Evening star., 1900-12-01

men bring their troubles to him. Not
long ago very pretty young lady,
who frequently grows desperate over
her quarrels with her husband called at
the consulate. She came into GoodnoWs S
office which. by the way, is very hand
some one. 1t has the most beautiful desk
l have ever seen. and the carpet is a velvet
rug Goodnow was sitting at his desk when
the woman came in. He looked as he al
ways does, just as cool as the center seed
of a well-iced cucumber while she splut-
tered like a doughnut when first dropped
into the boiling grease of the skillet. She
almost screamed: Mr.. Goodnow, | am go
ing to kill myself. l am going to kill my
self right here.''
What said the consul general: 81
don't think you mean it, | don't think you
would be impolite to kill yourself
here and spoil my new carpet
This made the woman more angry than
ever: but her anger was turned from her
husband to the consul general. The cur
rent of her mind was changed by the re-
mark. and Goodnow soon got her to tell
HIM her troubles. He persuaded her to
give up all idea of suicide and to go back
to her husband though nothing had
happened. She did so, and a few days later
Goodnow saw the two walking along the
Shanghai Bund arm-n-arm, cooling and
chortling like turtle doves in the spring.
Our American Jail in Shanghai.
One of the queer features of the consulate
is the jail This is necessary, for the con-
sui general has to punish the criminals of
his own nationality. The jail is in the con-
sulate. and the prisoners are fed by the
consul general at a cost of - cents each
per day. The fact that they always come
out fat is an evidence that the allowance is
plenty, and the consul generals cook |
suppose, makes profit off the feeding
One of the curious characters in the jail
at present is a murderer. He is a very de-
cent fellow, who killed Chinese half in
sef-GeIense, but in such way that he was
sentenced to imprisonment for life. /
think Consul General GOOdaCW W imposed the
sentence. The man is very kindly treated.
He spends much of his time in the consul
generals office. some in taking strolIs
about Shanghai and anothe. part in his
| cell where he goes to sleep. He is really
bright fellow. and he is glad to do such
| work as he can. First | thought that If /
| Were he | would run away. but upon second
! reflection concluded that should be surely
! arrested if | sailed to any other port upon
| Geographic notice from mere, and that If |
took my chances among the Chinese /
! should be either killed or starved.
| Our Minister to Pekin.
One of the most influential of all the dip
| lomats here is minister to Pekin. The
! important part which America holds in the
| settlement of the war gives Major Conger
! to a certain extent the balance of power in
| the negotiations. He is, If anything, too
diplomatic and too little aggressive, but
( this may be caused by the orders from the
| State Department which are holding back
| both the diplomats and the army from do
| ing things which they naturally would do.
The Americans so far are the only soldiers
who have not looted Pekin. The Russians
| have looted from the start, and when dis
| appointed in finding little in house they
! have killed the inmates without mercy.
| The Russian minister does not attempt to
restrain them. He merely weeps and wrings
his hands and says he can do nothing 1t
is the same with the French, whose soldiers
have killed coolies. women. children and
old men without mercy. Ire japanese cap
tured 2t00,tDo tae,S, about 81, 100000, IN
the board of public works when they came
ii, and little later the French Rus
s-ars and Japanese organized official loot
ing, their ministers either not caring or not
attempting to prevent it. The English
| troops Were at first for btdden to loot but
after two days the British officers began a
systematic collection of all kinds Of treas
ures and brought them to the British le-
| gat.on. They sent cut Hindoo Sikhs with
| pack trains and brought silks, furs. jewels
! and silver into the legation. and sold them