The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-05
AMBROSE BIERCE WRITES
OF CURRENT EVENTS,
Describes an Anarchist as "An Idiot With an Opportunity
Secretary Hays Friend, ths Empress Dowager-
What Conger Probably Thinks

Regiment. That is nprofessionaI-most I'M
military! Let him be recalled forthwith: !:
we cannot afford 10 have our soldiers in
emma led by Generals who err and confess
IT, Still. one would somehow rather have
'hef ied by General Dorward than by Cen
era! backward.
General DOrwards error is the cacond in,
stance l ever have heard about of a 1.::li
'ary commander going wrong; it is ALWAYS
another commander who does that Ar tha
battle OF Chickamauga, in our Civil War.
one OF General John NJ. Palmers bripades
was caiamitously done up because he sent
!. "here there was no good place for II
IN MS onclai report he exhausted the nos
slbiiitles CT candor by saying: Il now per-
'eFe thlS TO have been Il mistake" Com
pared with the unearthly distinction of he
ing the only officer of that great war who
inade a mistake, the blushing honors of .,
oelea'ed candidate for the presidency are A
wan and sickly glory. General Dorward's :
"s.e,np. 10 "edge himself in and share the
auinllatlcn Is one which the veteran should
study to resist with his energetic fist
ihere are hGmorists In Europe. and when
Niis fumbert was assassinated they all
Iieu ABOUT the other end of the cable to
ecu the sad news Among them they sue
Ceeued IN making it quite cheerful. We
CT ioi eAafnpie, that when the assassin.
N.
D.. was arrested. he Kissed between r.s
ci'hcned teeth that he had just come from
Aiheilca ana had passed a day at Bologna
'oHsluefins the nature of this frfghtful
iiiaieulctlon. 1t Is rather surprising that
"hen uellVering 1t he did not rattle as we'll
as MSS. bu' 'hat Is made clear by humor-
Isl IN Paterson. who knows him well. and
says he has "a quiet manner"-son,arbat
apparently, like that of the gentleman of
whom Mr. Bret Harte explains that
lie was a most sarcastic man. this quet Mr.
Brown, f' -i'-
And On several occasions he had ,,oa,,,,, -.
Signor Bresci, 1t seems had In Paterson
close friend. another anarchist and silk
weaver, named Carboni Sperandi. who had
hlmseif been selected by lot" to kill King
Humhert. But signor sperandi was poor
ana could not afford the expense of a voy-
age To Italy: 80 he killed his foreman m
stead whereby justice was partlv ats
fled and the Sacred Cause" advanced at
least little. He then committed sui tide
"hich proves that one who feels that he
cannot afford the advantages of foreign
travel may nevertheless be willing to meet
the cost OF domestic funeral. All together
the somber canvas of the Humbert incident
Is not unillumined with here and there a
touch of light. Posed by a genuine humor-
list against black background of tragedy.
your exhibiting anarchist is as funny as n
brick ship
To what extent the Chinese Government
Is implicated in the so-Called Boxer" ONT
RACES is matter on which opinions differ.
Perhaps we may he assisted to a determina-
tion OF it by an interview with member
OF the Chinese Legation in London nub-
lished in Wednesdays dispatches Speaking
of Sir Robert Hart, the celestial dip,omaf
says. with hardy or unconscious candor:
Il tried hard to get cipher telegram
from him. AT last Sheng told me the Iep,
tons were surrounded aud it was impossj-
BILE to get in or out without permission Of
the Throne / Immediately applied to the
Throne and hope to get permission in a few
days"
So 1t appears that the army surrounding
and killing the legationers recognizes the
authority of "the Throne" A pass from
the Emperor or Empress Dowager assures
'ngress to and egress from the place of
death. But. in Secretary Hays opinion. the
Throne" is our good friend anxious hut
unab BILE to protect our countrymen. And ac-
cording 10 President Mckinley-but Presi-
dent Mckinley has gone TO Canton. O.. and
did not take his convictions along with
him.
The Chinese officer. whose forces ecyg,t
back Admiral Seymou. anu att;,rLed and
the leg lt,ns in i>c,:;n is tho
ferocious General TunS Euk Slang. Of him
the same member of the Chinese legation in
London is pleased ~ say:
General Tung FuiI Slang IS known TO he
in mis- sentiments. but we car
not dispense with his services
Minister ConEer would be willing tt Gis-
pense with the gentcman's services prob
ably. and We are sending a humber cf per-
sons UP there TO assist him IN doing SO. 1t
IS to be hoped tney will not b., rude to our
friend, the Emperor. nor do anything to
annoy our frieni, the Empress Dowager |
That would be disagreeabe to Secretary
Hay and might provoke great CONFUSION
Of nature in Canton, O.