Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-04-02

oio "Ao originated II only meant 70
intimate that the marines did not
know anything about sailing ship.
No sailor has ever contended that the,
marine is not a good fighter and all
for the colors.''
Inc American marines had the first
fight with the Spaniards in Cuba
They We're sent into China at the time
that the embassies were beleaguered
in l9OU and at the Battle of Tientsia
the marines lost heavily. They have
been landed in Mexico before this and
in several of the South American
countries and always have they done
good service. Years ago over in
Korea the marines of this government
fought and fought we'll The record
of the marines is long one and an
honorable one.
General George F. Elliott OF the ma
rine corps years ago with 81 marines
and ~ sailors made hurry-up march
from Chemulpo TO Seoul in Korea in
order to protect the American consu-
late and the missionaries at that place
Jul Ah6 Lie al UStN CCH Sulnd dlQ a a
pan. At that time Elliott was lieu
tenant attached to the u S. s. Balti
more. News came to the ship that
the Koreans were raising the cry
Korea fer the Koreans and were
about to massacre all the foreigners
at the Korean capital. Admiral Nc
Nair ordered Elliott and his little COM
mand to take up a double time
across country to save the mission
aries.
A Hazardous Trip.
1t is probable that few military bod.
les were ever asked to engage in such
a trip as that turned out to be- 1t was
so hot that the marines turned the
tables and told the sailors that their
belt buckles melted in the sun. Near
ly the HEole line of the march was
through submerged rice fields. the
men being up to their knees + water
half the time, with their footsteps
ciogged by the plant roots and stems.
Under these conditions they made
pace at the rate of five miles an hour.
and they reached their destination in
| time to perform the service for which
| the call for the march had been is
| sued,
General Elliott has seen service in
all sorts of climatic conditions He
was assigned to the Alliance for her
| cruise to the Arctic years ago, and on
the voyage the ships crew reached a
northern point of so degrees and 10
minutes, the record up to that time
1t was Immediately upon his return
from the Arctic that Elliott was order
e, to the tropics, and he saw fighting
in Panama, which was then in the
hands of the revolutionary forces.
During this Panama service the rev.
olutionists made an attempt to blow
! Elliott and his command off the face
of the isthmus with dynamite. Elliott
and a private of marines caught the
man hired to explode the stuff just as
he was about to light the fuse. 1t was
perhaps a narrower escape than any
which the general ever had, and his
narrow escapes besprinkle plentifully
his record.
Many Claims in Congress.
Readers of Mark Twain will
remember his story of the great
beef claim and the course of the
proceedings before the lawmakers
in Washington. When a man does dig
cling after truth in the records of con-
gress he can find some things which
are stranger than the romaDces of the
fiction writer's There are claims to-
day before either congress or the court
of claims which have their origin back
in the Revolutionary days. The trac-
ing of the right to recolApense from
the government for sacrifices made by
ancestors of present day people is
one of the hardest tasks known to law
yers The trail gets confused after
time, and so it is that some people who
may have legitimate claims against
Uncle Sam are unable to collect them.
Only the other day an adverse re-
port on a Revolutionary claim was
made by Senator Townsend of the SEN
ate committee which has charge or
such matters. The claim was for the
payment of 80 loan certificates alleged
to have been issued by Richard Ralph
Randall, May Is, 1879, which certifi-
Gates were for $500, continental
money, specie value, $47.73. Congress
was asked that these certificates
should be paid with interest to a very
remote descendant of Randall, who
died in 1890 He left son, William,
who. when he was an old man, adver-
tised for the lost certificates and me-
morialized congress for their payment.
The lawmakers refused to pay any at
tention to the matter. Others have
presented the claim but without sue
cess
Claims growing out of the war be-
tween the states are, of course, more
numerous than those growing out of
the war of the Revolution, because the
one war is nearer to US than the 9TH
err. and many of the active claimants
are living. The senate has just given
| the Shawnee Indians of Kansas the
right to go to the proper United States
court to have their claims adjusted for
| indemnity for losses sustained by
them during the Civil war. 1t is claim
ed that these particular Shawnee In
dams remained peaceful during the
| trouble between the states, did not
commit depredations, and yet on the
supposition that they had done So
Union soldiers seized the Indians pro-
visions household goods, cattle horses
and hogs and used them without rem
dering any payment therefor.
1t has been said that the Civil war
is nearer to US than the Revolution
! airy war. but the length of time that
it takes to have a claim adjusted or
even to start it on the way to adjust
ment may be made known when it is
said that this Shawnee matter has
been pending in one Way or another