchurian Super-Tuchun Chang Tso-lin. Less than a month ago (TIME, Dec. 7) he mutinously turned against Chang and forced him to flee to Mukden, his capital, there to make a last stand.

Suddenly last week the tables turned with lightning celerity. One morning Kuo was reported on the point of utterly routing the forces of Chang near Hsin-min-fu. A few hours later the Kuo forces crumpled and fled before the at length fully exerted might of Chang.

General Kuo and his wife hastily disguised themselves as coolies and attempted to hide in a cellar. There they were seized by General Yang, a lieutenant of Super-Tuchun Chang. General Kuo's wife attempted to escape and was instantly and mercifully shot dead. For Kuo remained a harder fate. He watched while his dead wife's arms and head were cut off. Then his own legs were hacked from his body and as he swooned he was decapitated.

Super-Tuchun Chang completed his revenge by ordering that the remains of General Kuo and his wife should be paraded about Mukden, spitted upon sharpened poles. At length they were deposited upon the grave of one of Chang's faithful generals, who was killed by Kuo at the inception of the mutiny. Late despatches reported that General Kuo is survived by four widows, since only his fifth and favorite wife fell into the hands of Chang. Curiously enough, Super-Tuchun Chang's fifth wife gave birth to a child on the eve of the battle.

The Japanese troops recently despatched from Port Arthur to protect foreign interests in the vicinity of Mukden (TIME, Dec. 28) began to retire following the victory of the pro-Japanese Chang. Persistent rumors to the effect that Japanese soldiers disguised in Chinese uniforms had aided Chang were flatly denied at Tokyo, where everyone in official circles professed to be horrified by the barbaric conduct of victor Chang.

Feng Adroit. Super-Tuchun Feng, the so-called "Christian protector of Peking," resorted to a typical Chinese strategy last week in his campaign against General Li, the Governor of Chihli Province, whom he has been besieging at Tientsin (TIME, Dec. 28. et ante).

Feng, having suffered a severe repulse by the Li forces, issued a proclamation asking for peace on terms highly advantageous to Li. While the ensuing parley was under way, the Feng troops received reinforcements, crept up upon Tientsin, overwhelmed the garrison, and forced General Li to flee to the local Japanese concession in a, motor car.

Despatches indicated that the allegedly pro-Bolshevik Feng was having difficulty in consolidating his grip upon Tientsin. The International train between Peking and Tientsin has resumed its schedule, which was suspended during the Feng-Li engagements.