Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 64, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1904 — Page 6

-WEEKLY REPUBLICAN. GEO. E. MARSHALL, Publisher. RENSSELAER, - - INDIANA.

NATIVES ARE ABUSED.

ATROCITIES COMMITTED BY BELGIANS IN THE CONGO. Mission Representatives Ask United States to Interfere—Twelve Miners Rescued from Death in Flooded Mine by Comrades Who Made Human Chain. ■Representatives of the American Baptist, the Southern Presbyterian and the Disciples of Christ, African missions, called upon Secretary of State Hay the other day and described affairs in the Congo country, as viewed from the mis-., sionary standpoint. In the delegation was Dr. T. S. Barbour, Boston; S. H. Chester, Nashville; A. McLean, CincinXtati; Dr. Layton, Bolongi, Africa; Dr. Morrison, Kassai, Africa, and Dr. Leslie, Africa. Stories of atrocities practiced on the natives in the Congo country by their Belgian rulers was - the principal feature of tire conference. They were illustrated by photographs taken by the missionaries, the subjects being children and youths maimed and mutilated with hands aud feet chopped off, and according to the members of the delegation, all because their parents and male relatives failed to bring in the prescribed numb.er of pounds of rubber daily. The missionaries also showed that their work Was rendered nearly valueless by the attitude of the Belgian officials in the Congo country. They monopolized all of the food supplies, making it difficult for the missions to procure vegetables or fowls or anything to eat from the natives, who were obliged to turn their produce into the hands of the Belgian Officers. Then, by the cruelties practiced upon the natives, the latter were driven away from the missions and the schools Were emptied.

STORM WRECKS 200 HOUSES. Eight Persons Are Seriously Injured and Electric WiresL evelcd. Eight persons were seriously injured, the industrial school and 200 houses wrecked, the city flooded and every electric wire placed out of commission by the worst storm which has visited Louisville, Ky., for forty years. The damage 1» estimated at $1,500,000. In Louisville the wind attained a veloeity -of sixty miles and the rain fell in torrents, ac-

entire city was for a time flooded, Third avenue, near the Confederate monument, being three feet deep in water. Street car service was suspended for several hours. The roof of the main building of the Industrial School of Reform was blown completely off, falling

clear of the building on the ground. A panic ensued among the 100 sleeping v boys, who rushed for the ground floor.They were finally stopped without any one being injured. The building was flooded.

MINERS SAVED BY. HUMAN CHAIN. Twelve Men Join Hands to Rescue Imperiled Companions. Clasping hands in a long line, twelve miners at Brazil, Ind., rescued from a flooded mine ten of their number held prisoners by a surging torrent. The breaking of a dam at the Excelsior clay works caused the accident. The ten men were rescued in safety, although two were unconscious, due to the foul air in the slope where they had sought refuge. There were twenty-five men in the slope, and fifteen had left it at noon to eat their dinners on the outside. When the dam broke it was feared the ten inside would be drowned, but as soon as the torrent subsided somewhat the rescuers stemmed the current, which rose to their waists. They found their companions at the extreme end of the slope, and two of them, William King and John Mooney, were unconscious, but soon recovered when carried outside, and are now out of danger. No one was hurt.

SIX KILLED IN A TORNADO. Thousands of Dollars Worth of Property Destroyed in Missouri. A cyclone swept the country twenty miles north of Caruthersville, Mo., causing a great loss of life and destroying thousands of dollars’ worth of property. The wires have been down and authentic news has been hard to get, but as belated reports come in the loss of life and property increases. It is now known that six persons were killed. The Sliuemakcr family, four in number, near Portageville, are dead and their home is demolished. Wesley Miller and wife, living two miles north of Mount Pleasant were killed and their home swept away. Their bodies were blown 200 yards and badly mutilated. Miller was a wealthy mill owner and planter. Typhoid Fever Closes Institute. TljXJacob Tome Institute at Fort Deposit, Md., hns been closed owing to the prevalence of typhoid fever, which has broken out among the boarding school scholars. Unions Menace New York* Three big labor strikes will tnko place May 1 In New York unless the grievances shall have been settled before then. More than 30,000 men . are involved in the threatened trouble. Death Time Is Set. Judge Kersten has passed sentence of death on the Chicago car barn bandits, fixing April 22 as the day of execution. Freight Station Is Burned. The Pennsylvania Railroad freight station at West Philadelphia was destroyed by fire; loss $35,000. Six Buildings Burn. Rix structures in tho business section of Jermyn, Pa., Including the Merriman and Thomas Bray buildings and the Assembly Hall, were burned, causing a loss of $60,000. _ _ Nebraska Fires Are Put Out. Tho prairie fires that have been raging In Holt County, Nebraska, have been extinguished after burning over about oop-tenth of the county and destroying thousand* of tons of hay, numerous barns and aheds, and a few houses. The less la estimated at $50,000.

THE WAR IN THE EAST

LITTLE REAL FIGHTING DURING THE PAST WEEK. Numerous Alleged Bombardments of Port Arthur Can All Be Boiled Down Into One Single Attack—Vladivostok Fleet Puts to Sea. There appears to have been little real fighting during the last week. The numerous alleged bombardments of Port Arthur can all be boiled down into one 'Single attack. This bombardment was Served up fresh by the refugees arriving at Yingow, Newchwang, Tien tsin, Che: foo and Shanghai to tho correspondents in those towns. And the correspondents, thinking they had new stories, promptly cabled the refugee tales home. So the story kept drifting in all through the week.

It has become evident that.- all reports to the contrary notwithstanding, the Japanese battleship squadron is quite intact up to date. A Mtikdeu correspondent of a French paper visited Port A rth u r and was there info rated that: -according to Russian advices the enemy’s

Tr<lir?^ : tTTTfTTOftTeSlnps Shikishima, Yahinia, Mikasa. Asahi, the Matsusc, which must mean the Hatsuse, .and the Fudashi.. which must mean the Fuji. These six battleships are all that the Mikado has ever had. The dash of the Port Arthur squadron to unite with the Vladivostok-cruisers came to nothing. The sjjips crept out at night, but soon encountered the Japanese scouts and returned. On Tuesday till? Russian squadron, with the aid of ice-breakers and dynamite, forced its way out of frozen Vladivostok harbor, and afterward was reported at- rest in Possiet bay, about ninety miles to the .south. ..

A Tokio paper which has hitherto receiied a great deal of accurate advance information about military movements -printed a statement that a Japanese army division had crossed the Tumen river between Hyeisan and Musan. If this news be true it is likely that the division's objective is Vladivostok. Hyeisan and Musan (they arc marked only on the larger maps) lie on the boundary betwpen Korea and Manchuria. The two towns are about 150 miles apart by road. Hyeisan may be found on large maps by taking a line from Kilju slightly north of due west. Where this'line Intersects the boundary is Hyeisan. Mu-

san lies to the -northeast about 100 miles ns the crow flies or due. west of Dukuga. On tho Manchurian side of the river there is fairly flat country between Hyeisan and Musan. To the northeast —that is, in the direction of Vladivostok —the flat country continues. To the southwest—-that is, in the direction of the mouth of the Yalu and the SeoulPekin road, along which another Japanese army is known to be operating—the flat country is broken by a series of precipitate mountain, ranges. In other words, it Would be exceedingly difficult. for an army in -the position described by the Tokio paper to move southwestward toward the mouth of the Yalu or the Liaotung peninsula, whereas it would bo comparatively easy, so far as the configuratiofirof the ground goes, for such an army to march northeast, toward Vladivostok.

The inference is strong that if the division has crossed the Tumen river, as reported, its objective will be that town. That will give two or perhaps three distinct One will be against Vladivostok. Another will be against the Russian forced near Wiju, at the mouth of the Yalu. A third may be made by an expeditionary army debarking from ships behind Port Arthur and raking that place in the rear. It is reckoned dangerous to divide forces too greatly. Possibly the Japanese fear a threefold division, and prefer to make their fight in two sections only. If such is their intention it goes to explain why

JAPANESE VESSELS GOING INTO ACTION.

the Jnps have hitherto neglected what every “military expert’’ who has appear,ed in an English speaking newspaper has termed an obvious piece of strategy —namely, the landing of an expedition behind Port Arthur.

RUSSIAN FORCE RETIRES.

Detachment in Northern Korea Has Recrossed Fakclicn River. The Russians wild were on the Ching-* Bien river in the north of Korea have rt tired to the right bank of the Pakcluhi river. Two hundred Russians are pasted at Kasan, which is constantly expecting an attack. The Russians are plundering between the Pakchen river and An-Ju, where a cavalry post has been established, but they obtain little. They are experiencing immense difficulty in getting necessary fodder.

Czar Visits Dockyards.

The Czar visited the new admiralty dockyard at St. Petersburg. He was looking pale, but was cheerful, and smilingly greeted the 12,000 dock workers who turned out to welcome him. He inspected the arrangements of the Kamtcli&tka for accommodating 1,000 men. She will be ready in a few months. The Emperor then boarded the first-class protected cruiser Oleg, which wns afloat amid the ice. The Oleg’s engines are ready, but her turrets and conning tower are not yet armored and l»ir guns are not in position.

RUSSIAN VLADIVOSTOK SQUADRON ESCAPES THROUGH THE ICE.

CLAIM LOSS IS SMALL.

Russian Dispatches Say that Five Were Killed at Port Arthur. Another attack by the Japanese .fleet on Port Arthur, beginning with operations by torpedo boats and ending with

a bombardment by battleships and cruisers, took place after midnight Monday. The dispatches to the Emperor from Viceroy Alexieff and private information show that the Russians sustained no great damage, having onlyfive soldiers killed and ten wounded. Vice Admiral Makaroff claims that one

ADMIRAL JUIN.

of the Japanese vessels was struck by a shell. All information which has reached ST Petersburg shows that the defenders of Port Arthur had taken seriously to heart tho coup of the Japanese torpedo boats at the beginning of the war and were now maintaining a sharp lookout. The - Japanese torpedo boats were twice discovered sneaking toward the harbor entrance under cover of darkness. T>uT bbth~Tinies they were detected far out nt sea and were"driven off by a hot fire opened upon them. The breaking of day necessarily prevented further torpedo-boat operations, but Admiral Togo brought up his battleships and cruisers. The division of iris fleet was forth, e ptirpose of making a cross-fire upon the harbor in the hope of destroying the town and of damaging the Russian ships- lying hi the basin, or at least of demoralizing the personnel of the defending force.

The bombardment of March showed to the Russians the advantage to the enemy of the position off Liao-Ti-Shin which Vice Admiral Togo’s ships took up, and Vice Admiral Makaroff Sought to minimize this advantage by so stationing the battleship Retvizan that her shells could reach the Japanese battleships. , V . The fact that the Retvizan was used for this purpose proves the falsity of the report that her great guns had been removed and installed as a battery at

Pigeon bay, and it lias given rise to the impression that there is an inadequate number of great guns at Port Arthur, as otherwise a battery would have been erected to protect the town at the only point which Vice Admiral Togo seems to regard as vulnerable from the sea.

WAR NEWS IN BRIEF.

The Russians are massed on the Yalu with 150 field guns. Their scouts are constantly skirmishing with the Japanese outposts to the north of ztnju. The Japanese fleet, consisting of about twenty vessels, bombarded Port Arthur Tuesday night and retired in the mornihg without any material damage being done on either side. A tumor is current in. Tokio that the Japanese have blocked the entrance to Port 2\.rthur harbor. The Osservatore Romano, the Vatican organ, denies the statement that the congregation of the propaganda lias instructed missionaries in Japan to secretly help the Japanese. A communication from the foreign office is published in St. Petersburg confirming the statement that Russia does not regard Korea ns belligerent and will not do so until there is evidence that Korea is actively making common cam/e with Japan.

CHINESE HAVE BIG ARMY.

Thirty-five Thousand Men Stationed Near the Scene of War. Thirty-five thousand: Chinese troops are stationed at Shanhaikwan. in three divisions, two outside and one inside the wall. Russia does not wish to see China mass troops within the war area, which includes Manchuria. China has 20,000 troops, European drilled, with modern arms, on the western frontier of Manchuria, and is sending more into that province. Russia has notified China

A JAP INFANTRYMAN.

that she will send a military expert to inspect the Chinese forces in Manchuria and eastern Mongolia. The news from London that China has asked to be allowed to postpone payment of the war indemnity due to the powers until next year lias caused a bad impression in Berlin. It is alleged that this is not a good sign of China’s neutrality and that the powers will not give consent until they have received better information as to the reasdn for the request and what it is proposed to do with the money.

RUSSIA'S GREAT ARMY.

Horde of 550,000 Muscovites to Swoop Down Upon the Japs. It is officially announced in St. Petersburg that the" mobilization of Russia’s army in Manchuria will be complete by May 25 and that on that date Gen. Kouropatkin will have a field force of 550,000 infantry, daval’ry ifnd artillery at his disposal. It is stated further, and' by official sanction, that Russia will not begin the serious land campaign until June, and that a decisive battle need not be expected before August. Not since the Turko-Russian war of IS7B-9 has any European power sent so large an army into the field. France fought Prussia in 1871 with 300,000 men. Russia sent scarcely GOO,OOO men agaipst Turkey'tn 1878. England fought the recent Boer war with 200,000. No power in Europe ever transported an army of 550,000 men so great a distance as Russia is doing in the present conflict with Japan. Tho transportation obstacles are enormous. -

SQUADRON PUTS TO SEA.

Vladivostok Fleet Way Out of Ice-Bound Harbor. It is reported that the Russian Vladivostok squadron, which lias been icebound in the harbor, has blown its way out with dynamite and departed for an unknown destination. It is officially stated that Admiral Makaroff, with the Rus.-, sian fleet, left Port Arthur March 10. It is supposed he was attempting to join the Vladivostok squadron. He sighted Admiral Togo’s scouts March 13, when he returned to Port Arthur. There is an unconfirmed report that Vice Admiral Stark, relieved of command at Port Arthur, has attempted suicide.

Germany to Increase Navy.

Advocates of a larger German navy have not failed to find arguments in the war between Russia and Japan. It is now asserted that the government intends to introduce a bill providing for a new double squadron, which it is desired to build as soon ns possible, mid that the construction of cruisers for foreign stations will be deferred. The reichstog apparently does not share this naval enthusiasm, for it cut down the government’s naval pay roll sharply. Patronize those who adverti**.

MOBS LYNCH BLACKS.

NINE COLORED MEN DIE IN ARKANSAS RACE WAR. Shot Down After Firing on Officers—Defiance of Authorities Given as Cause of Tragedy at St. Charles—Town Under Strong Guard. A race war has been in progress at St. Charles, Ark., for several days. Five negroes who had been arrested as a result of the race troubles were taken from the guards by a crowd of men and shot to death. The five victims were James Smith, Charley Smith, Mac Baldwin, Abo Bailey, Garrett Flood. Two more negroes implicated have been captured and it is thought they will be lynched. With the lynching of these five the news, heretofore suppressed, became public that four other blacks have been lynched. The authorities apparently are powerless to uphold the law. A few days ago a difficulty occurred over a trivial matter as Charles between a white man named Searcy and two negroes named_Henry and Walker Griffin. On Monday the two negroes met Searcy and his brother in a store in St. Charles, and the difficulty was renewed.

One of the negroes without warning Struck both of the Searcy brothers over the head with a table leg, rendering them unconscious and fracturing their skulls. One of them may die. Deputy Sheriff James Kirkpatrick attempted to arrest the negro, and he, too, was knocked down. The negroes then gathered and defied the officers, declaring that “no white man could arrest them.’’ Their demonstrations aroused the fears of the citizens of St. Charles, and they telephoned to De Witt for a posse to come and protect the town. P. A. Douglass, deputy sheriff, went out with five men Wednesday moruing. Constable L. C. McNeeley went forward with a posse to capture the Griffin negroes. The constable met three negroes —Randall Flood; Will Baldwin and Will Madison —in the road. Ho inquired of them if they knew where the Griffins were, and one of them replied that they did but “would tell no white man.” The negroes then attempted to draw their pistols, but the posse fired, killing all three of them.

Thursday sixteen mon left De Witt for the scene of the trouble. Large crowds gathered in from Roe, Ethel and Clarendon. During the day, while the sheriff's posse was searching for the Griffin negroes, they were fired upon by a negro named Aaron -Sinton- -from ambush. Three of .the posse were hit, but the shot used wore small and no serious damage resulted. The posse returned the fire and the negro was shot down. Several other shots were fired into him, killing him instantly. Five other negroes, Jim Smith, .Charles Smith, Mack Baldwin, Abe Bai.ley .and Garrett Flood, who were the negroes that had defied the officers, were arrested, and Thurslay night a crowd of men took them away from the guards and shot them to death. St. Charles is heav ily guarded. --- ;

WORLD’S MODEL FARM.

Wonderful Transformation of Fifteen Non-Productive Acres. There is a recommendation before the Secretary of Agriculture that $2,000 a year be paid to J. D. Dietrich, who lives near Philadelphia, to enable him to run his little farm as- a sort of government show place. It is estimated by officials that a full knowledge of his management and methods would be worth $40,000,000 to the dairy interests of the country. Under the plan of the Agricultural Department agents, Mr. Dietrich would have the profits of the place, as usual, and the extra money would compensate him for the time required to explain everything to visiting farmers. •

This farm is the most wonderful agricultural area in the country. It consists of 15 acres and when Dietrich came into possession of it by inheritance about 20 years ago it was so unproductive that he had to buy hay for his horse and two cows and garden stuff for the family. Dietrinch exhausted all sources of information about fertilizers and then applied his knowledge in the best way to suit his case. To-day there is no richer tract in the country. Three crops of fodder are raised every year and, there being no pasturage, the cows are foddered in the stalls and barnyard. The quality and condition of the cows wouhl make them conspicuous at any State fair. There are 35 of them the year round and their milk is pure and rich, bringing the highest price. All the'agricultural papers are talking about him and he cannot supply the demand for him as a speaker at farmers’ institutes. Dietrich is a clergyman and is capable of giving intelligible explanation of his work. His place is overrun with visitors.

Interesting News Items.

A man thought to be a tramp was run over by a Missouri Pacific train at Leroy, Kan., aftd cut in two. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, who refused to support W. J. Bryan in 1890 and 1900, has declared for Judge Parker. R. P. Hobson has broken down in his campaign for an Alabama seat in Congress and has canceled Jiis engagements. The cold in northern Italy is so intense that tho Tosa falls, near Simplon, probftbly the-grandest among the Alps, are frozen.

Andrew l Carnegie is to succeed Senator Hanna as president of the Natiorial Civic Federation if he can be persuaded to accept the position, so it is said by the men working in the interests of the organization. A bill has been Introduced in the lower house of the Virginia Legislature to allow Grover Cleveland to hunt ducks when he pleases regardless of tho gam* lows. 1 The Carnegie library building In Kansas City, Kan., was opened with a public reception and entertainment. There are 5,000 volumes in the new library. Tho building cost $75,000. Mrs. Hanna Gibson, wife of Ned Gibson, committed suicide near Lang, eight miles northeast of Emporia, Kan. 11l health and domestic trouble are given aa reasons for her suicide.

CONGRESS

Senator Dick took the noth of office at. the opening of the Senate session Wednesday. Consideration of the Indian appropriation bill was resumed. A controversy over Choctaw Indian land leases dating back to President Harrison’s administration was revived in the runendment to pay a claim of $50,000 of J. Hale Sypher. as attorney in making the leases. Mr. Patterson moved to amend the amendment by reducing the amount to $25,000. and in this form the original was lost, 25 to 23. The amendment to exempt farmers at Indian agencies from civil service rules was agreed to. The House disposed of only six pages of the postoffice appropriation bill, •although it made considerable progress in reading-the bill for amendment. The appropriation for inland mail transportation by star routes was sealed from $8,100,000 to $7,850,000. A n-am end men tby Mr. Tawney of Minnesota fixing the life of a postal car at fifteen years, by providing that none be retained in the service after having-been n-ed so long, was agreed to. The Hou“e accepted an amendment by Mr. Hughes of New Jersey that in future the Posjotlice Department shall make no contracts for supplies made by convict labor.

The Senate Thursday passed the Indian appropriation bill. It was amended so as to permit the attendance of Alaska Indians at the Indian school in Salem, Oregon, and to pay for their transportation to and from the school. Mr. Bacon raised the question of civil service appointments, contending that the Southern States practically were disfranchised under a Republican administration. Mr. Gibson spoke in support of the bill for the repeal of the desert land, timber and stone laws and of the commutation clause of the homestead law. The House again put itself on record against any investigation of the I’ostoffice Department, an amendment by Mr. Williams providing for a select committee of five members of the .Senate being voted down, 133 to 99, on a point of order. The chair sustained a point of order by Mr. Mann against the provision in the bill that rural carriers after July 1, 1904, shall not solicit business or receive orders of any kind during their hours of employment or carry merchandise for hire. Mr. Overstreet made a point of order, which was sustained, against tfrnt-pwt- of the same paragraph providing that riiral "carriers" shall receivo a salary not exceeding $720 per annum. ' Tlfis leaves the salaries at S6OO per year, as now.

In the'Renate Friday Mr. Hansbrough charged that the movement to secure the repeal of the desert land and the timber and —stone laws and the commutation' clause qf the homestead act were due to the efforts of a lobby composed mainly of the holders of lands bought in large tracts from railroad companies. He held that their desire was to increase the demand for their property. Senator Dubois intimated that the pressure for repeal was due to the large holdings of forest lands by the railroads. Mr. Newland# fftvSred modifications of the law. Tho Senate took up the private pension calendar, passing a large number of bills. The House passed the postoffice appropriation bill, after a prolonged ddbate on the paragraph affecting rural letter carriers. This was stricken out Thursday, but restored under a special order of the committee on rules, It increases salaries to $720 a year and prohibits the soliciting of business or the reception of orders by.carriers from any person, firm or corporation, but permits the carriers, under certain restrictions. to carry merchandise for hire for and upon the request of patrons residing on the routes. The paragraph appropriating $5,000 for tho salary of a purchasing agent for the Postoffice Department was restored and passed. The fortifications appropriation bill was sent to conference.

The Senate Saturday continued consideration of the District of Columbia appropriatiomr'bill. "Senators Hoar and McComas spoke in favor of a high-pres-sure water system for Washington. Mr. Foraker gave notice that the services In memory of the late Senator Hanna would be held April 7 instead of March 31. After passing pension bills the Senate went into executive session and adjourned to Monday. The House began consideration of the sundry civil appropriation bill. Chairman Hemenway of 11io appropriations committee estimated the expenditures for 1905 at $591,802,324, to which must be added the interest on the public debt, estimated at $84,971,820. The revenues for the ydnr uro estimated at $701,472,060. Several minor bills were passed by unanimous consent, and special orders were mnde for the consideration of pension bills. It was decided that after the sundry clvib bill shall, have been disposed of tho omnibus claims bill- will follow as n special order. Mr. Pou of North Carolina attacked the Republican party. Mr. Baker of. New York spoke in opposition to ship subsidies.

In the National Capital.

Assistant Postmaster General Bristow denies personal knowledge of alleged violations of postal laws by members of Congress. House committee- on judiciary voted to impeach Charles Swayne, United States judge for the district of Florida, and charges will go to the Senate. Bill increasing postal clerks’ salaries lias been introdue. 1 by Congressman Mann of Illinois, who threatens to oppose similar advance for rural carriers if his measure is rejected. Attorney General Knox advises ths President that he is authorized at any time now to make payment for Panama canal property. The title is held to bs satisfactory. The investigation of the affairs of the division of correspondence of the Postoffice Department has been concluded and it is understood that nothing irregular has been found there by the inspectors. Thli office was included In ths general order issued months ago by the Firet Aseistant Postmaster General for a thorough investigation of all the offices unfcr his jurisdiction.