Our local gossips have been for four years talking about a peculiar case of squeezing which seems now on the point of final settlement. Two brothers, natives of our city, developed decided loafing propensities in their youth fomaily, was poor, and. they. thea their
seemed to lack ambition in life. yowiger finally procured a yamen position, and gradually worked "himself up, till as a small muitary official he began to accumulate riches. The elder brother was envious, and called in the assistance of another military official to make hie more fortunate relative disgorge. In 1899 the younger brother came home on visit. One day the colonel of our local garrison invited the rich offender to a feast, and placed him under guard in a temple. He was not to be released until he promised to do the square thing by his elder brother. Finally the cap tive agreed to pay 15,000 tiaos ($13,000) into the hands of the colonel, the same of course to go to the brother. He gave promissory notes for this amount, the same to bear interest at the rate of three cent a month. The notes are now due, and have ail of them been paid. A art of the exorbitant interest remains, however, unpaid. There has been a lawsuit over this, bt strange to say the official before whom it was heard did not quash the whole affair. Of the 15,000 tiaos, the elder brother received only a paltry four or five thousand. The rest went into the pockets of the colonel, who is now a brigadier-general on the staff of 'BLE, Yuan Shih-kai.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.