Evening Star Newspaper, September 24, 1898, Page 19

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1898-24 PAGES. ARTILLERY BARRACKS, CHILE WANTS WAR Popular Clamor May Hasten Conflict With Argentine. WATIONAL BOUNDARY THE TROUBLE It May Be the Bloodiest Fight of the Century. A NAVAL STRUGGLE a ee (Copyrighted, 1898, by Frank G. Carpenter.) Bpecial Correspondence of The Evening Star. SANTIAGO, Chile, a the Argentine Repub- lic and Chile within the next three months. The ma of the Chileans want it, and popular meet- ings are held all over the country demand- ing it. Not long ago the secretary of war resigned from the ubinet, telling the t that he accepted the place be- > he supposed that Chile was going to t the Argentine, and that if there was no war he preferred to resign. The ident and his administration would like to aveid a conflict if possible, but the feel- ing of the people is such that the least overt act on the part of the Argentine would inflame them beyond control. The government appreciates this, and it has for months been making military and naval Preparations. The national guard has been called out, and at this writing 30,000 men; are under arms and soldiers are being rig- ! in every part of Chile. 1 saw st in the northern provinces. » I found the Alameda filled wi ,ing through the military evo- hem ng men r German and the drills of th be In the You n daily in the meantime every hear it in the ngress sits in subject, and go ing war. m the stree n the to the presi- | me time the pecple cf the 2iso much excited over of both coun- itorials. a National Boundary Line ries | F ween « This | h matic disc ah sic n and < t In 1876 the rela- ti vuntries were so strained | this armed cx 1 it was only avo’ otiating for a j rk out xcitement is | z interpretation made thro: t attempt to | trial was | 1 1881 that | and this was dly offices of minister to omas A. Os- ates minist tated that th as the which is rait of matter peeon not into. » tri at the frontier provid rt on the At- on the iendly power ful treaty, full of com- love, but when m the bound- changed and n 1895, in ad- nment, the atement of ed at once by the Argen- the relations of the two became strained. Then a expert rushed subject, which the Uhilean press f the war talk of Bent k ont attacked by the car Accord to this book the Chilean the south is close to the Pacific, le the people here belleve it should be insi onia. The land in ques- tion is, I 2, not worth the price of powder that would be burned in the und, the real in Argentines ave a large part of them » Chileans have really no right ast of thi although to the contrary. They to grab a gre to anything have their terric did the rich fields of F 1 that she is war of Chile feels that ntin took part of Pata- om her, and knows that a port on would be of great advantage to | sor. She knows the Argentine nd w a Fr now before t gets h and powerful that mot hope to conquer her. Why Chile Must Fight Now. is harcly provable that these troubles can ever be finally settled without a w Both countries realize this, and the Arge tines know that their best policy is to put the conflict off as long us posstble. The Chileans must fight soon, !£ at all. They cannot stand the expenses of their present war establishment I am told that the army and navy are now costi about $8u,000, gold, a day. Enormous sums have b n spent for arms and ammunfttion, and ring a visit whic I made this week to the various milita establishmerts here I found that the guns and equipment are of finest and the most recent makes. The soldiers are afmed with Mauser rifles. In artillery barracks I was showa moun- tair guns which were made at the Krupp works in 1806, and other arms of the same date. The soldiers are well uniformed, and their drill te as good as that of any army st summits | 4 | bloodiest of history. of Europe. They have Prussian army offi- cers as instructors, and the most rigid dis- ctpline has been enforced. The most ar- duous gymnastic exerctses are practiced, so that the bodies of the men are like iron, and so that today there is not an army in the world that is more ready and better fitted to take the field than that of Chile. The buildings of the army and navy at Santiago and Valparaiso cover acres, and they are among the fine buildings of the country. The President's Guard. Just opposite the Moneda or the Chilean white house is the headquarters of the President’s Guard. This consists of 200 cavalry who are mounted on some of the finest horses of Chile. During my visit the commander held a review of the troops that I might see what the Chileans can do on horseback. They are among the best horsemen of the world, and it is a common expression that the Chilean {s born on horseback. The president's cavairy moved as one man. Th2 companies of troops went galloping over the hedges and ditches and hurdles, which are kept in the large court of the quarters for practice. Dummy sol- diers in uniform were scattered about th> ground to represent ths wounded on the field of battle, and these the men pierced with their lances as they went galloping by. At the military school, or West Point of Chile, I saw the sons of the best families I will show you that I am not. Would a ‘coward do this?” And thereupon he pulled out his knife and plunged it into his bow- els again and again. “I will show you chat I also am not a coward,” cejoined the other, and he began to stab himself. The two men would have soon committed sui- cide had not a young priest rushed in and torn the knives from their hands and called in the police to take them to the hospital. The above story was toli me by a man who saw the whole affair, and he said that no one else but a priest could have stopped the cutting. ‘The Navies of the Two Countries. It Is belleved that {f war occurs it will be largely naval. In order to prevent war it was suggested by some of the statesmen here at the time that the United States was buying up vessels for our fight with Spain, that both Chile and the Argentine give up their ships to the United States for some- thing like their cost on the understanding that the United States would aid them in case of foreign complicatiors. This was also proposed as to the Chilean navy alone, but it never got further than the president's council chamber. At this time the United States made a proposition to Chile to buy her fine armored cruiser O'Higgins, which has just been finished in England, but on account of the danger from the Argentine, Chile did not dare to sell. At present Chile has an excellent fleet and one which is be- Leved hero to be far superior to that of the Argentire. It consists of five armor clads, five crulsers, eleven gunboats and nineteen torpedo boats. It has four destroyers, which were launched in 1896, and all of which have a speed of more than thirty krots. The Chileans are excellent sailors, and they have in addition to their navy a commercial fleet of over 150 vessels of more than 100 tons each. ‘They have twenty-five steamers and they have an English steam- skip line, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, which they subsidize. If there is a war there may be a naval engagement near the Strait of Magellan, but here the Chileans will have the advantage of a thorough knowledge of the waters. Their navy has sailed about there for years, and within the last two years careful surveys have been made of the seas about the Horn by the Chilean naval officers. Chile will there have the advantage of her town of Punta Arenas as a coaling and supply sta- tion. The idea expressed by some influen- tial people here, however, is that it will be much better for the Chilean fleet to go at once to the River Platte and to center its forces on the taking of Buenos Ayres. This they believe would mean the end of the INFANTRY ON of the count dergoing the most rigid gymnastic and military training. Boys of from fiftzen to eighteen, whose fathers are worth millions were marching through the same exercises as the recruits of the na- tional guard. They handled their guns well nd the discipline was perfect. Ther? is a raval school at Valparais6. There are mil- y and naval clubs here, and Chile has itary and naval journals subsidized by e state. There is no lack of martial spirit nd the ambition in a military way of both d and young is boundles Too Many Carriages. Speaking of the necessity for immediate action on account of expense, Senor Jorge Asta-Buruaga, the son of the former Chil- ean minister to the United States and for a time Chilean secretary of the legation | at Washington, ompanied me on my | tour of military inspection here. During} the day I remarked several times on the splendid training and equipment of the | men, when Senor Asta-Buruaga said: are fine and they look . but must use them soon ji . We are like a man who has - rriages and nothing with em up. He may have th carriages brought around to his door ever: morning and the people open their eyes and say, * what magnificent turn- outs that man has,” while all the time he may be starving in the kitchen. These pidiers are very fine, but Chile can’t stand the expense lon This is true. Chile has all told only 3,000,000 people, not as many as a number of our American states. Five- xths of these are cr laborers, who pay practically and the burden of the military ishment comes on but few. The not grow in population to any extent, and {ts tillable territory 1s comparatively small. It has, | however, good ¢ and it has always premptly pald n indebtedne Patriotism in Chile. I have not yet seen the soldiers of the Argentine, but I doubt whether their army ill compare with this for effective work. s are natural soldiers. They would rather fight than eat, and when the call was made for the members of the Na- tional Guard between the ages of seven- teen and twenty to come to the field for the present drill more than fifty per cent nove the quota asked for applied. Bu hess men tell me they could not hold their employes, and that thousands were ready to enter the ranks who could not get in. It is said that Chile could put 150,000 sol- diers in the field within a week, and by the reorganization of the National Guard | according to the law of 1806 every Chilean tre twenty to forty years of age must | serve. By this system the fighting force of Chile is now over 432.000, and the 20,000 and more young fellows now in training are under those ages. The Argentine mil- itia and National Guard are more numerous than tnat of Chile, but it is believed here hat the men are ‘not such good soldiers, that they are anxious to escape s e Chileans cou ent cai] in the Argentine about half of the number failed to appear. The Argentine has about 1,000,000 more people than Chile, but among these there are tens of thousan Italians who° e been warned by their home government to keep out of the Ar- gentine army. The tens of thou- sands of Germans who still hold their al- legiance to the kaiser, and tens of thou- sands of English who are out here to make money and who will not fight for anything else. Buenos Ayres alone has more than 100,000 people of EB blood, and these have almost no patriotic urd for the country. Here in Chile there are compara- tively few forelgners and every Chilean is a patriot. There fs no country of the world which has so many flagstaff on its houses as this, and the people are wild with en- th n for everything Chilean. This is e Hy so among the higher classes, the who run the government, who own all the property and are the leaders in everything. They are as intelligent and &s well educated as we are. Few of them have any Indian blood in them, but they are to a man ready to fight for Chile. The War Will Be a Bloody One. If the war occurs it will be one of the It will be fought with the latest improvements in arms and with all the savagery of the middle ages. In the war with Peru there was not much need of hospitals. The Chileans stabbed the wounded to death with their lances or cut their throats as they lay on the field. I heve told you how I saw the president's guard lancing wounded dummies in the re- view. I imegine that the Argentines would not be much better in <his respect, and it will be a war to the death. It is hard for ene who has not seen the Chilean peon to understand him. He is as tough as a knot, and he can endure all sorts of hardships. He can sleep on the ground for weeks at a stretch. and can live for months on rations of a handful or so of toasted flour for his meals. He comes pf the best Castilian blood crossed with that of the bravest In- dians of this continent, and he will stick to his commander until he falis. He seems to care nothing for life and little for pain, and will do the most foohsh ‘things rather than be thought a coward. One day last week two peons were drirkiag together with a crowd of their fellows, when one said to the other that he thought him a coward. “You do?” was the reply. “Well, THE MARCH. war, as Buenos Ayres fs as much the Ar- gentine as Paris is France. If this war occurs it will hardly be con- fined to Chile and the Argentine. All of | the adjoining countries will probably be forced to take part. Peru hates Chile with | 800d reason, for Chile has taken the best | of her morey producing territory and has made her bankrupt. She has looted her | public buildings and has butchered her | people by the tens of thousands. The Chil- i scraped the Peruvian territory as with a fine tooth comb for things valuable. They wiped | out villages and demolished citie | They destroyed plantations and burned fac- to They sacked Lima and brought | away everything of value. The books in | the public libraries, the art in the mu- seums and even the animals in the zoolog- | ical gardens were carried to Santiago. At the end of the struggle Chile demanded the nitrate fields as one of the prices of peace and she is now getting a great part of her revenue from the export duties which she from what was once Peruvian te Bolivia would join Peru and the Argentine for much the same reasons and also because the Bolivians think as do a uvians that if Chile is vic- s over the Argentine she will at once push her conquests further north, swallow- ing up all of the countries on’ the west coast and making Chile extend from Cape Horn to the Isthmus of Panama. The Ar- gentines on the other hand fear that Bra- zil will unite with Chile. The Brazilians and the Argentines are old time enemies, and the Argentines despise and hate the Brazilian: They fear that in case of war the Bra- zilians will denand back some of the ter- Artillery Officers, ritory which President Cleveland as arbi- trator awarded them in a dispute during his administration and that in case of a unicn with Chile and their own defeat that the Argentine would be carved up to suit the two. One thing that is holding Chile ck from declaring war is the large amcunt of property in the Argentine be- longing to foreigners. The best things of rgentines are either mortgaged to or been bought by Europeans, and Chile S not see where she could get enough stuff in the country to pay the expenses of the war. Said one of the most influential of the Chileans, a man who 1s very close to the president, to me last night: “If the Argentine had any available assets we vould make war at once. If there was anything there that would pay the expenses of our army we would go in and take it, but there is not, and we don’t see where we can come out whole. It is like entering into a law suit for damages with a pauper. He y give you a hard fight and if you succeed you can collect nothing. The Ar- gentine has a debt of almost half a billion gold dollars, and it now runs behind some miliions of dollars a year. With the for- eign influences against us we would find it hard to get anything out of the nation should we succeed, and should we lose they will carve us to pieces. They will take the whole of lower Chile for them- selves and will allow Peru and Bolivia to have what we captured in our war with FRANK G. CARPENTER. —_.— Not Lack of Ability. From the New York Weekly. Anxious Mother—“How is it that you have so much trouble with your housc- keeping? You told me your wife covld cook.” Adult Sor—She can.” Anxious Mother—“Then what is the mat- ter?” Adult Son—She won't.” ——-e-—___ Challenged for Cause. From the Detroft Free Pres “I object to that man on the jury,” shout- ed the lawyer for the defense. “On what grounds?" inquired the court. “I'm the man that persuaded him to get marrie ———_+ e+ —__ Mendicant—“Madam, would you please help an old soldier along who has seen a great deal of the war?” Benevolent Lady (handing him a quarter) —“At Manila or Santiago?” Mendicant—‘‘In de il’strated newspapers, mum."—Norristown Herald. | death. It has lately been noticed TITLES IN CUBA Patents of Nobility Will Expire With Spanish Soverbignty. REWARDS FOR POLITICAL SERVICES na This Fact Lessened:the Influence of Those Honored. SOME NOTABLE INSTANCES With the end of Spanish sovereignty in Cuba, Cuban titles will also end. A num- ber of marquises and counts, if they elect to stay in the island, will cease to have patents of nobility. The same is true of some of the leading Spanish citizens who are genuine grandees of Spain. The dis- tinction between the Spanish title and the Cuban patent of nobility has always been carefully maintainsd. The Spaniards af- fected to despise the Cuban counts and marquises, and the Cubans themselves were disposed to make them ridiculous. Nevertheless, som3 of these titles which were held in old Cuban families were re- spected, not because of the patent of noble birth which they wers supposed to desig- nate, but because of the patriotism of the men who bore them. In the ten years’ wat there were Cuban counts and marquises among the revolutionists, and in th late insurrestion the same was true. One of the most zealous of the insurgents was the Marquis Santa Lucia, who rendered great aid to Gomez, which was acknowledged by that grim old commander, Rewards for Political Service. On> reason why the Cubans cared little for the titles in themselves was the ten- dency of the Spanish'government to bestow them in reward for the political services of distinguished Cubans. To the patriotic Cuban political servic2s to Spain could only be at the expense of their own island. Rafael Montoro was one of the notable men of Cuba as a scholar, orator and Htterateur. He had shared the aspirations of his peo- ple for fres government, and was ons of the historic autonomists. In an evil day the Canovas ministry made Mr. Montoro a marquis. It followed upon his espousal of the reforms which were proposed by ( novas in lieu of autonomy. From that day the influence of Marquis Montoro was prac- tically nothing. His friends declared that th> title had been bestowed upon him un- sought, and that he despised it. Neverthe- less he was called the Marquis Montoro, and as such was known in Cuban politics, When the autonomist cabinet was formed last January and the Sagasta ministry made him secretary of the treasury, it was discovered in Madrid that whether undar a conservative o: a liberal ministry, Marquis Montoro was far less influential than Senor Montoro had been. While he is respected for his private virtues, and while the Cu- bans speak kindly of him, Secretary Mon- toro has not ragaingda their confidence. It is possible that wh@p the new government is formed, and all ffftles,are lost, he may again, enor Mofitoro,take the position for which his talent fit im. Another&@xperience. Marquis de Apezteguia is another Cuban who has had a similar experi>nce. He was a Cuban marquis simply when a year ago the queen regent mage him a Spanish gran- dee. Marquis Apezteguia, though a Cu- ban, was the head of the conservative party, which was made up largely of ultra- loyal Spaniards. It was hoped that the special honors-eonferred-upon him by the queen would increase hig prestige among the Spanish classes &nd Foul enable him to influence the cons:rvatives toward the adoption of the policy of autonomy, but when he returned from Madrid the Marquis Apezteguia found that the Spanish classes were less susceptible to’ the dignity and honors of the crown than had been sup- posed. The conservatives would have noth- ing to do with autonomy, whether brought them by a newly created grandee or of- fered them by the captain general. Th» censervative party, at its conven pudiated the policy. is pre of the Sugar Planters’ As: tion. He has sive interests in Cuba, and it is presumed that he will elect to re- main there, when his title of marquis and his dignity as a grandee of Spain become nothing more than reminiscences of a co- lonial 2poch that has gone forever. The Mayor ot Havana. The present mayor of Havana has also a title before his name. He Is the Mar- quis de Esteaban. His family is an old and honored one. He had not taken the leading part in politics, but he enjoyed the respect of ail classes. The mayor of Hav na, even under autonomy, was not elected by popular vote. He was designated by Captain General Bianco. Marquis de Es- aban succeeded a conservative mayor, who had been a drayman. Many squibs were published when the drayman mayor was re- piaced by the courtly representative of one of the old Cuban families. However, this had no influence in reconciling the Cubans in Havana to autonomy. Marquis de © aban is a large property owner, and on that accoun. it is not doubted that he wiil n and sacrifice his ttle to the new regime. A few days ago the Havana djs- patches reported that he was in confer- ence with General Rodriguez and others who had been prominent in the insurrec- tion and who would be influential under the changed conditions. The Captains General. Under the old order the government blue book used to state that the nobility in Cuba did not constitute an element of power. This was true, because all the power was concentrated in the captains general. Of the 124 captains general who span the period from the appointment of Columbus’ voyage companion, Don Dilgo Velasquez, who was named in 1511, down to Don Ramon Blanco, Marquis of Pena Plata, a large proportion have held titles of Spanish grandees as dukes, counts and marquises. General Weyler was Marquis of Teneriffe. Some of the captains gen- eral have earned their patents of nobility by services to the crown while holding that pesition. Captain General Concha was made Marquis of Havana in the fifties for his services in crushing inciplent revolu- ticns the Among the nobility in the old days ivision was two-fold: The “digni or worthies and the “titled of Ca: Of the dignities which were not ry there were seven gentlemen of the Grand Royal Cross and the distinguish- ed Spanish order of Carlos II, and thirty- five of tue Royal American Order of Isabel- la the Catholic. Of the Oeder of Carlos III without wearing crodses there were nine, and of the same cla’#s of'‘the Order of Isa- bella there were sixty-three. Of ths “Cabal- leros de Real,” or royal ’Zentlemen, in the ros de Real” or royal gentlemen, in the order of Carlos III theré*were forty-three, and in that of IsaWella ‘the Catholic one hundred. There nie Iso four noble dames of Maria Lujsa. '’There were also a few minor dignities. The Castijian.-Titles. The Castilian titles-included marquisates with grandeeship of Spain, and marqui- sates without grandeeship. There were also counts who were grandees and counts who were not grangees., The marquisate which carried with itcthe rank of a grandee of Spain was that ef Saf: Felipe and San- flago, created in 171%. The plain maraui- sates included Villaba, created in 1662, down to that of Havana, created half a century ago. Among the titles still borne are those of the Marquises of the Royal Proclamation, the Royal Succor, Clear Waters, House of Fidelity and Royal Treasury. The first of the order of counts was that of Bayona, created in 1722. The Count O'Reilly patent was of later date. — The Pope’s Names Explained. From the Pall Mall Gazette. Leo XHI takes a special pleasure and pride in celebrating another name day, San Gioacchina, especially after having been ill, and by many considered at the point of that these anniversaries have the effect of stimulating his emotions and memory, and causing him to relate to his intimates many little incidents of his youth. The other day, for instance, when arranging the de- tails for the ceremonies on ais name-day, he remarked that the name of Gioacchina was given him by his godfather, Mgr. Tosi, then Bishop Anagni, the diocese in which Leo XIII was born. But this was only his second name, the first being Vincenzo, chosen by his mother, who had a great veneration for the celebrated Dominican missionary, St. Vincenzo Ferrteri, bishop of Valencia. In fact, as long as Signora Pecci lived her son was called Vincenzino (Little Vincenzo). The choice of his papal name may be traced back to a visit he paid to Rome in 1825, when only fifteen years old, to assist at the jubilee of Leo XII, one of the most gorgeous that history records, coming, a8 it did, after the upheaval in Europe. Al- though so young, he had the honor of be- ing introduced into the presence of the pope and speaking to him, as he had been chosen to represent his fellow students and lay their homage at the feet of his hol!- ness. From that time his respect and ad- miration for that pope were so great that when, in 1878, the sacred college elected kim pope by forty-four votes, to the doyen of the cardinals who asked him what name he would take he replied, “That of Leo XIII, kecause of the gratitude and deference I have aiways felt for Leo XII.” Among the ceremonies on the pope name-day the most important and inter- esting Is the reception of the sacred col- lege, or, to be more exact, of the cardinals present in Rome. To the student of human nature this would suggest ironies, for most of the cardinals are, or consider themselves, candidates for the chair of St. Peter when vacated by its present occupant. ———_+-e-_____ SLAUGHTERED LIKE SHEEP, Some of the Horrors of the Soudan Being Revealed. From the Saturday Review. When Osman Digna first arrived in the Suakin district as the mahdi’s apostle it was found that the dervishes were not men who could be fought in the manner custom- ary to civilization. It was not a matt>r of maneuvering, or “coming into action at one thousand yards,” or anything of that kind. The dervish method of fighting was something much more simple. The enemy being sighted, banners are raised, swords are drawn, spears are pois*d, and the whole force goes straight at him. That was what Mahmud Pesha Taher and Commander Moncrieff had rot realized when, on No- vember 4, 1883, they took five hundred and fifty Egyptians from Suakin toward Tokar. One hundred and fifty dervishes compl:tely routed them. Moncrieff was among the killed. Suakin was paralyzed, stiff’ with terror. Then poor Valentine Baker, our former dashing colonel of hussars, wus commis- sioned by the khediv> to retrieve this dis- aster. His Egyptians were slaughtered at Hl Teb like sheep; they fled, they knelt on the desert, raising their hands in pray-r, stretching forth their necks to the sword. There was no quarter for Egyptians or English; their heads rolled in the sand; their bodies were smitten through and through with sp2ars. Hicks had perished with a great army in faraway Kordofan. It was the same there. England was roused. Two armies led by English officers had suffered complete defeat, in one case annihilation. Gerald Graham was sent out, and now for the first tim? the English pri- vate soldier joined battle with the dervish; now for the first time he learned what manner of fighting man was the fuzzy wuzzy. And from that time must be dated the “unwritten chapters” of Soudan2se warfare. From that time Tommy Atkins became familiar with slaughter in a form new to him—the slaughter of women and the slaughter of wounded men. It sounds terrible. All warfarey is terribl2; Soudan warfare is a horror beyond words. After one of those early battles—a tre- mendous fight, hand to hand, bayonet to spear, in a whirlwind of dust through which the fighters caught glimpses of flashing steel and waving banners, while the heavy air was rent with the rattle of musketry and screams of passion—a party of soldiers, with a reporter or two among them, were standing over one of the ene- my’s dead. “Why, it's a woman!” said one of the soldiers, some Tommy who had s ters at home, maybe; “What a bloomin’ shame it sems now, don’t it?” One of the eporters thought the same, and said so. gut there was also present an officer, long resid2nt at Suakin, who knew the ways of the faithful, and he said to the reporter: “You sec what she’s got in her hand?” “A stick.” “Yes; and do you know what she would have done with it?’ Th» reporter did not Know, but he presumed sh> was going to fight witb it. No, she was not going to fight with it. She intended to use it on some wounded unbeliever in an indescriba- ble manner, so that when he appeared in ths next world he should look ridiculous. Every soldier to whom that explanation of the “dead women with sticks” was given changed his views as to the pity of their slaughter. In any case, as the women cam> on with the men in headiong charge, and culd not be distinguished from them, yn they went. This slaughter of women was not taken up to any extent as a sub- ject by Exeter Hall, owing, presumably, to the circumstances under which they wer killed, but it was one of the first motives which led commanders in the field in the Scudan to become anxious as to the sp2ciul telegrams of the war correspondents at- tached to headquarters. This slaughter of women was bad enough; but worse remained behind—the slaughte of wounded men. In these same early bat- tles, betore the dervish realized, as there is reason to belizve he did eventually realize, that the infidel was, unlike himself, capa~ ble of humanity, no quarter was universal on both sides. For the infidel, of course, ed or not, there never was any quar- no wounded man >ver escaped dervish sword or spear. The English troops soon realized this After the desperate struggle at MeNeill’s zereba, after the severest of the fighting was over, an officer of one of the regiments was crossing the blood-stain- ed inclosure. A wounded dervish, who was lying as if dead, seeing the young officer pass near, raised himself on one hand and with the other threw his sp2ar. In a mo- ment the officer lay gasping out his life, and in another moment the dervish re- ceived the “coup de grace” from one of the men, Th regiment did not forget the in- cident. The effect of the dervish mode of attack upon the English regiments was re- markable. There could be no severer or- deal for any troops. Incredible though it seemed, these men of the desert never hes- itated to charge with sword and spear. They were mowed down by th> Martini- Henry rifle and by the Gatling guns, but those who escaped the deadly hail’ still came right up to the bayonets, into the zereba or the square, and there died fight- ing. But those who were not slain out- right, what of them? Was there any men- tion of the dervish wounded in those early battles? There was not; ther2 could not be. ae - Spain’s Future Troubles. “A Spanfard’? in the Fortnightly Review. The loss of our (Spanish) colonies means the absolute disappearance of all industry and commerce which the inhabitants of thos: islands were forced to support. Fac- tories, workshops, magazines—all must be ciosed, and thousands upon thousands of operatives turned adrift on the world, homeless and helpless. A hundred thousand soldiers will come home to swell their ranks, sickly, mutilated m2n, no longer needed to fight their country’s battles, and no longer able to carry on the struggl> for existence under the ruins of the old order of things. The greater number of 30,000 military cfficers will be deprived of their commands and placed on the reserve list, where the pay is such that a captain, who generally has a wife and family to support, recaives about two shillings fourpence a day. Agriculture, which is dying out, cannot support these legions of famishing men, women and children, nor are soldiers the Kind of people who take kindly to the hard. humdrum life of the fields. When these multitudes have felt the pinch of hunger, and see themselves thrown back upon the laws of nature to keep thems:lves and their lcved ones from dying, then the interna! crisis will have begun in very truth, and the tocsin of the revolution will haye sounded. In that day the army will decid> by its at- titude whether Carlists or republicans shall triumph. Clever if Untru From tke Chicago News. “Tommy,” s2id the teacher to a pupil in the juvenile class, “what is syntax?” “I guess it must be the tax on whisky,” replied Tommy. ——+ro+—__ The Lesser Evil. From Puck. Visitor—“You like belng tn jail? Mercy! What are you tn for?” No. 13—“Bigamy—three wives!” ~ ONE OF THE NEW —— initia | with his crew, was taken aboard the pirate craft, the noose put about their necks, and The Four New Monitors Will Show Every Radical Advance IN MODERN FIGHTING MACHINERY For Safety of Mainland and Our Island Possessions. NAMED AFTER STATES see SS The United States revolutionized naval construction and methods in 1861, and it has been revolutionizing them ever sinc: It is true other nations have been progres: ing more rapidly numerically, but scientific- ally, in hulls, machinery and armament the United States naval constructors hav again set the pace of the world. The ex periences of the war with Spain have sug- gested new departures. The ships of the future additions to the American navy will be a marked advance on former designs. The naval program for 1898-99, under the act of May 4, 1808, provides for three first- class battle ships, four coast defense mont- tors, twelve torpedo boats and sixteen tor- pedo destroyers. The four harbor defense monitors called for will present some of the most radical advances in the modern fighting machinery. The monitor principle has always been dis- tinetively American. There are many who regard them as the best all-round warships yet designed. The act of Congress appropriating for the naval service for the fiscal year ending June 30,1899, under “increase of the nav referring to the four harbor defense vessels of the monitor type, limits the cost of these vessels to $1,500,000 each. The limit of time of completion is twenty-seven months, with penalties from $300 to $600 a day for failure. The Navy Department, in the construc- tion of this class of vessels, securing the greatest results at the least expenditure of money, has in view not only the securing of the mainland harbors of the United States, but also of its island possessions in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The design of the monitors, which have been named the Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida and Wyoming. was pre; Chief Constructor Hichborn. It clded that the best all-round arrangement that could be built with the available ap- propriation was the arrangement with a single-balanced turret on the center line forward, containing two high-powered 12- inch breech-loading rifles, a gun that has just been designed to be used with 5} powder; four 4-inch rapid-fire breech-lo: ing rifles, also to be used with smokele: powder, completes the main batter secondary battery will consist of three 6- pound rapid-fire and four 1-pound automat- ic rifles. The general characteristics of these ve: sels as shov n in the elements of design will be: Length on load water line, 225 fee Breadth, extreme, at water line, 50 feet. Mean draft, at normal displacement, 12 feet 6 inches. Normal displacement, about 2,700 tons. Total coal capacity, loose stowage, 200 tons. Details of the Design. The hull is to be of steel, not sheathed, with double bottom and close water-tight subdivisions. There will be one military mast, with fighting and searchlight tops. Seven boats are to be stowed clear of the blast of the guns. Two, being the life boats, are to be carried at davits, so as to be quickly lowered. The protection of the hull against injury to the water-line region is to be afforded by means of a side armor belt, the max!- mum thickness being 11 inches, tapering to 5 inches at the armor shelf, the depth being 5 feet. The maximum thickness is abreast the engine and boiler spaces; from thence forward and aft it is reduced by steps to a minimum thickness of 5 inches at the bow and stern, The barbettes for the 12-inch guns will have armor about 10 inches thick. The turret is of the Hichborn balanced type, with front plate inclined forty-two degrees from the vertical. The side plates of the turret armor are to be nine inches thick. ‘The main or protected deck is to extend thrcughout the length of the vessel, to be werked flat. The total thickness will be one and a half inches. A conning tower of seven and a half inches in thickness, having an armored communication tube three inches in thick- ness, will be carried in a suitable command- ing position forward, the tube extending to the armor deck and affording protection to the voice tubes, bell wires, &c. The vessel will be driven by twin screws. The engines (two in number) are to be of the vertical, triple-expansion type, in one water-tight compartment. The high pres- sure cylinder, 17 inches in diameter; the in- termediate, 26% inches, and the low pres- sure, 40 inches; the stroke of engine to be 24 inches. The boilers (four in number) are to be of the water-tube type, constructed for a working pressure of 250 pounds, and are to be placed in one water-tight com- partment. There will be the usual auxil- jary machinery and workshop tools. Distilling apparatus and evaporators will be fitted for supplying fresh water. The total coal-bunker capacity will allow at least 200 tons with loose stowage with- out trimming. 240 Tons of Moving Power. The total weight of machinery (but not including turret-turning mackinery, cap- stan, windlass, steering gear or winches) is Mmited to 240 tons. Fifty tons of water for steaming purposes must be carried in the double bottom. Steam windlass, steering engines and boat winches will be provided. These vessels will have state_rooms, in addition to one for the captain, for six of- ficers; require a complement of crew of 125, for whom ample berthing space has been provided. Store rooms are provided for one month's supply of clothing, contin- gent and small stores. The electric generating plant will consist of four units, each unit to have an engine, dynamo and compensation bed plate, and each dynamo a rated output of 400 am- peres of 80 volts. The turret-turning gear, ammunition hoists, rammers and ventilating apparatus will be operated by electricity. The estimated speed of the vessel is to be twelve knots—amply sufficient for a har- bor defense vessel. All wood used in the construction of the vessels will be fireproofed. The vessels will be fitted with docking keels, which will also serve the purpose of bilge keels. These harbor defense monitors, which will have all the latest improvements known to naval science, will be important additions to the navy, and being smail, with large accommodations for crew for vessels of their size, they will be valuable for the use and instruotion of the naval militia, that important organization which has so ably served the government in the late war with Spain. ——+ e+ —____ A Masonite Pirate. From the Boston Transcript. A remarkable experience was once nar- rated te mz by Capt. Tisdale, father-in-law of the late Samuel T. Cobb, ecitsr of the Boston Home Journal. Capt. Tisdale told me that the ship that he commanded was captured by Portuguese pirates, and he, fitted MONITORS. all was ready for stringing up at a given signal. With an fnstinctive impulse of dexpai Capt. Tisdale threw out the grand Masonté sgn. The pirate captain was a Free Ma- son and recognized it. He ordered the rope to be taken from Capt. Tisdale's neck and took him into his cabin, where he exam- ined him. Well satistied with the cxami- nation, he treated him to the best he had in his cabin, and, then returning with him to the deck, he ordered the ropes tc be taken from the necks of the captured crew. He then entertained the officers as guests in his cabin, and ordered a sumptuous re- Past to be served out to the ew. After all had partaken to their satisfaction, he ordered the boatswain to take them ail to their own vessel Arrived at the ship, Capt. Tisdale waited till all had climbed to the deck, and thea he tcok his turn. When he started to go up the pirate boatswain exclaime!. in a deep, guttural voice, which Capt. Tisdale imitated as only an old sea captain could, “You tank your God you fell into such good hands!" and then ordered his b crew to pull for the black rible master had displaye h i votion to the grand order of wh rh he was @ member, and given evidence of the x- tinguishable spark that fs in every human breast. ———_—_+eo-____ CAUGHT BY HE CAMERA. Criminals Often B: by Accidental From Tit-Bits. By both accident and intention, on nu- merous eccasions, the art of the photog tapher has proved of immense utility in compassing the conviction of criminal: An amateur photographer in Chi city cunningly concealed an automati camera in the tapestried wall of his draw- ing room, for the purpos reliable idence as to the behavior tain members of his househol absence from home. One a burglar broke into the house by the apartment mentioned. In so doing disturbed the spring which set the hidd machinery in motion, and left an excellent oto of himself upon the faithful which, when produced in court, se- cured his speedy conviction. In another instance, a man who murder ed his mother was arrested by t - tion of the omniscient camera. The dread- ful deed was committed in a ferest, wh a student of Photography was at work. A particularly pretty glen was so admired by the artist that he took three copies of the scene. One of these, when duly de- veloped and enlarged, portrayed the details of the terrible tragedy, and by its aid the culprit was brought to justic During the jubilee celebrations a we known photographer in Lordon took number of street scenes of historic inte est. Ir one of these pictures, vast concourse of people were near St. Paul's Cathedral, the vealed a pickpocket in the very ing his peculiar profession tective, who afte tograph, said that he knew the man well He was badly “wanted” for frauds com of securing during his Moonlight n w wher assemblec amera et An old de- wards inspected the pho- mitted on the continent, but the officers were not aware that he was in London. A week later he was arrested. A snap-shot at a summer crowd on the nds at Margate came out so clearly that the knight of the camera showed it. with satisfaction a number of his friends Among these was a Scotland Y- ard officer, who discovered among the mass of fac the familiar features of a man whom ho had been hunting for months. Taking the next train to Margate he haunted the beaches until he sighted the fugitive and effected his arrest. A Portsmouth photographer paid a pro- fessional visit to a large garden party a Southsea, where he took a group of fash- fonable visitors with salient su SS. Dur ing the process of development he observed that in the holly hed behind the group a rather repulsive human face apy A fortnight later a lady purchaser of « of these photographs ma gular discovery, and aver; resembled t futile attempt weeks prior to of a man who had made a a few matter to rob the their hou: party. Th: beirg mentioned to the police the distri was scoured, and the man—who was an old criminal—was arrested and impr d An Irish housebreaker in Belfast, evi- dently ignorant concerning tae charact of the camera, found his way one night into a photographer's studio, on burgiarious thoughts intent, when a large photographic apparatus attracted h attention, More by accident than design the camera had been left ready for use, and the artle manipulation of the machinery, by the cu rious thief, actually produced a picture of himseif, which was afterward employed to bring about his conviction. WILL NOT SAVE FROM DROWNING. A Strange Antipathy to Resening Folk From the Water. From the Boston Globe. A strange antipathy once prevailed to rescuing a drowning man, the idea being that the person saved would, sooner or er, do some sort of infury to the man who preserved his life. Sir Walter Scott, in the “Pirate,” tells how Bryce the peddler refused to help Mordauat to save the ship- wrecked sailor from drownin even remonstrated with him on the such a dee rashness ¢ Are you mad,” ald the peddler, “you at have lived sae lang in % 4, to risk the saving of a drowning man? Wot ye not, if ye bring him to life again, he will be sure to do you some injury This prejudice, which was deeply re among our sea-going community in man: parts of the country, existed not y long ago in Cornwall. It is fou too among French sailors and the boatmen of the Danube, and is widely credited in Rus- sia. Mr. Barry, in his “Ivan at Home,” gives a striking instance of the Rusian’ repug- nance to saving life from drowning. One day a drunken man walked into the water and disappearea. A number of spec- tators stood by and gazed on the seen: with the utmost indifference, but no onc tried to rescue him. A court of inquir was held, but as, on examination, no cross was found on his neck, a verdict was quickly agreed upon by the villagers, who declared that the man was “drowned be- cause he had no cross upon his neck. ‘The Bohemian fisherman shrinks from snatching a drowning man from the waters, fearing that the water demon would take away his luck in fishing, and drown him at the first opportunity. ‘This is a lingering survival of the ancient sig- nificance of this superstition, the explana- tion being that the water spirit ts naturally angry at being despoiled of its victim, and henceforth bears a special grudge against the unlucky perscn who has dared to frus- trate him. Thus, when some one is drowned in Germany, the remark is mad« “The river spirit claims his yearly sacri- fice,” or, “The nix has taken him.” Out of Europe, also, the accidental drowning cf a person is attributed to a similar seizure, and the Siamese dreads the Pnuk, or water spirit, that seizes bath- ers and drags them under to his dwelling. The Sioux Indians have a similar fancy, and tell how men have been drowned by Unk-Tahe, the watcr monster. For the same reason, it appears, the Kamtchadais, far from helping a man out of the water, would drown him by force. If rescued by any chance, no one would receive him into his house, or give him food. 5 The Chinese reluctance to save «a man from drowring arises from quite a different belief—it being supposed that the eptrit of a person who has met his death in this way continues to flit along the surface of the water until it has caused, by drowning, the death of a fellow-creature. A China- man, therefore, who attempts to reseuo another from drowning is considered to incur the hatred cf the uneasy spirit, which is desirous, even at the expense of a man’s life, to escape from its