Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1904-02-24

uOb Bcnttdlil Uuc Ouo WIN uOou INC
most execution Then it comes down
to actual business"
RELATION OF JAPAN TO coREA
Ten years is rather a long time
in a mans life, and as modern his.
tory is never read In the schools it
is well to repeat the history Of ia
pans val with China ten years
ago, says the New Orleans Item.
In the spring Of 1894 China, on
the invitation Of COrea, sent sol
diers there to suppress an insuT-
rectiOn. Japan objected and on
July % hostilities began by the
tOrpedoing Of a transport, carry
ing 100 Chinese soldiers of the
C0rean coast. Several minor ma
val engagements followed and on
Aug. 1 war was formally declared.
Meanwhile both powers we're trans
porting troops to COrea. Japan
landed 80, 900 men at Chemulpo
and 10, coo at Fusau, at the ex-
IRENE southeastern point Of the
peninsula. China massed a force
on the northern boundary OF Co.
rea, at the mouth Of the Yalu
river. This army then marched
100 miles south to Ping Yang. In
September "a, 900 Chinese we're be-
sieged in that town by 40, 900 Jap
anese. The place was carried by
assault, the Chinese losing heavily.
A few days later a Chinese
squadron, conveying transports to
Northern COrea was discovered by
a Japanese feet OF about equal
I strength under Admiral Ito and
was defeated after a desperate
fight in the famous battle of the
Yalu river. The Chinese force
consisted Of two small battle ships
and six armOred cruisers, besides
gunboats and torpedo craft. Ad.
miral Ito had no battleships, but
he had five cruisers; superior in
power to the Chinese vessels. The
horror of that battle exceeds that
OF any recent sea fight. The Chi
nese ships were soon disabled and
set on fire, aud surgeons hurried
about the decks killing the wound.
ed with prussic acid to save them
. from burning alive. So eager were
the men to be put out Of misery
that they stretched out their arms
to the hypOdermic needles and beg.
ged for the Injection. Five Of the
Chinese ships we're lost and about
1000 men we're killed. The Jap
anese lost 200 men but no ships.
/, After the capture Of Ping Yang
the Japanese pushed slowly north.
ward, carrying their field guns
with difficulty through the noun.
tains. They reached the Yalu late
in October and then fought theil
way across Manchuria. Mean
while the Mikado had landed so,
! 900 men near Port Arthur, which
/ was defended by a garrison of 20,
600 Chinese. A part Of the Jap.
, anese Corean force turned south
and helped in the capture Of PorI
Arthur, which fell late in Novem.
Der. The rest of the invading
army passed on toward Much.
wang, an important trading eitJ
on the road to Pekin, and only
about $50 miles from The capital
Further, to weaken the Chinese
defense, q third Japanese force
was transported to Wei-haiw wei,
the naval station across the straits
Z from Port Arthur. This fell il
February, after a siege and the de.
struction Of fOlr warships in Che
harbor by Japanese torpedo boats
The next month China asked fol
peace. By the treaty Of ShimOn
eski the Pekin government guar
anteed the independence Of COrea
ceded lower Manchuria to JapaI
and agreed TO pay 81 indemnity O
#, 40 million dollars. Had thil
r treaty stood the present war might
have been averted. On the pre-
2 text that japanese occupation o
Manchuria would menaceC orea anG
China, Russia insisted that JaPaE
! would cede back the province ans
! accept an indemnity. Two year