This encounter led to a general outbreak of fighting between
the Nationalists and Japanese all over the town. Up to the night of May 3rd there were apparently about 2,500 Japanese soldiers at Tsinanfu. As they were immensely outnumbered they fortified themselves in various buildings and communicated with the Nationalist leaders in order to try to procure a truce. Unfortunately the Nationalists were out of control and nothing was done. There have been numerous reports of the barbaric killing and torture of Japanese civilians, but in sach circum- stances there is always exaggeration. Judging, however, from former experiences at Canton, Hankow and Nanking we are safe in assuming that the savagery was limited in the main by the opportunities for indulging it. There is no doubt that the Japanese civilians have suffered greatly in person and property, especially in the commer- cial quarter. The Japanese residents at Tsinanfu num- bered about 2,000. The Peking correspondent of the Times says that the bodies of ten have been found abom- inably mutilated and that about 150 are missing.
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