The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 16, 1897, Page 1

TVOLUME LXXXL-NO ey SAN FRANCISCO, FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 16, PRICE FIVE CENTS. WERE DRIVEN | FROM KRANIA BY THE TURKS Greek Insurgents Did Not Have Their Own Way in Macedonia. SULTAN ASKED TO DECLARE WAR| Duting the Period of Uncertainty Both the Gteek and Turkish Nations Proceed to Prepare for the Inevi- ; table Conflict. \ April i5.—The corre- spondent of the Daily News, who is now 2t Volo, Thessaly, telegraphs that he learns from wounded insurgents in the tnere the entire force of insur- ts was driven from Krania, Macedonia, arkish troops. They thereupon i into Greek territory under or- National Society, which rther bloodshed useless unless Greek army supported the in- Tne dispatch adds that the total LONDON, Exg hosr ge by led and twenty “'qumh S, GREECE, April 15.—Parlia- day passed on first reading the troduced by the Government yes- v for 2 loan of $4,600,000 for the use of the Ministries of War and Marine. CANEA, Crers, April 15.—Ismael Bey, civil governor, has made a protest against the behavior of Britich troops who are on duty here. e} TINOPLE, Turxey The Greek representatives here made a tormal apology to the Turkish Foreign Office yesterday for acts of Greek insur- n crossing the frontier into Mare- a and disclaimed all reponsibility on the part of the Greek Government. Results of the two days’ sitting of the Cabinet council which has just been held here may be summed up thus: Edhem Pasha, commander-in-chief of the Turkish wires the Porte from I cross the frontier and take a tion there it is plain the present situa- 1 15 unienable, owing to the constant <s of insurgent bands entering the lines by stealth. If the present 1 continues it will be very difficuit ain my troops, especially the Al- s, from marching forward and at- the Greeks.’' deliberating upon this dispatch Ministers the Sultan that war should be declared Greece, or Edhem Pasha at least 1 to cross the frontier in the event of furiher incursions vf Greexs into territory. The Sultan, who all ong has objected to declaring war, has yet replied to the Ministers’ com- munication. informed r opinion Turkist al — e MONASTEKIES IN THE ALR. Homes of Some of the Leaders in the Up- rising Against the Turk. Nature and man have combined to make the monasteries and their seats on the in- nccessible crag summits of Meteora one of tae wonders of the world. Situated where the Peneus River descends from the ele- vated Pindus ranges into the Thessalian plain, Meteora disputes the palm with tbe Vale of Tempe on the other side, where, flowing between Olympus and Ossa, the ancient river goes out to the sea. Tempe was said by the ancients to bave been the work of the mighty Hercules— only a demi-god who cut the way through to drain the many miasmatic lakes that infested the plain—but Meteora was as- oribed to the gods themseives, called by the Greeks “Theoktist: or works of the gods, and was regarded by them with even more wonder than Olym- pus itseli—their alieged nome. In the fourteenth century the zealous monks of the order founded by Simeon the Stylite capped these imposing heights with structures of such substantial con- struction as would attract attention much nearer to mother earth. Perched in midair they are at once evidences of mar- velous patience and ingenuity on the part of these builders. When one stands at the base, looks up the perpendicular cliff and finslly reststhe eye on the edifice, stand- ing in clear outline on the very top, he naturally wonders how the material for | these buildings was ever got up there, or how did the men themselves ever reach those heights. The only way in which the mountain can be visited is by & series of ladders part of the way, or up to a ledge or platform some 220 feet from the top, and thence in a net or basket at the end of a long rope passing over a pulley and worked by a capstan at the top. This is the manner in which the monks raise their food, etc. They never use it for descending—being condemned 1o a lifelong sojourn in aerial retreat—though this restriction has been at times dispensed with, especially in timee of insurrection and war, as at pres- ent. Many of these men whose lives haye been dedicated to religion have come down and joined their fellow-countrymen in battle against whe Turk. On former occasions they rofused 10 allow the pas- sage of the Turkish army through their nt loss rince March 16 was twenty- | April 15. | | defiles, and being in & position to support their refusal the latter had to choose er route. | nce the war for independence this | place has been visited by European trav- | elers quite frequently, but as at Mount | Athos females bave to content themselves with a view from afar, the rules of the order, to say nothing of the physical diffi- culties in the way, forbidding their pres- | ence within the precincts of this commu- nity. Formerly there were some twenty- | thres of these monasteries; but the | | mistaken religious zeal which led the | monks to fix upon these lofty eyries for | their habitations is fast dying out, and ac- [ { cessions to their ranks are few in these | days, and, with the exception given, the | | buildings have either been destroyed or | falien into decay. | | The largest of them all is that of Meteo- | | ron, taking its name from the rock on | | which it stands, though those of Hagios | | Barlaam and Hagios Stephanos, the lat- | | ter founded by the famous Ksntakuzenos, | are much richer. | The names of the other four are Hagios | Nicolaos Kophinos, Hagiu Mome, Hagiu | | Rosane ane Hagiu Trias. Though none | of them except Meteora has above a couyle | of dozen inmates, they will all doubtless | | as formerly contribute their quota of will- ying arms end eloquent tongues in further- | ing the ends of the movement which kas | fixed its center in their secure retreat, { Though certamly partaking of worldly |affairs to an extent seemingly incom- | patible with their vows, warring against { Moslem rule in their Christian country | | bas the full sanction of precedent in their | { order. > | | _Of all Greek countries held under the dominion of the Turk thers was | which so persistently and frequently | | sought to regain its independence as | | Thessaly, and none is claimed by the | | Hellenes with equal ardor as a portion of | | their common fatheriand and the cradie | | of their race. Foremost among those who | bave maintained the one and fought for | the other have been the monks of Me- ‘l teora. none | —_— HEVIDENCE +hOM THE GRAVE. | Jacob Kissinger’s Childven Dig a Bible | From His Coffin. | INDIANAPOLIS, Ixn., April 15.—For | nearly iwenty years the Leirs of Jacob | Kissinger, a wealthy citizen of Leaven- worth, have been fighting over his estate, | every time one of the eight children reached majority a new legal fight result- ing. To settle the question of the age of the last child the family Bible, buried with | | Kissinger, was resurrected yesterday. It was found to contain his will, made in | 1784. The will made the mother guardian | and distributed the property equally after | the widow received her third. To-day all | the pending suits were dismissed. | kb gge Killed by Extract of Lemon. | ALTOONA, Pexx., April 15—Frank Baker, camp cook for a gang of workmen on the Pittsburg, Bessemer and Lake | Erie Railroad, died to-day from delirum tremens superinduced by overindulgence inlemon extract. He drank the contents | of eleven bottles within twenty-four hours. CASTLES IN THE SKY. In the monasteries of Meteora, perched on the summits of lofty rocks rising in curious isolation above the valley of Trikkala, dwell a class of religious devotees who were among the first to fire the hearts of the Greeks and urge them to overthrow their Moslem oppressors. it is certain that their voices are not raised in the cause of peace. Several of them are now with the army in Thessaly, and MUST REMAIN NEAR THE TURKISH CORST Uncle Sam’s Warships Will Be On Hand to Aid Americans. Fearing Actual Warfare the Present Fleet WIll Remaln Near Smyrna. WASHINGTON, D. C., April 15 —The withdrawal of the cruiser Minneapolis from the European fleet is to be post- poned for the present und no attempt will be made to reduce the strength of the sta- tion until after the arrival outof the Raleigh. This change of programme 1s made in view of the representations to | the Secretary of State by Minister Terrill | that the American interests in Turkey might be endangered should hostilities ensue between Turkey and Greece. Sec- retary Long proposed ordering the return of the Minneapolis so it might be retired from active service with tne Columbia and uch other vessels found expensive to maintain in active service, but in view of the possibilities of the United States be- ing called upon to conduct an active patrol of the Turkish const and to hold a close watch on American interests, the | present fleet will be retained near Smyrna, Thoe departure of the Bancroft for Alex- andria to be docked is said to-day to Lave | no special signiicance. The officials have never admitted what is a fact, however, | that the little vessel was sent across the | Atlantic to become a guardship at the Porte, but Terrill has several times since autumn expressed the opinion it should be stationed at Constantinople, and urged proper representations be made to the Turkish Government for the necessary permission. ~Recently he has brought the subject up again. On the return of the | time to observe events closely. Banecroft from Smyrna he will probably board it for the inspection of consulstes along the Turkish coast. Admiral Selfrid :'s ordsrs areto keep the vessels away from the ffeets of the powers around the coast, buc at the same The offi- cials do not believe the service of a ingle 7essel will be required at Canes, no mat- ter how serious the present troubles be- came, The fleet is kept around the Tuark- ish coast at present to be ready to extend prompt aid to American citizens to reach the coast shonld Turkey and Greece go to | | war, The admiral's vessels during the | entire winter have been in the vicinity of | Smyrna, and during the coming summer, | if aifairs in the East do not improve, the | department will issue additional orders instructing him to continue to cruise in Turkish waters. BAGS OF GULD FOR JAPA. Payment of Ch.nese Indemnity Money De- pletes London's Gold Supply and Causes Some Apprehension. LONDON, ExNG., April 15.—Financial sir- cles are disturbed by the fact thatthe Lon- don money market is at the mercy of the Japanese Government. Immense sums of Chinese indemnity money have been paid 10 Japan through the Bank of England. An enormous balance has been allowed to remain at the bank for many months and this has proved a frequent source of difficulty both to the bank and the general finsncial world. There is nothing to prevent Japan from | depleting the supply of goid at any - mo- ment. This supply ordinarily amounts to £37,000,000, which is £10,000,000 less than t was a year ago. The Japanese authoritics this week withdrew nearly £2,000,000, thereby re- ducing the bank's sappiy of gold 6 per cent. The return issued by the bunk to-day shows gold on hand to the amount of £33,000,000. The rate of discount of the bank, which was reduced to 23¢ April 8, was not changed at to-day’s weekly meet- ing, but the directors are seriously consid- ering how to meet or avoid embarrassment | which may be occasioned by the sudden withdrawal of the remainder of the Jap- anese balance. Another installment of £2 250,000 of in- | demnity money is due to Japan from China next month. — - | REVOLUTION IN HONDURAS. | Insurgents Break Out In Another Central American Republic Which Is Now Under Martial Law. WASHINGTON, D. C., April 15— Consul-General Little at Tegucigalpa cables that a revolution has broken out in Honduras and tbat the republic is under martial law. e . MRS. ELIZABETH R. TILTON DEAD. She Was the Wife, of the Brooklyn EdVtor Who_Sued the Late Henry Ward Beecher. NEW YORK, N. Y., April 15.—Mrs. Elizabeth R. Tilton, wife of Theodore Til- ton, who sued the late Henry Ward Beecher for alienating his wife’'s affec- tions, died Tuesday evening of paralysis. She had been living in retirement since the Beecher tria!. Friends have endeav- ored to shield her from publicity to such an extent that there was no crape on the door and the blinds were not drawn. Mrs. Tilton's death is almost coincident with that of Mrs. Beecher, who died only two weeks ago. Of the persons directly affected by the great Beecher trial the only one now living is Tilton, the com- plainant. ~ Tilton was a member of Beecher’s church and editor of the Brook- lyn Union. When the case was decided for Beecher those who stood by the pastor blacklisted the paper. The trial was one of the .most notable legal battles ever fought in this country. Inaugurated Mayor of Chicago. CHICAGO, Ir1., April 15.—Mayor Car- ter Harrison was inaugurated to-nignt, before an immense crowd, in the Council chamber. He made a brief address, an- nouncing that_he would live up to his ‘ante-election pledges. eutrality which approacies dangerously near o actual war. THE BRIDGE OF ARACHTHON OVER THE RIVER ARTA. Spanning the river Arta, near the city of the same name, is a bridge which seems destined to ve the scene of a memorable conflict. trained and encigns fluttering in the breeze, the Turks and Greeks confront one anothe: only awaiting the word of command to advance. At opposite ends, with cannon Ttis an instance of armed SIN FRARCISCO WILL HAVE THE POSTOFFICE Strange as it May Seem, Work Is Soon to Be Begun on the Building. Officlals of the New Regime Wil See That the Work of Con- struction Is Commenced. WASHINGTON, D. C., April 15.—At last the Treasury Department has been aroused tothe necessity of beginning the actual construction of the San Francisco Postoffice building. Congressman Loud, ired of the delay and urgea by San Fran- cisco commercial bodies and prominent citizens, as voicea by THE CALL, deter- mined that he would not cease his per- sistent effort until he obtained some satis- faction from the Treasury Department. He realized the utter futility of gettffig the Democratic administration to do any thing, and so bided his time until the new.assists ant secretarios were duiy instalied’iin oifice. 1 2 0. L. Spaulding of Michigan, wwho-was one of the assistant secretaries nnder the administration of President:sHawridon, having been reappointed to ‘hisv position; is again at his old desk ready for business. He is entirely familiar with the San Fran- cisco pustotfice matter, and when Loud saw him to-day, expressed surprise that the construction of the building had not been commenced lonz ago. He promi-ed Loud that he would urge the War Department to hurry up the en- gineers who are making further tests of the foundation, and just as soon as they have made their report he will advertise for bids for the work of excavation and foundation. Loud said to THE CALL correspondent to-night: *‘It is always better to go to the secretary in charge rather thau to subordi- na I realized that the supervising architect was entirely subservient to the will of the superior officers of the treas- ury, so I did not waste any time by going to Mr. Aiken. I believe that Secretary Spaulding will cause the work of the engineers to be expedited, and you may say to our people that at last there is a fair prospect of commencing the construction of the building. THAT CHINESE RESOLUTION. Secretary Gage Wi/l Sleep on the Ques- tion of Admitting Celestials to Go to the Tennesse Exposition. WASHINGTON, D. C., April 15.—Sec- retary Gage is in a quandary over the question of letting Chinese come mto the country under the joint resolution of Con- gress concerning aliens imported for ex- hibition purposes at the Tennessee cen- tennial, He bas been considering the opinion of the Solicitor of the Treasury that the decretary has the right to admit as few as he pleases, and this afternoon said he would sleep on the matter. It is said that Gage is doubtful as to his right to keep out the expected droves of Celos- tials in view of the broad language of the joint resolution. A number of Treasury Department em- ployes will be dismissed to-morrow, two chiefs of divisions being among them. The Republican members of the Com- mittee on Finance who, for the past fort- night, have been working on the tariff bitl the Arlington Hotel, to-day took quarters in the room of the committee in the Capitol Itis inferred that some of the Senators objected to visiting the hotel when more convenient quarters could be had in the Capitol. PEACE FOR CUBK WA BE AN But It Will Not Be While Canovas Remains in Office. LIBERALS IN FAVOR OF A TREATY, Natives of the Island Ready to Pay Spain a War Indemnity. THEIR INDEPENDENCE MUST BE GRANTED. Insurgents In a Positlon to Hold Thelr Own and So They De- mand Absolute Freedom. HAVANA, Cuga, April 15.—A sensation has been created by reports that peace will very soon be established in Cuba through negotiations now in progress between the Washington administration, Madrid Gov- ernment and Cuban Junta in New York, the latter supported by General Garcia and the Cuban Government in the fieid. It is said that the only obstacle in the way of making s peaceful arrangement has been the uncompromising attitude of Canovas and some prominent leaders of the Conservative party in Spain. As soon as there is a change in the Gov- ercment at Madrid, and the Liberal party, led by Sagasta, assumes power, a treaty of peace will be concluded. Allother parties are in complete accord, and only await a change in the Spanish administration to announce a decision. La Lucha says the reports are believed to be true by Spanish military men. A correspondent has made inquiries about the reports and has authority to say it any agreement for peace has been made it is on a basis of absolute independence. For promotion of negotiations on' that ground the Cubsn Junta at New York bas absolute power. It is said the representa- tives of the revolutionists in the United States have sent to Washington a scheme for peace on this basis, presenting to Sec- retary Sherman a plan for the pavment by Cuba to Spain of a war indemnity of about $100,000,000 on condition that Spain shall recognize their independence. The United States 1n all these negotiations is acting as a friendly intermediary. An authorifd representative of the rev- olutionary Junts at Havana said to-day: “We are ready to pay the money to Spain for freedom in order to avert bioodshed and the devastation of another year of war; but still we will never yield if our independence is not acknowledged.” This news concerning peace negotiations comes from Spanish sources. It is also affirmed in a recent offer of friendly inter- vention in Cuba made by the McKinley administration to the Spanish Govern- ment, involving a proposal for war in- demnity. Gomez writes from an estate in Santa ‘Clara province that his military position is very strong and he does not believe that the whole Spanish army of 400,000 could make a successful attack upon him. My health is very zood,” he adds, “‘and I feel as strong as in better days.” An engagement is reported at San Joa- quin, near Campo Florida, Havana prov- ince, in which the Spaniards under Lieu- tenant-Colonel Penil killed eight paciticos, and then reported . they had won a vic- tory over the insurgents. —_—— BECUKING WAR LOANS. Spanish Officials Continue to Uss Ol& Authority. MADRID, Spary, April 15.—As Pare liament cannot vote supplies for the colonial wars until June, even if the Cortes be convoked before then, the Gov- ernment is using the authority granted at the last session, and will obtain ad- vances from the Bank of Spain to meet the expenses of the war in Cuba. The bank will furnish 65,000,000 pesetas imme- diately and 35,000,000 later. The loan will draw 5 per cent interest, being guaranteed by Cuban bonds of 1891 and by the Span- ish treasury. Other banks will advance 100,000,000 pesetas now snd 50,000,000 later for expenses incurred through the rebellion in the Philippines. -——— AMNESTY PROMISED. Cubans, However, Will Only Quit Fignt- ing When Giren Freedom. WASHINGTON, D. C., April 15.—News has been received here that Spain is pre- paring to issue a wholesale amnesty proclamation similar to the one that re- sulted in the surrender of 25000 insur- geots in the Philippine Islands and the ending of the war there. The Spanish re- gara the issuance of such a proclamation asone of the most important moves re- cently made and predict that the Cubans will flock from all directiona to surrender and take advantage of the offer. Prominent Cubans, however, deny that any such result will follow. They claim to be gaining ground all the time, and repeat what they have continually said, that they never would stop fighting until the independence of the island was achieved. One thing that bas great weight with tbe Spanish Govern- ment in hurrying the promised reforms |in Cuba is the interest being displayed in undoubtedly had