Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-12-19
FROM ACROSS THE WATER.
A BRIEF RESUME OF OLD WORLD NEWS

A BRIEF RESUME OF OLD WORLD NEW
/, A Deserted Island Discouraged Duke Kill
| Himself Increasing Revolt in China-Ct
lossal Fraud on Poor People-Great Nil
Reservoir and Dam Opened vesuvius Vo
cano Again Threatening Con
PEELED to Make 0beisance at Pekin.
The aged Archbishop of Canterbury
DR.. Temple, is in failing health, a
London He was overcome while speak
ing in the House of Lords Dec, 4.
The Italian minister to Sofia commit
ted suicide at Milan last week, b.
throwing himself from third story
window. Nervous debility was thu
cause.
Theodore Litke, the sculptor, who
was most often honored by imperial or
ders for smaller pieces of statuary,
committed suicide at Berlin last week
Lecause he was afraid of getting blind.
He left several busts of the emperor
unfinished.
The supposed bones of Christopher
Columbus we re carried to the cathe-
dral at Sevilla, Spain, Monday, with
much pOmp and circumstance and
placed in the new sarcophagus under
attendance of the heads of the naval
and war ministries and other great Of
ficials.
Three hundred vessels in the Lower
Danube have been crushed or sunk by
the immense blocks of ice which fill
81 H.. ,.nss,,I.. L. lal
with grain and the loss will reach mil
lions. Four hundred other vessels are
in danger of a similar fate. No loss of
life is reported.
The Duke of Storza, 30 years old,
shot and killed himself at Rome, Fri
day, because Paris, London, Nice and
Monte Carlo brokerage firms refused to
negotiate with him for rich Ameri
can wife on account of his great age.
The duke was at the end of his re-
sources. leaving nothing besides large
number of pawn tickets.
Gen. Moritz. who is on his way to
Madagascar, and who was President
kruger's guest for five days, de-
clares that the latter favors Boer en-
gration to Madagascar, if suitable
territory can be procured for them.
Whatever happens, he says, Mr.. kru-
ger will hever return to the Transvaal.
He would suffer too much to see his
people under English domination.
A Pekin despatch says that on the
return Monday of the imperial court
from four months residence at the
summer palace ii was learned that GER
tain foreigners who visited the court
on its journey had been i'll treated, ar
rested and compelled to make obeis
ance before the populace and detained
until the court had proceeded. Among
the persons arrested were the members
of party from the American legation
at Pekin, including two women.
A colossal fraud upon the poor people
of Madrid, Spain, has just been ex-
posed, 30 "friendly" societies, which
had hundreds of thousands of poor on
their roll for medical aid, ETC., were
collecting fees from their clients,
promising good medical treatment and
burial in case of sickness and death.
Instead of this when called on for med
ical assistance the societies would send
unqualified students and cheap drugs.
AS a result many deaths are believed
to have occurred. Several arrests have
been made.
The island of Savaii has been desert
ed because of violent earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions. Scientists who
happened to be at Apia, Samoa, when
the earthquake was first reported, pro-
nounced the island unsafe and the gov
ernor at once sent vessels to carry the
inhabitants to other islands. Thirteen
shocks occurred on Savaii on Nov. 7,
SO severe that no single stone house
was left standing. Great chasms were
left in the earth, some of unknown
depth and great length. The opening
Of the earth terrified the natives, and |
many put out to sea in boats.
Revolts in China are inc easing, sew
eral new instructions having broken .
out. In Chill province the rebels carry /
banners inscribed, Kill the officials /
and save the hope. - The Kwangsi |
rebels crossed into Kwangtung, cap
tured and looted the city of Fenchuen /
killing many people, but were driven
away by government troops. Chinese T
native papers tell of an intrigue being
planned in Picking for another coup
1'etat similar to that of 1899. The Uni
,ersal Gazette of Shanghai says the in
-rigue is to be carried out on the 18th
noon of the Chinese year (January),
and this paper protests that such a
step would involve China in serious
5rouble.
The great Nile reservoir and dam
we're opened at Assouan, Egypt, last
week in the presence of the khedive,
he Duke and Duchess of Connaught,
md many distinguished persons. The
Hhedive turned key starting electri
al machinery which opened the
;luice gates. and a great body of
water rushed through. The Duchess
If Connaught then laid the last stone
If the dam, the foundation stone of
which was laid by the Duke of Con
laught Feb. u, 1899. The great dam,
which is about as long as the Brook
yn bridge is to regulate the cratic
nile. keeping it from flooding every
hing at certain times and going dry
It others, The improvement is an Eng
ish enterprise, projected by Lord Gro
ner, British agent in Egypt, both for
irrigation and navigation. The dam
will he shut from December to March,
in the vast reservoir back
# it water which will be discharged
Turing May, June and July. The dam
las cost about SIG. 00o 600. 1t crosses
he first rapids of the First Cataract,
Iorth of the island of Philae. 1t is ex-
ected to add nearly l,000,00 acres to
and under cultivation, enable large
racts to bear two crops year instead