The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-25
PRICE CENTS Rlg nsEAy Xsb sSEBs5 sR4s
to accompany the War Department expedi-

tion, TO start from Seattle. April /. and will
establish postoffices at the various military
stations to be located. The contracts for the
new service will be received up TO April ~
for letter mail only. the compensation 10 be
graded according 10 the weights carried.
The service is to connect with the regular
monthly mails by steamboat which has
been contracted for, beginning April /. and
To be regularly kept up through the year.
The new route will run from Valdez.
through Copper Center. Slahna Telling.
Seward and Eagle. a total OF 5s3 miles. The
contract provides for one round trip
month, from Oct. / next, TO June 30, 1892,
with thirty days running time each way.
during the first year, and twenty days each
way thereafter. Contractors are required 10
provide sufficient relay stations. reindeer.
dog teams and other equipment.
Controller Tracewell. of the treasury. to-
day announced decision which will affect
the salaries of many fourth-class postmas-
ters throughout the country. The decision
has the effect of continuing the payment 10
them of the amount allowed under the old
law for the cancellation of stamps on news
papers and periodicals.
The report of the board of officers rec
emergency ration for troops in Cuba, Porto
Rico and the Philippines has been approved
by the War Department.
Citizens Of the United States residing i'm
Che-Foo. China, have made earnest ap-
peal, through Consul Fowler. at Che-Foo,
TO the charitable in America and elsewhere
on behalf of the sufferers from the appall-
ing Yellow river floods OF this year. These
floods have been described by the natives
as "China's sorrow" and the petitioners
state that never before was the distress so
great and heartrending as now The most
conservative estimates place the number Of
starving at 100000. and time and the in
creasing cold weather will undoubtedly
greatly augment the distress. The petition
ers say that they are daily, almost hourly
in receipt Of reports from their countrymen
in the interior depicting the condition Of
the famine refugees. Hundreds of villages
a:e submerged, cities surrounded by water,
homes furniture, clothng-in fact, every
thing-is under water or destroyed. The ma
tiyes themselves are living in straw huts.
Many have absolutely no shelter from the
winters cold and snow, subsisting on bark,
willow twigs. roots etc. The summer
crops have been failure. the seed for next
springs sowing is gone and there is nothing
for these starving millions TO hope for in
the future. with our knowledge of the ter
rible want prevailing" says the American
committee, I'VE venture TO call upon the
charitable in our home land TO assist us In
trying to alleviate at least portion of this
| misery. Therefore we shall be glad TO re-
| ceive contributions OF money and corn. We
earnestly beg the merchants and others on
the Pacific coast to contribute a steamer
| load of corn. The natives of Shan-IunS,
unlike those down south, subsist upon corn,
and we believe that if the grain men OF the
West will ship to the United States consui
Of CheFoo direct from the Pacific slope a
steamer loaded with corn it will be the
means Of not only saving thousands Oh hNes'
but OF openins- a market of from % 10000
| To % 100000 consumers later on, as under
normal conditions American corn can easily
| compete with native corn, and If this corn
he sent we guarantee that 1t will be dis
| tributed under the direct and personal su-
| nervision OF Americans now residing in or
near the submerged districts. We ask Tor
| money to be sent to the United states con-
sul here with which food, clothing and
stock can be bought for the sufferers, ana
| we guarantee a strict accounting for every
! dollar thus received. Shan-Tung is pecular-
| ly interesting TO American merchants as
| the hest market for their products in all
| China and to the missionaries because there
are five denominations represented. compris-
| ing 1ls adults. scattered all over this vast
nrovince and TO whom we look TO assist
| US in distributing such relief as we may
| receive Probably in no other place IN the
| world. and probably not in this generation
has there been so much suffering as Is now
| being endured in Shan-Tung. The natives
| are doing all in their power One firm IN
| Che-Foo has contributed the equivalent OF
| go n0 I'm cash and 1000 bags of corn, and all
| classes are contributing. but let us not for
get that there are 100000 starving.
| Dr tIupter the United States minister
| to Honduras and Guatemala, had long
| talk with Secretary Hay to-day, prepara-
tory TO starting for his post. The most I'M
portant and pressing matter with which the
| new minister is charged is the presenta-
ton to the government of Honduras of
| request from the United States government
| for reparation and indemnity in the case
| of the American. Pears, who was killed by
] a sentry during the revolutionary disturb
| ance i'm Honduras 1t has been extremely
| difficult for the State Department TO 1btain
| a full statement Of the facts in this case.
| The Honduran authorities could not be de-
| pended on to secure any information, so
I the department was obliged to fall back on
its own resources. First a war ship, the
| Machias, was sent to Puerto Cortez, the
| nearest port TO the scene of the killing, ana
| Commander Logan made as thorough an In
| yestigation as could be had at that point.
| His report indicated that the killing had
| been an entirely unjustifable one. But there
were some matters of detail TO be developed
| and TO that end United States Consular
| Agent Mitchell was called on to supplement
| the investigation. He was obliged 10 make
| long journey on horseback across an al
| most trackless country, so that his report
| has been greatly delayed. The document.
| however, has reached the State Department
! and it was to-day placed in the hands of
| DR.. Hunter for his information. 1t fully con-
| firms Captain Logan's estimate OF the char
| aoter of the killing, and it will be upon
| these two reports that the demand for
| reparation will be made. The consular agent
| shows that Pears was challenged at a con-
| siderable distance by a sentry. Unfamiliar
| with the Spanish language he yet compre-
| hended the nature of the call and stopped
| instantly, but was shot down by the sentry
| from what appeared TO be nero wantonness.
In his dying moments Pears said that he