The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-09-29

Weltevreden would be considered IRE In
any European settlement.
l am told that the natives make very good
soldiers, although there is a vast difference
In them. according to the tribes and the To-
cality from which they come. The people
Of the Island of Amboina are especially
brave, and there are now over 1900 of them
In the East Indian army.
FOREIGN RESIDENTS AS SOLDIERS.
r All foreign residents are required to serve
a certain number of days every month in
the militia. The number If days decrease
with age, beginning with seven days a
month. and finally falling to four days. The
drill is from 4 n. m. to 6 p. 10. 1t is very
severe, but IT makes every foreigner,
whether he be English, American or Dutch,
a soldier.
This regulation is, l suppose, to make the
foreign population valuable in case of an
uprising of the natives. The Dutch have
had such rebeilions In the past. and al
though there is little danger of it In Java,
In Sunnatra and other places the foreigners
must be alive for such an emergency.
There Is a tribe known as the Achinese. in
Northwestern Sumatra. which has been in
rebellion for generations. The Aehinese
have about half a million people, and their
country is about half as big as Ohio. They
have always been noted for their hatred OF
foreigners. They fought the English and
the Portuguese. and .hev are still fighting
the Dutch. II is estimated that more than
1000 Dutch soldiers and natives have lost
their lives in the war which Is now going
on with Achin. and that that war has cost
Holland something like SIS, coo, OoC,
OFFICIAL BROKE; UP a REBELLION.
There are other parts Of Sumatra which
are very rebelIious. ! heard the other day
how the Dutch. resident of Palumbang frus-
trated a plot in which the native chiefs con-
spired to kill him and seize the Government,
The scheme was to set the city afire in a
quarter where 1t would do little damage,
with the expectation that the resident and
soldiers would run to 1t. During the burning
the natives expected to capture the fort
and kill the resident and his soldiers, in
Guiding the Europeans.
The resident. however, was posted by one
of his spies, and did not go to the fire. Then
the chiefs demanded an audience, expecting
to kill him when he came to it. The resi-
dent consented, but the night before he
powdered his face until it was a chastity
white. and placed medicine beside his bed.
He then called in some of the conspirators
and told them he. was sick, and that he
could not possibly meet the appointment.
He asked them to have the chiefs come to
the palace instead on the following day.
CHIEFS PLANNED THE OUTBREAK.
The chiefs then planned to start the revo-
luton at the palace, but when they arrived
they were admitted one by one and received
at the point of rifles in the hands Of the
The resident came out and ordered
they be put in prison. There were Just
enough chiefs to nll all the. cells except one,
whereupon the residents major domo, a ma
tive Of high rank. who had secretly been In
the conspiracy. said: There is one more |
cell. your excellency; who shall that be
for?"
is or you, you rascal" was the
emphatic reply. He thereupon gave a sign |
to the soldiers and they took the man to |
prison.
DUTCH AND THE CHINESE.
I have spent some time studying the
Chinese question In Java. The island, Is
full Of celestials. It has about three times
as many as we have In the Philippines. and
you find Chinese querters in every town
and In every city. The Chinese own prop
erty to the amount of SIS. 900, 00Q. They
a v some of the richest plantations of
ana sugar. and of recent years have
out 1900 acres of land. They own
mora than 10000 acres Of land. which was
years ago, and would increase