Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-05-22
sIuseoRN sAvAeEs.


China's Dearly-Bought Conquest q tho
Island Of Formosa-
The Chinese troops in Formosa have
at last completely defeated the savages
who have so long defied them. Tho
savage people have never waged more
stubborn resistance than these tribes OF
Southeastern Formosa- Since the
Chinese occupied the island in 1874 they
have contested inch by inch the posses-
sion of their magnificent mountains
among the loftiest in the world. where
they declared they would maintain their
independence or perish.
Here is an island lying directly In the
highway Of ocean travel, and whose
northern part has large relations with
the commercial world; and yet, owing
to the ferocity of the natives of Malayan
descent who dwell in its southeastern
regions, fully a quarter of the country
has never been explored, and we do not
know to-day whether such q thing as
good harbor exists along the coast The
shores of Formosa have been the terror of
sailors, for to be shipwrecked on this in
hospitable cost meant speedy death at
the hands of the natives Among the
latest occurrences of this sort was the
massacre of the British ship Rover, in
cluding Mrs. Hunt, the captains wife.
The natives said later that they would
not have killed her, but they did not
know that she was a woman.
A few years ago a party from British
war-ship landed among the savages in
force too strong to be in danger of mo
lestation. A shooting fmatch at dis
tance of about one hundred yards was
arranged with the natives, who were
armed with matchlocks. A target was
nailed to tree and the English first
displayed their craftsmanship with
very satisfactory results. The natives
did not seem at all surprised, but sud-
denly disappeared in the uuderbrush,
and presently were seen crawling on
their stomachs toward the target When
they were in about six feet of it they
blazed away and, of course, hit the tar
get in the center. The English pro-
tested that this was not exactly fair
contest. ''Well," replied the natives,
'swe don't know whether it's fair or not,
but it's the way we kill Chinese, and it's
good enough for u.s."
ALI along the western side Of the mar
row island Chinese settlements have
arisen, while just before them the great
mountain range whose 1summits they
have seen every morning illumined by
the rising sun, has been as inaccessible
as though an impossible gulf stretched
between. Only in martial array have
the Chinese dared to invade uplands,
and even then their progress has been
slow and uncertain, and they have had
many rough experience. Once party
of $50 Chinese soldiers who formed an
advance post were killed to a man. In
the campaign of 1915 the Chinese lost
about 1000 men by sickness, and for
some years all attempts to hold ground
that had been won were abandoned dur
ing the rainy season, on account of the
decimation of the army by disease.
Thus the war has been waging for
years in desultory way. 1t is curious
fact that China has regarded Formosa
as experimental ground where Western
innovations might be safely tried and
proven before they were permitted to
gain a foothold on the Chinese main
land. The result is that Northern For
mosa has been more open to Western
influences, and has recently been MAX
ing better progress than any other part
of the Chinese dominionS; and, while
that part of the island has been advanc-
ing by really surprising strides under
the impetus of Western capital, the little
region in the southeast has been closed
against all the world. 1t is gratifying
news that the barriers have at last been
broken down. Even the spread of Chi
nese civilization there will be a great
blessing in comparison with the state of
things that has made this corner of the
beautiful island a menace to all who ap-
preached it-N. Y. Sun.