Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-26
r. NJ. Collins,
In the Field With kureku's Army.

In the field With huroku Army.
cables and oyster suppers became his To-
cal boss and he had a difference of opinion
over wages, the wages not quite reaching
two figures, either He came to Washing
ton to accept government employment, but
could not keep out of newspaper work, and
went to work on city reporting. He soon
made a reputation as a very brilliant local
man. He went next to the Associated
Press in Washington where he was prompt
" classed with the best men in the serv-
ice.
While in Washington he covered the ia
nous Schneider murder trial. the equally pic
turesque trial of Representative Breckin-
ridge and, in addition to his work at the
capital, was sent with Bryan when he went
his first tour of the country as a candl-
date for the presidency. After that he was
taken into the New York office of the Asso-
ciated Press, and soon after was sent to
the London office of the "A. P. where he
continued to do good work and covered
the Paris conference that wound up the
Spanish-American war.
AT the outbreak of the Filipino insurrec-
ton he was sent on d hurry call to the is
lands. He just managed to catch one of
the liners at Port Said and happened to
have Cecil Rhodes as a fellow passenger.
From the South African magnate he Sc
cured the first and one of the very few
newspaper interviews that Rhodes ever
granted.
First to Report Lawton's Death.
Arrived in the Philippines, he went
through the whole of that hard campaign.
He was the first man, official or otherwise,
to bring in the news of Gen. Lawton's
death. This necessitated thirty-mile ride
at night through the enemy's country. and
ranked as one of the noted newspaper ex-
PLOTS Of the war.
Mr Cn1ling' health broken down nv
the Philippine campaign, and he went to
the mainland to recuperate. He had barely
reached Hongkong when news came Of the
Boxer uprising and the attack on the lega-
tons in Picking. He was sent to the front.
still sick, and marched with the allies to
Picking. He was in the fight at Tientsin
and sent through the first account of that
battle that was printed anywhere in the
world. He was with the allies on their
entry into Picking and with the first detach-
ment that entered the forbidden city.
After the Boxer war he returned for
brief visit to the United States and went
to England just in time to report the death
of Queen Victoria and the wedding of the
young Queen of Holland. Not long after
that he was sent to Picking as the manager
Of Reuters telegraph service In the far
east He was still In Picking when the war
broke out between Russia and Japan. He
was sent to Japan, where Reuter- and the
Associated Press joined forces in covering
the war and with Mr.. Mart n Egan of New
ice for England and the United States
When active field service commenced Col
Inns went with Kuroks army and was
present at the battle of the Yalu, at Moi
den. He Is now in the United States on a
leave Of absence of three months-practicai-
ly his first holiday In four years. After
visiting friends in Washington and New
York he will return to Picking via San Fran
cisco to resume his work at the Chinese
capital
Discusses the Latest War.
In talking over the late war with a star
reporter. Mr.. Collins said
More amusing fiction has been written
about the Japanese army than ever was
concocted on any other topic. Most of the
people responsible for 1t were free lances
who never were able to get near the front,
but hung about the outskirts and did their |
war correspondence arrayed In khaki and
spurs. on the hotel porches at Chefoo, TEN
tsin and NeWchwang. From their tales the |
impression was waited abroad that the
Japanese were a nation of fanatics who
cared no more about being killed than the |
Mohammedans who went against Kitch- |
eners troops in the Soudan. No one could |
resent this sort of Misrepresentation more
strongly than the Japanese themselves do
They are an exceedingly brave, and in |
tensely patriotic people. the army Is spien-
didly drilled and organized. and In this in |
stance they were fighting the most impor- |
tant war Of their national history But
those who talk about the yellow peril |
might remember that the percentage of |
casualties in the great battles of this war
was far below the slaughter in the great /
battles OF the American civil war. and other
notable battles of the past century.
when / Travelled from Toxic to Shlmon- |
osek at the beginning of the war the mobi-
lizafien was In progress Soldiers were |
boarding the train at every village along |
the line. Their neighbors and families al
ways came to the station with them bear |
ing flags and cheering them. Returning
along the same route we saw many soldiers
going home. Again their friends were as /
scmbling with ha9s and bands TO welcome
them There was no private 50 humble 1