"Mrs. Grosberg"

Paramount in interest on the Chinese scene, last week, loomed the little Soviet steamer Pamiat Lenina (Memory of Lenin), bound from Vladivostok (Siberia) with a cargo of tea for Shanghai and Hankow. At Shanghai, a Russian woman and three Russian couriers boarded the steamer. The captain gave the woman his own cabin, saluted her as Citizeness Borodin, wife of the great Michael Markovitch Borodin, famed Soviet Russian adviser and propagandist attached to the Chinese Nationalist Government (TIME, Dec. 13) which has conquered half China. . . .

The Pamiat Lenina swung away from the bund at Shanghai, slowly churned her steadygoing way up the great river Yangtze. Mme. Borodin left her cabin and stood on the bridge with the Captain.

There was danger. The "Red" Nationalist ship must run a doubtful gauntlet of anti-Nationalist Chinese and "White Russian" troops at Pukow before she could reach the upper Yangtze and the Nationalist Capital* Hankow. As Pukow was reached and the usual river patrol boat full of Chinese soldiers put off from the shore, Mme. Borodin and her three couriers steeled themselves to weasel out of many a question. . .

Louts, the couriers broke down first, told contradictory stories. Suddenly the Chinese officer rapped at Mme. Borodin, "Who are you?"

"I am Mrs. Grosberg," she answered; lying in intent yet speaking the absolute truth. From 1908 to 1917 she and her famed husband were indeed Mr. and Mrs. Grosberg, proprietors of Berg's Progressive Preparatory School at Chicago, Ill. Last week, however, this lying-truth availed nothing. The Chinese officer had probably been warned by spies in advance of Mme. Borodin's coming. He arrested her and the couriers, put them on an armored train under heavy guard, and rushed them as valuable hostages to Tsinan, Shantung, capital of their chief enemy, "Chang of Shantung," notorious, unprincipled War Lord.

From Hankow, Michael Markovitch Borodin communicated frantically with Moscow and Soviet Russian representatives in Peking and Shanghai. Soon "demands" were made by the Soviet Government upon the great Northern War Lord Chang Tsolin, theoretically the feudal superior of the Shantung Chang. The two Changs were informed that they must release Mme. Borodin, her couriers, her baggage, and the S. S. Pamiat Lenina. But Mme. Borodin was not released. To rescue her, Russia must send much gold, or many men, offer some great concession, or concoct some really potent threat. "Mrs. Grosberg," Chinese thought, is likely to prove the most valuable hostage of the whole Chinese civil war.

* Established originally at Wuchang, across the river from Hankow.