The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-04
BEST IN WORLD.
tcoNcLrpEp FROM FIRST PAGE)

CONCLUDED FROM FIRST fA1E.l
lish soldiers punish considerable quantities
OF sam shut. The Russian, II ne mas the
money, consumes more of the sam shut
than an American and an Enghshman TO-
gether. But the Russian is seldom seen
drinking with the men of other nations
The Muscovite endures social isolation
here. and seems not TO dislike it. If a few
Russians enter sam shut shop they frown
at the men OF other nations who seem bent
on entering
One of the slightly wounded men here.
who walks in and out of the sam shut
shops and seems as jolly as any one. wears
bandage over his head. He says there
is a bit of his skull missing. but such a
trifiing thing as that bothers him not in
the least. He was one of the six Ameri-
cans behind small field piece in the big
fight OF the 18th. One of the heaviest Chi
nese shells struck the ground fairly in
front of the gun.
1T felt like an earthquake. a cyclone and
volcano altogether he explained. There
were six of us. felt something like a
ge-hammer hit me twice in the head.
and fell against one wheel of the gun:
Say | was scared ITO look around. for
thought | was the lucky one in the crowd
and expected 10 see the other fellows dead.
The racket and the jar made 1t feel as IL
the world was coming To an end. Before
the racket had hardly stopped one OF the
fellows asked me If | was hit Then 1
looked around and saw them all, smiling.
Faze EN-? OF course not. And my wound
didn't amount 10 anything. A piece of
shell or stone Clipped away a bit of bone
from the top of my head Funniest part of
it was that. there was a plaster OF soft
mud right over the wound That must
have been thrown up second after the
thing that hurt me"
JAPAN WANTS AMoY.
1t is interesting TO linger around these
sam shut shops and hear the soldiers form
their estimates of the fighting power of
the men of different nationalities. Inter-
esting. especially, as Americans are the
most praised of all the soldiers. This Will
be. perhaps, the last time that all the prin-
cipal powers of the world will be repre-
scented in one allied army. and the chance
to see and compare the various types Is a
fascinating one. Yet all minds are really
centered on one question. What has hap
pened and is happening in Picking? We are
hardly seventy miles away, but we cannot
answer that question. We must go up TO
Picking for news, and to get there We
shall probably have to cross sea OF
blood. We heard shots to-day in the d.
rection of Picking, but were told that IL
was only trifiing argument between Jap
anese troops and small band of Boxers.
When we shall start for Picking no one
seems to know. but il cannot be for many
days. If the Chinese continue to fight as
we'll as they have been doing we shall need
in here in small bodies, but the amount OF
military supplies coming up the river is
enormous.
Meanwhile there are queer rumors going
about. The queerest of them Is one to the
effect that the Japanese are getting luke
warm over the campaign In northern
China. AS soon as they have reached Pc
king and have learned definitely the fate
of their legation. ii is said the japanese
troops will be gradually withdrawn from
Picking. The Mikado has his eye on Annoy.
That's the story. Japan viii devote all her
energies to getting Annoy. This rich port
and the surrounding country close TO For
mosa is TO be not Japan's sphere of infiu-
ence, but her own SOIL There is general
impression among the Japanese rank and
file that Annoy is to be the scene of their
final triumph. Naturally, the higher Jap
anese officers won't talk about it. But
make the prediction-for what il is worth
that Japan will soon send an expedition TO
Annoy. The pretext? Any good diplomatic
one will do. Once the japanese are landed
in force at Annoy il will be difficult to get
them out. The English will protest. for
Annoy is too near Hong-kong. What the
United States has to say about Annoy will
give Japan the most concern, and may lead
to serious trouble. Annoy is so valuable a
center of trade for us that ii will be worth
a good deal of several kinds of trouble 10
keep the port and the, populous country
near il open to our ships. At least that 5
the way people here feel about it, The de-
cision rests with the people at home.
r. w. AYMAR.
copyright, 1901