The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-06-01

llceD y "a story
teller like Forbes or Russell in its train.
On the other hand, now and then some
strange and wholly unlocked for event in
field beyond the ken Of the professional
newsgatherer Is favored in having ready
analyst on the spot.
When our saucy ships Of war and their
jolly crews went roaming the PARKWAY
oceans in search Of the Confederate priva-
teers, people at first looked for word by ev-
cry packet Of some startling encounter in
an odd quarter Of the globe, maybe another
Shannon and Chesapeake or Bon Homme
Richard affair. After wait that made us
all skeptics as to the prowess of our cruisers,
1t came. The Alabama went to the bottom
under the guns of the Kearsarge. But our
roaming ships had not been wholly idle
meanwhile. A companion vessel to the
Kearsarge, the Wyoming, sailed for the Ash
attic seas in 1861 to take care Of any COM
merce destroyers that might worry our
merchantmen in those waters.
She did not get shot at one, but made
up for 1t in a totally unexpected way, and,
singularly enough, a few days before the
battle describe chance newspaper man
took refuge on board Of her and witnessed
the fight. His story was printed a few
weeks later in the New York Tribune, but
1t fell on dull and stated ears, for just then
one-half of our divided people was hurrah-
ing over Gettysburg and Vicksburg and
mourning over Chickamauga, and the other
half reversely doing the same thing. 1t is
doubtful II one American in thousand
who recalls those thrilling days remembers
at all how the gallant tars of the Wyoming
upheld the flag of Paul Jones, Perry and
Lawrence in the waters of Japan July 10,
1868.
In 1862 the treaty between the Liberals
Of Japan. whose leader was the tycoon, or
secular ruler, and foreign nations opening
the ports of the world was abrogated by
the National party and the emperor. Mean
while some English were outraged at Yed-
do by the antiforeign party, who had the
support OF all the local chiefs, or daimios-
the hereditary princes. England demanded
and received al35,0 900 indemnity, and the
Japanese looked around for a scapecoat.
None could be found.
The council of Yeddo asserted that the
tycoon had no power to open the ports or
to protect foreigners against the national
party. All foreigners except the American
minister had left Yeddo by the spring of
1858. In May the American legation build
ings in Yeddo were burned, probably by in
cendiaries. and the minister, Mr.. Pruyn,
called upon the council of Yeddo to protect
him from further annoyance. The coun-
cilors responded by urging him to leave
Yeddo. At the same time the emperor or
dered the tycoon to expel the 'barbarians,"
as he termed the foreigners. June "a was
the date fixed for closing all the ports. An
imperial proclamation demanded that all
daimios put their coasts in state of defense
and their retainers in fighting trim.
The American minister went to Yoke
hama, which at that time was the sole ref
uge for foreigners in Japan. The Wyoming
was ordered up to protect the Americans
there, and many of them were provided
with quarters in her cabins. One of those
who hoped for safety behind the guns of
the stanch cruiser was Z. S. Benson, the
owner of an American newspaper in Yoke
hama. He chung to the ship throughout
the exciting adventures which followed.
On the 25th Of June the American mer
chairman Pembroke, in passing from the
inland sea to the sea of Japan, was fired
upon in the straits of Shimonoseki by two
Japanese vessels, bark and brig that