The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-12-02


Nj. Hennessy.
..Ye niver can tell said Mr.. Dooley.
Nv coorse II looks as though they
were. Ivry day or two whin Port Ar
thur hasn't fallen no more or Is aid
up firm tn fall. I read IN tn pa-apers
that tn correspondent ~ m London
Fudge, a highly onpretudiced OBSERVER
or liar stationed at Chefoo has iarned
firm a Chinyman who has JUS arrived
firm Pekin on a Junk that tn condi-
tons Is something that wurruds cannot
describe. Says he: Tn conditions AZ
Port Arthur bate description an stag
ger tn Imagination. On'y fourteen Nv
tn original defenders survive an they
ARE rayjooced TO skeletons. They live
in underground caves an cook their
boots on explodin' bombs dhropped in
be tn japanese. Las week Gin'ral
Blinkovitch shot an kilt Gin'ral Be-
jeeski in a quarrel over a bar Nv soap
which tn former was atm fr lunch.
Gin'ral Stoessel has lost both arms. a
iC6 Oil III IlSAl SaEs ouG uc 10 III
cheerful an las night had his fur over
coat cooked an sarved at a dinner to
tn officers iv tn Probijienky regiment.
He proposed a toast to tn imp'ror in
kerosene. TIL toast was SUBSEQUENTLY
devoured be tn famished garrison.
None iv tn garrison sleep at night
much on account iv tn heejous roar iv
tn Jap'nese shells which are d%hropped
4 in 70 ~ fnuvp ot ~ -atz "a, y,flIrnr
a day. Me informant tells me, an he's
a man whose wurrud / wud accept as
soon as me own. that tn ships in tn
harbor have been convarted into junk,
which must not be confused with tn
Chinese boats iv tn same name. AS
fast as they ARE destroyed, they ar-re
eaten be tn crew. 1t is no uncommo
sight to see a starvin' Russian sailor
divin' in tn harbor FIR a cast-iron bolt
or some such toothsome morsel. TIL
intelligent Chinyman who brought me
tn news escaped just as tn cook FIR
Gin'ral Stoessel was about to put him
in tn oven. TIL Chinese are great
sticklers FIR presarvin' their identity
afther death an this man nachrally
didn't like to jine his ANCESTORS in tn
shape iv c~hop-cooey. Altogether tn
condition iv PORT Arthur is worse thin
ye'er readers cud ina gine an almost as
bad as they cud hope. Tn Port Arthur
Daily Melojeen, tn paper now publish
ed there. has a long kick in tn last is
sue about delinquent subscribers. 1t is
headed "Meanin' You an goes on to
! say that tn iditor an mis- wife mus
live, that they have JUS moved into a
) new dug-out an hat if tn cash is not
forthcomin'. he will be obliged to min
ton names.'
AN that's what I amt understand,
Hinnissy. How is 1t. dye suppose, that
if Port Arthur is so bad off, they can
have a daily paper? Tn man that runs
it must be a great Journalist. / wud-
dent like to give up me paper. It's all
I have in life? But IL was as thin as
an empty heh-coop an had just devour-
ed me las collar an IL I knew that I
wudden't make aven a dacint snuss IL
a Jap'nese she'll hit me but wud look
like a pile iv loose lathes an shavin's
sthruck be a cyclone, dye suppose in
thin circumstances / wud be polite to
a man who come ar-round an offered
me an onX clock an a hatful iv thrad-
in stamps to subscribe to his ~pa-aper?
An think iv tn iditor. What a job.
He has aten a pair iv rubber boots an
washed it down with a pint iv ink an
he has to go out an COLLECT tn news on
his hands an knees. Thin he has to
write it up: Society jottings: Ourselves
an wife attinded a mos jovyal gath
ering at Gin'ral P~unspinkki's palatchal
quarthers in Bomproof A las night.
TIL jaynial gin'rai had provided a
bountiful repast-a beautifully cooked
war map which he had procured at
great expinse. TIL Japanese advanced
POSITIONS fell to our lot an We put IL
away with great gusto although il
anything there was too much red ink
on it. Our host was at his best an tn
Tnornin' was far advanced befure we
reeled home. Ivrybody agrees an in
jyoble time was had. There IS no war
news as tn London papers ARE ona-
voidably late an our corresponding is
at tn front. TIL rex time we sind a
correspondent out with a Rooshan
army, We'll sind him to tn rear where
he can get some news
An While he's ge1tin' tn pa-aper
ready a Jap shell is ltble 10 come
through tn roof iv his Office an pi both
him an tn form SO bad that nayther
wan iv thin can be set up again.
NO, sir, If l amt far out iv tn way,
Port Arthur amt sufferin' nearly as
bad as I am about it It wud prob'bly
be tn place to spind tn WHITTIER II ye
didn't mind Twin in a fallen city,-a
quiet life. o~onjaynial people. comfort
able an safe homes, little wurruk an
some fightin'. It's always tn same
a I've wept me last weep over tn
suffrin' iv tn besieged. / shed nanny
tears on account ~ tn poor ~Spanyards
in Sandago but wh!n tn American So
JeTs got into tn town they were almost
s~uffycated be tn smell iv garlic cookin'
with omelettes. I raymimber how
panied I was over tn desperate plight
iy tn sojers an diplomats at Picking.
I rushed a army over there. They
4 kilt Chinymaa he tn thousands an In