The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-04-16
GERMAN OFFICIALS ON IN
DEMNITY CLAIMS.
CRIME AND IGNORANCE
Interesting Statistics Concerning
Twin Evils-Corrupt Army
Medical Officers.

Berlin, April 13-It is admitted in
official circles that the majority OF
the indemnity claims have been form.
ulated at Pekin, but not all; conse.
quently it is impossible to state the
amount of the total to be demanded,
Officials deny that DR.. Stuebel, for
merly German consul general at
Shanghai and now director of the
colonial department, and who last
month went to London to assist in
e~xpediating the conclusion of the ne
gotiations regarding the indemnity to
be demanded Of China, agreed while
in London that Germany and England
would support any fixed sum of in
demnity. The statement published in
the american press that Germany. is
making an exorbitant claim for in
demnity is emphatically denied in
official circles, anu officials have as
sured the representative of the AS
ISOLATED Press that Germany's claim
is really below that of France and
Russia.
The Rhine continues to rise and
at Mannheim "a feet of water is re-
ported. me inhabitants OF the mid
die Rhine country are making pre-
pAVAoAo W OoSopC 4C 1IOOus LII
river Main is rising because of the
continued rains in the lower Franco
MIA district.
At the trial at Elberfeld of Chief of
Staff Surgeon Schimmel, charged
with freeing, for a financial consider
alton, the sons of wealthy families
from military servitude, the accused
was found guilty on the points
charged. It was charged he gave the
young men pills to produce an appear
ance of jaundice. The conclusion of
the trial has been postponed until
tuesday of next week. In the mean
time the authorities have discovered
other cases of a like nature. AS a
result of continued Investigations DR..
Schultz OF Cologne has been arrested
and will be tried on charges similar
to those brought against Surgeon
Schimmel.
The German authorities have been
making extensive trials and expert
ments since March 1 near Aindau on
Lake Constance with a nav type of
submarine torpedo boat. The inyen-
tor, who is a civil engineer named
Gust of the navy department, pre-
serves silence concerning the result
of the experiments, but it has been
ascertained that the tests have so
far been successful. The boat dives
for a short time to a depth of 100
feet.
From official statistics it is learned
that crime among the adults in Prus-
STA is decreasing, while juvenile
crime is increasing. One-fourth of
the criminals sentenced in Prussia
were drunkards and of $500 prisoners
in the penitentiaries, HOO were Poles.
An inquiry made among the re-
cruits for the German army by a
number of officials, showed the ex-
istence of gross ignorance in the case
OF those examined regarding public
personages and events. Out of IS re-
cruits from various parts of Prussia
II were unable to give any answer
when questioned as to who was the
emperor of Germany. twenty-five of
the recruits questioned designated the
emperor as a great general and called
him a renowned field marshal, six
thought him a minister of war, while
IA OF the replies were approximately
Bismarck was the emperor, a
great poet, a translator of the bible,
etc.
An amusing warfare has broken out
the Kreuz Zeitung and the
kleines Journal about the rule senti-
ments and the political, social and
religious whim of Emperor William.
The Kleines Journal says the Bremen
incident made no impression upon the
emperor, who is as gay and energetic
heretofore, while the Kreuz Zeitung
maintains the contrary. Both papers
are read by the emperor and they are
wording their articles so as to appeal
to the emperor himself for a decision
Of the controversy.