Kueiteh, May 21.
The timely sun and rain have brought along the wheat finely and the prospects of a splendid harvest being-gathered within the next few weeks are exceeding good. Flour is still very dear but new wheat coming into the market soon should send the prices downward.
One of the reasons for things being dear here also is the fact of several ying of Generali Ch'eng Shen's soldiers being added to the local garrison. These are not the men that mutinied but are from the south of the disturbance and they are now given over to the command of General Pao. They seem very well behaved, but additional soldiers mean additional distress to the district. The country people have not been able to bring their carts into the city for many days now without having them commandeered by the troops, so it is difficult to get some things done.
With regard to General Ch'eng himself, out of all the conflicting rumours it seems to be quite clear that he really has committed suicide and his body is to be brought back shortly to this, his native town. The general impression seems to be that he was a good man not deserve ing of death, but not wise in allowing himself to be made a cats-paw by those higher up. Now it seems that General Feng Vu-hsiang has been requested to move from the province and there are more indications than one that the nort of the Pekine-Hankow Railway running throuch Honan will suffer another break this summer. Wheels within wheels have caused the Honan Chamber of Commerce to send reverts to Peking, so it is said. whitewashing General Chao Chieh and blaming General Fen. Those who know the records of the two men will know how much—such action is worth.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.