Perhaps the salt smugglers on the Tahu Lake are getting unmanageable; perhaps the authorities find it rather expensive in money and men to oppose these desperate characters; and perhaps it is more politic to make friends than enemies of them at this juncture when the Government is concentrating all its energies on crushing the secret. societies. At any rate Admiral Lung, commanding the naval forces on the Tabu Lake, was struck with a happy thought—that the salt smugglers, oftentimes pirates, must have had, at one time or another, secret intercourse with the societies; The! and forthwith he proposed to the Governor of Soochow to grant a general pardon to the smugglers if they would help to discover and capture the Kolxo and other secret society members, An amnesty was accordingly proclaimed. One hundred and forty of the worst characters who ever walked this earth burned, or rather concealed, their piratical craft, furled their standards and threw' themselves up broad bosom of Aduiiral Lung, who tears of joy at the reclamation of flock from their evil paths. The Governor addressed these penitents in kindly words, filled them with samshu and pork and turned them loose upon tke community to hunt for the never-to-be-forgiven Kolaos, The pirate-smuguler-detectives aeon showed that they knew cheir business. A fortuneteller was quickly spotted and arrested, and on his person were found the fatal Bags proclaiming him to be one of the Kolaos. Four more have ince been taken and all ive bare been sent to Nanking for trial.
The runners and detectives who captured a Kin-lung received a reward of 8400, while the two headmen wore each decorated with " button of the eighth military rank, Lately over two hundred small Peking dogs were then out by eunuchs from the Palace gardens and distributed among the people living about the place. Probably these isa canine epidemic raging in the kennel and these dogs were brought forth for sufety's sake.
Some shipwrecked mariners have been sent to Chefou by the Chinese consul in Cores, Their jun! wamped near the Shantung Promontory and the survivors of the crew were rescued by th steamer and landed in Corea.
An opium afore in a villa was entered by a band of carried off 52 balls of opium. Who villagers assembled on ti alarm being given by the beating of a gong, the rob-Bers took to their heels. Two of the further, under the bridge outside the vile Inge. While they were talking over their exploit they copied two men running toward the bridge, one with his hand, The two companions in crime at once cuncluding that these were two of the pursuers, waited quietly until their supposed enemies were very close, then sprang out from their concealment and felled one of them with a blow from a stout stick. The other turned to run but received bullet in the buck of his hexd. He simply redoubled his speed and disappeared. 'The robbers questioned their captive, who turned out to be a carpenter who was going with his brother to early work in the town. The robbers, laughing to their hearts' content, released him and went their way.
Two military students of Huaian Fu, on the Grand Canal, recent}; Nankingexaminations in packages of salt, the sale of which would be sufficient to defray their necessary expenses. At Yangchow the salt likin station offic tried to stop their boat to ation of its contents, but the two students refused to be searched and sailed on. The guard boat gave chase and its crew sought to bring the fugitives to terms by firing blank cartridge. Unfortunately the gu were loaded with ball and the two stud were killed outright. The victim made a great outcry at ti complained to the authorities in Nanking and finally made an appeal to the other military students in the capital not to enter the examination hall until the murders were avenged. The students, several hundred in number, then banded her to demand justice for this wanton of their comrade. The authorities found themselves in a great dilemma, but at last it was arranged that the salt likin tidewaiters were to be put on trial for murder in the Ist degree. The students then entered the examination quietly.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.