davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-07
THE M'CORD A

A Washington dispatch a few days ago
stated that the government had presented
to the new minister from Peru a peremp-
tory demand for the settlement of what is
known as the McCord claim. The claim is
quite an old one and entirely equitable, I'M
less some might think it unreasonably
large, considering the condition of Peruvian
finances. McCord is an American citizen
for many years resident in Peru. About
twelve years ago, while he was acting as
consular agent of the United States at
Arequipa, he was arrested by some Peruv-
ian revolutionists, imprisoned and sem
fenced to be shot. 1t is not recalled what
offense he was charged with, but that is
immaterial, as his arrest and Imprisonment
were without authority or color of law. He
had a narrow escape from being shot, and
was only released when the merchants of
Arequipa paid a ransom for him Of $40, 900.
OF course, he had a just claim for in
demnity, and his claim was against the
Peruvian government, as it was responsible
for the acts of it's rebels. McCord laid his
case before the State Department, and from
hat time to the present every successive
secretary of state and administration has
been trying to bring about a settlement.
The most that the Peruvian government
has done in the matter has been to promise
ito study the case carefully so as to give
an early reply" but no reply has been re-
ceived, either early or late. 1t is not known
what the original amount of McCord's
claim was, but the present demand for $780,
600 probably includes interest on the orig
inal claim for about twelve years. The
damages were aggravated in his case be-
cause, besides being an American citizen,
he was a United States consular officer,
and the outrage on him was an outrage on
the flag. In a money point of view such
claims are of no consequence to the gov
eminent, but they are of great consequence
in enforcing respect for the flag and regard
for the rights of its citizens. The British
government never fails to enforce prompt
payment of indemnity claims of it's citizens,
and it is as vigilant and energetic in en-
forcing a small claim as a large one. In
the present case Peru could probably nave
got off with considerably less than $50. 900 if
she had paid the claim when it was first
presented. Now she should be required to
pay for her inattention to the matter, and
no further delay should be permitted. Nc
Cord is a civil engineer by profession, and
the fact that he is still living in Peru
makes it more important that payment of
his claim should be enforced, as his pres
ence there while it is unpaid is a constant
reminder that the United States can be in
suited with impunity.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-07
Three Expert Miners Frozen to Death
While Returninn 10 4hn Cnnat-


SEATTLE. Wash, Aug. 6.-Tales of
death in the frozen Alaskan country have
reached civilization in recent years. but
none of them surpass and few compare
with the one which has just come to this
city concerning the death of three men
Charles A. Blackstone. George Bocher and
]. w. Malinque. They were killed last
April, but it was not until yesterday that
the truth of their death reached this city.
The three wera expert miners. They went
north on the steamer La kome in March,
1896. For a time they were at Cooks Inlet.
and later they went TO Circle City. They
remained In the district until March of this
year, but fortune did not favor them, and
March 25 they started back to Seattle. in
tending to go to Portage bay, an arm of
Prince William sound. March q they were
seen on the glacier by a Mr.. Gladhouse and
by a Swede named Peterson. They were
never seen alive afterward.
Before Blackstone left this city he asked
a friend, George Hall, to look out for his
wife and family should anything happen
him. When word reached this c1ty that the
three men had left Circle City and had not
made connections with the steamer at Port
age bay, Hall went TO Alaska to investi-
gate. He easily found traces of the men.
Ihey had lost their way. and had assembled
that terrible mountain, coming out on the
wrong side of the glacier. Mr.. Hall found
how Blackstone, Bocher ana Malinque, aft
er reaching the top of this perpendicular
cliff, had crawled under a ledge of ice. The
following statement was found on Black
stones body:
Saturday, April 4. 1S97-This is to certify
that Bocher froze to death ON Tuesday
night. j.. NJ. Malinque died on Wednesday
afternoon, being frozen. c. a. Blackstone
had his ears, nose and four fingers on his
right and two on his left hand frozen an
inch back. The storm drove us on before
1t. 1t overlook us within an hour of the
summit and drove us before it. 1t drove
everything we had over the cliff, except
crawled under. Supposed to have been 40
degrees below zero. On Friday l started
for Salt Water. l don't know how | got
noon l gathered up everything. Have
enough grub for ten days providing bad
weather does not set in. Sport was blown
over the cliff. l think 1 can hear him howl
once in a while"
The bodies of Malinque and Bocher were
never found.
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-07
THE JOYFUL TIDINGs.

Last week the clearings of the banks of
the country connected with the clearing
houses in the cities showed an increase
over the corresponding week of 1896 of 2S.7
per cent. This week, closing with Friday.
the clearings were 25.2 per cent. greater
than in the corresponding week of last
year.
These figures mean that the business of
the country calls for more than 25 per
cent. more money than last year. In other
words, the money, checks, drafts, ETC.,
which passed through the banks during the
week ending with Friday aggregated ST.
lf1, S62, 1853. which means that $2S7. $50, 426 more
of money flowed through the great meters
of trade, the banks. the past week than
during the corresponding week of last year.
Last month was the first in four years
that the volume of business reported by
the clearing houses was in excess of the
month of July. 1892, the high-water mark.
During the month of July. 1898, the fail
ures amounted to $50, 900. coo; last July the
aggregate of business mishaps was only
$7,117, ~.
Those who read the abstracts of the
trade reviews of Dun and Bradstreet in
this issue will learn the story of the gem
eral revival of business, which Is nowhere
more marked than in the considerable cit
les OF the West. For the first time in four
The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-07
THE ovERsUPPLY OF SILVER.

The drop in silver is due to the simple
fact that the supply is in excess Of the
demand. There is probably as great a de-
mand for 1t for the arts now as at any
previous time, so that if it were not needed
for money it could be used in the arts. The
trouble is that the annual output Of silver
bullion is about three times as great as
it was when it was worth $1.29 an ounce.
1t could easily be made five times as much
in quantity as it was in 1873 if the price
could be sustained. Silver has ceased to be
a precious metal because of the reduced
cost of production in recent years. and this
is why the price has fallen. 1t is different
with gold, chiefly because the demand has
been heretofore without limit. Rich dis
coveries and scientific mining may ten. to
make gold so plentiful that the annual
supply will be eagerly absorbed, but there
is no indication Of it at the present time.
One Of the causes of the fail in the price
of silver bullion is that nations like China
and India, which nave absorbed large
quantities of it annually for money, have
enough of it. 1t is probable that this con-
dition prevails elsewhere. In the arts it's
uses are not numerous, and thu world gem
orally is carrying all the silvt. money that
it can we'll sustain until a new ratio for
it's coinage, based upon its present COM
mercial value, shall be agreed upon by the
commercial nations. That is, the CONNER
cial world is so saturated with silver that
there seems to be no inducement to gov
ernments to purchase in considerable guam
titles for coinage.
What is the logical inference that may be
drawn from this condition Of the worlds
saturation with silver! TIL first is that
no one nation can restore l. TO anything
like it's value when the -;,tis : fixed at
one of gold for sixteen Of s1v.. II is is
because the world at large woulo roGr in
upon the country Offering free coinage at
the ratio of 16 to l SO vast ? K of silver
in plate and utensils wrItn about "a to l
that silver monometallism would prevail,
and, measured in the worlds money, gold,
the American silver dollar would be worth
As cents or So cents, but always fluctuating.
The output of the silver mines OF the world
is SO great that no single country in the
world could resort to free silver coinage
without involving it in a system of depre-
ciated and fuctuating silver m~onometal-
lism-