12 THE DAILY BEE : SATUBDAY , DECEMBER 25 , 1807.
"SEEYUP. "
lly WHET HAUTE.
( C-opyrlRht , ll . t-y llrct llnrtt. ) |
I don'-t euppose his proRenltors ever gave
him thpt name or , Indeed , that It was a
name at all but It was currently believed
" " It meant that
that -as pronounced "Sec Up"
IfftlriR of the outer angle o ! the eye , common
to the ( Mongolian. On Uio other hand , I had
teen told that there was an old Chinese ens-
torn of nfflxlng some motto or logsnd or even
ft sentence from Confucius as a sign above
their shops , and that two or more words ,
which might bo mejoly equlvaCont to "Vlr-
tuo Is Us own iroaard , " or "Illches are de
ceitful , " .was 'believed by the simple Callfor-
nlan miner to be the name of the occupant
himself. Hoiwbolt , "Sco Yup" accepted It
with the smiling patience of his race and
never went "by any other. If ono of the tun
nel men always addrosswl him as "Brigadier
general , " "Judge" or "Commodore , " It was
understood to be only the American fondncjs
for Ironic life , and was nev r ueed except
In personal conversation. In appearance he
looked like nny other Chinaman.wore the
ordinary 'bluo ' cotton iblouso and white
drawers of the I3anipan cootie , land , 'in tpltc
of the apparent cleanliness and freshness of
these garments , always exhaled that singular
medicated odor tialf opium , half ginger
which we recognized as the common "Chi
nese smell. "
Our first Interview was characteristic of
fats patient quality. He Jiad done my washIng -
Ing foj several months , but I had never seen
him yet. A meeting at last had become nec
essary to correct his Impressions regarding
"ibuttons" > wlilch he had seemed to consider
ns mere excrescences , to bo remove ! like su
perfluous dirt from soiled linen. I had ex
pected him to call at my Icdgtngs , but he had
not yet niado an appearance. One day , dur
ing the noontide recess of the llttlo frontier
school over which I presided , I returned
rather cntly. T.wo or three of the smaller
boys , who were loitering about the schoo' '
yard , disappeared with a certain guilty pre-
clpltaticn that I simpectc-iJ for the moment
but which I presently dismissed from my
mind. I passed through the empty school
room to my desk , sat down nnd began to prepare
pare- the coming lessons. Presently I heard
a faint sigh. Looking up , to my Intense con
cern , I discovered a solitary Chinaman whom
I had overlooked sitting In a rigid attitude
on a bencli with his back to the window. He
caught my eye and smllci sadly , bJt without
moving.
"What are you doing here" I naked sternly.
"Mo washce shllts ; mo talkce 'buttons. ' "
"O. jou'ro 'Seo Yup , ' are you ? "
"All eamc. John. "
"Well , come here. "
1 continued my work , but ho did not move.
"Come here , hang 111 Don't you under-
ntnnil ? "
"Me shabbee , 'comma yen. ' But mo no
shabbeo Melllkao boy , who catchou me , allce
EQir.e. You 'corao yea , ' you siiabbee ? "
Indignant , but believing that the unfortu
nate man was .still In fear of persecution from
thcfio mischievous urshins whom I had evi
dently just Interrupted , I put down my pen
and weal over to him. Here I discovered to
my surprise and mortification that hlu long
pigtail was held hard and fust by the closed
wli.i'.ow behind him , which the young rascal1 ?
had shut down upon It. after having first
noiselessly fished It outside with a hook and
lino. I apologized , opened the window and
released him. Ho did not complain , although
ho must have been fixed In that uncom
fortable position for some minutes , bu * .
pluoged at once Into the business that brought
him -there.
"But why didn't you come to my lodgings ? '
I asked.
Ho smiled sadly , but intelligently.
"Mlshtel Bally ( Mr. Barry , my landlord )
ho owco mo flvo dollee for wnsliee , wasliee.
Ho no payee me. Ho say ho knocke liellec
outco mo allo time I como for payee. Some
mo no come housee , mo come schoolee. Shin-
nee ? Mclllkan boy no good , but not so bli ?
as Mclllknn man. No can burtee Chinaman
BO much. Shabbeo ? "
Alas ! I knew that this was mainly true.
Mr. Jamis Barry was an Irishman , whope
finer religious feelings revolted against payIng -
Ing money to a heathen. I could Hut find It
In my heart to say anything to See Yup about
the buttons ; Indeed , I epakr in compli
mentary terms about the globs ot my stilrts ,
and I think I meekly begged him to como
again for my washing. When I went homo
I expostulated with Mr. Barry , but succeeded
I AbLOWBD I'D STUFF IN DOWN HIS
THUOAT IK HE DIDN'T TELL
only In extracting ( ram him the conviction
that I 'V ' > as ono ot "tlilin black republican
fellyu that uoTBhlpped nayKura. " I had
limply made e < n enemy ot him. Hut I did
not knov ; that at the tame time I had made
a friend ut Sco Yup I
I became aware ot this a few days later ,
by the appearance on my desk ot a small
pot containing a specimen of Cc.mclUn Japan-
lea in flower. I knew the echool clillJivn
were ? In 'the habit of miking presents to me
fn Ihls furtive fashlcci leaving tholr OA-II
nodcgayt of wild flowers , or perhaps a cluster
of ros from their patents' gardens hut J
nlBO knew that thin exotic was too rnro to
como from them. 1 remembered that See
Yup had a Chinese taate for gardening , and
a friend , another Chtnitman , who kept a
larRo nursery In thp adjoining town. Dut
my doubts wcro set at rest by the discovery
of a small roll of red rlco paper containing
my wattling bill , fastened to the camellia
utalk. It was plain that this mingling of
IniBlncza and delicate gratitude was clearly
See Yup's own Idea. As the finest flower
vtaa the topmost oao , I plucked It for wearIng -
Ing , when I found , to my a&tonlshment that
It was simply wired to the stalk. This led
me too look at the others , which I found also
wired ! Moro than that , they seemed to be
an Inferior flower , and exhaled that cold
earthy odor peculiar to the camellia1 even ,
OH I thought , to an excess. A closer exami
nation resulted In the discovery that , with
( ho exception o ( the first flower I had plucked ,
( hey wcro ono and all Ingeniously constructed
01 tiuii slices or potato , marvciously cut to
Imltato the vegetable waxlness and formality
of the real flower. Thp worH showed an In
finite and almost pathetic patience In detail ,
yet strangely Incommensurate with the result
admirable BO U was. Nevertheless , this was
also llko See Yup , Dut whether bo had tried
*
- to dtcelve me , or whether he only wished
V tan to admire his aklll , I could not say. And
OB his persecution hy my scholars had left a
faalanco of consideration In his favor , I sent
lilm a warm note of thanku and said nothing
of my discovery.
As our acquaintance progressed , I became
frequently the recipient of other small pres
ents from lilm ; a pot of preserves of a quality
I could not purchase tn shops , and whose
contents-In their crafty , gingery UUslimtlit OT
I co defied definition , that I novcr knew
. ' whether tliey were animal , vegetable , or min
f fl eral ; two or three hideous Chinese Idols , ' 'for
lu'ckeo , " and a diabolical firework with an Ir-
\ \ \
regular spasmodic/activity that would soma-
: ! rncs bo prolonged Until the next morning ,
In return , I gave him some apparently hope-
ess oral lessons In ISngllsh , and certain sen
tences to bo copied , which he did with mar-
velouo precision. I remember ono Instance
when tliln peculiar faculty of Imitation was
disastrous In result. In setting htm a copy , I ,
had blurred a word which I promptly erased , |
and then traced the letters more distinctly
over the scratched surface. To my surprise , I
See Yup triumphntly produced his copy with j
the craston Itself carefully Imitated , and , In
fact , much moro npally done than mine. |
In our confUentlal Intercourse I never
seemed to really get nearer to him. His
sympathy and simplicity appeared llko his
flowers tobeagood humored Imitation ot my
own. I am satisfied that ha ! particularly ,
soulless laugh was not derived from any'
amusement ho actually felt , yet I could not ,
My It was forced. In his accurate Imitations'
I fancied he was only trying to evade any ,
rcHionilblllty of his own. Tt'at devolved
unon his task master. In the attention he |
displayed when new Ideas were pre/jented to
him them was n sllR'.H condescension as If
ho wcro looking flown ui.ion them from his
three thouaiihd vcars of history. i
"Don't you think the electric telegroiih
wonderful ? " I asked one day.
"Volly good for Mclllcan man , " ho said ,
with his aimless laugh , "plenty ir.akce him ,
Jump. " |
I'never ' could tell whether he had confounded
It with clectro-galvanUm or was only satir
izing our American haste and foverls'iinesfi.
Ho was capable of either. For that matter ,
wo know ttwf the Chinese themselves p s-
scsscd some , means of secretly aud quickly
communicating with each other. Any news
of good or 111 Import to their race was quickly
disseminated throughout the settlement be
fore wo know anything about It. An Innrcent
basket of clothes from the wanh , sent up from
the river bank , , betame In some way a library
of Information ; a sltiglo slip of rice pcpcr
aimlessly fluttering In the dust of the read
had the mysterious effect ot diverging a
whole gang of coolie tramps away from our
settlement.
When See Yup was not subject to the per
secutions of the more Ignorant col brutal ,
ho was always d source of amusement to all ,
and I cannot recall an Instance when he was
over taken seriously. The miners found di
version even In his alleged frauds and trick
eries , whether Innocent or retaliatory , and
were fond of relating with great gusto his
evasion of the "forclp.i minars' tax. " This
was an d nresslvo measure , aimed principally
at Ihe Chlne&e. wtis humbly worked the worn
out "tailings" of their Christian fellsw
miners. It was stated that See Yup , knowing
the difficulty , already alluded to , of Identity-
Ing any rartlcu'ar Chinaman by name , ccn
celved the additional Idea of confusing recog
nition by intensifying their motionless facial
expressions. Having pa'd ' his tax himself to
the collector he at once passed the recclpUio
his fellows , so that the collector found him
self confronted In different parts of the set
tlement with the receipt and the aimless
laugh of , apparently , See , Yup himself. Al
though wo all knew that there were a dozen
Chinamen or more at work In the mlne.i , the
collector never was able to collect the tax
from more than two "See Yup" and one
"Seo Yin" and s-t great was tliclr facial re
semblance that the unfortunate ofliclal for a
leng tlnfo hugged Ulnvolt with the convic
tion that he had made "Sec Yin" oay twice ,
ami witnnciu tne money irom tile govern
ment. It Is very probable ttat the Callfor-
nlan's recognition of the sanctity of a Joke ,
and his beljef that "cheating the government
was only cheating himself , " largely accounted
for the Bjmpathlcs ot the rest of the mlnpra.
But these sympithl.s we-o net nlwayo
unanimous.
One evening I strolled Into the barrocm
of the principal ' "saloon , " which , as far as
mere uph'olslery and comfort went , was a'so
the principal house In the settlement. Trie
first reins had commencjd ; the windows ware
open , for the Influence of the southwot
trades penetrated even this fjr-cft mounts 11
mining settlement but odd'y enough ther >
was a lire in the large cenfal stive , a-ou id
which tlio- miners had collected with th !
steaming boots elevated on a projecting Iron
railing that encircled it. They were not at
tracted by the warmth , but the stova formed
a social pivot for gossip and suggested tint
mystic circle dear to the grsgar.'o-e IrHtlnct.
Yet they were decidedly a tlojpsndent group.
For some moments the sl'ence was only
broken by a gasp , n sigh , a muttered oath , or
an Impatient change of position. There was
nothing In the fortunes of the settlement.
nor In their own Individual affairs to sug
gest this gloom. The singular truth was that
they were , ono and all , suffering from the
pangs of dyspepsia.
Incongruous as euch a complaint might
seem to their healthy environment their
outdoor life their dally exercise , the healing
balsam pf 'tho mountain air , their enforced
temperance In diet and the absence ot all
enervating pleasures It was nevertheless the
Incontestlble 'fact. ' Whether It was the re
sult of the nervous , excitable temperament
which had .brought them together in this
feverish hunt for gold ; whether It waa the
quality of the tinned meats or half-cooked
provisions they hastily bolted , begrudging the
ttmo it took to prepare and consume them ;
whether they too often supplanted their
meals by tobacco .or whisky , the singular
physiological truth remained that Cheso
young , flnelysclccted odvanturers , living tha
lives of the natural ; aboriginal man and lookIng -
Ing the picture of health and strength , actu
ally suffered moro from Indigestion than the
pampered dwellers of the cities ! The quan
tity of "patent medicines , " "bitters , " "pjlls , " '
"panaceas" nd "lozenges" sold In tbo settle
ment almost exceeded the amount of Die
tegular provisions whoso effects they were
supposed to 'correct ' , , The sufferers eagerly
scanned advertisements and placards. There
wcro occasional "runs" on' now ' . 'specifics , "
and general conversation eventually turned
Into a discussion of their respective merits.
A certain childish faith and trust In each
new remedy was not the least distressing and
pathetic symptom of thea ; grownup , bearded
men.
"Well , gentlemen , " said Cyrus Parker ,
glancing around at his fellow sufferers , "yo
kin talk of your patent medicines , and I've
tackled 'em all , but only the other day I
struck euthlu * that I'm goln' to bang to , you
"And I didn't get It outer advertisement ! )
nor oft of circulars ! I got It outer my head ,
Just by solid thinking , " continued Parker.
"What was It , Cy ? " said one unsophisti
cated and Inexperienced' sufferer.
Incrtoad of replying Parker , like a true
artist , knowing he had the ear of his audi
ence , dramatically flashed a question upon
them :
"Did you over hear of a. Chinaman having
dyspcpsy ? "
"Never heard ho had sabe enough to bev
enythtng , " said a scorner.
"No , but did > o ? " Insisted Parker.
"Well , no , " chorused the group. They
were evidently struck with the fact.
"Of course you didn't ! " eald , Parker , tri
umphantly. "Coa they ain't. Well , genl-
mun , It didn't seem to mo the square thing
that a pesky lot o' yellow-skinned heathens
should 'bo built different to a white man ,
and never know the torture that o Christian
feels , and one day after dinner , when I was
Just a-lyln' flat down on tbo bank , equlrmla'
and clutchln' the short grass to keep from
ycllln' , who should go by but that plzonous
See Yup , with a grin on his face ?
" 'Melllcan man plenty playeo to him Jor&
after eatlii' , ' eez he | 'but Chinaman eniollcc.
punk , allco Eamc. and no hab cot. '
"I know the slimy cuss was just purtendln *
ho thought I was prayln' to my Joss , but I
waa that weak 1 hadn't stren'tb , bojs , to
licavo a rock at blm ! Yet It gave tne an
Ideal"
"What waa Itf they atked e-Jgerly.
"I went down to his shop the next day ,
when he was alone , and I was feeling mighty
bad , and I got hptd of his pigtail and I al
lowed I'd stuff It down bU throat If he didn't
tell me what It meant. Then be took a
piece of punk and lit It and put It under ray
nose , and dura my ekln , gentlemen , you
mightn't believe me , but In a minute I felt
better , and fitter A whiff or two I was all
right. "
"Was U pow'ful etrong , Cyt" asked the
Inexperienced one.
"No. " said Parker , "and that's Ju t what'B
got met It was a uort o' dreamy , tplcy smell ,
Itko < a hot night. But as I couldn't go
'round 'inane you boy * with & lighted piece
o' punk In my hand , cz If 1 was scltln' oft
Fourth of July firecrackers. I asked him
If he couldn't fix me up tuthln' In another
ahapo that would bo barrflrr to u c when
I was took bad , ondi I'd reckczi to pay him
for It like cz I'd pay for tay other patent
medicine. So he fixed mo up this ! "
Ho put his * * ind In Jilu ipockct ard drew
out a small red raper , which , when opened ,
disclosed < i pink .powder. It was gravely
passed around the'group.
"Why , It emells and tastes llko ginger , "
said one.
" " said another icotn-
"It la only ganger , ,
fully.
"Mebbo It Is , and mebbe It lrn' < , " re-
turno' ' Cy Parker stoutly. "Mcbbe ut's only
my fancy. But If It's the sort o' stuff to
bring on that fancy , end1 tfcat fancy cures
me , It's all the same ! I've got about $2
worth of that fancy , or that ginger , anil I'm
going to stick to It. You heir me ! " lArnl
ho carefully put It back la his pocket.
At 'Which criticisms and gibes broke tor h.
If he ( Cy Parker ) , a while man , was go'.na
to "demtan hlnuclt" by consulting a Chinese
quack.sho'd better buy up a lot o' Idoia and
stand 'em up around hip cabin I U he hid
that sort o' confidences with See Yup , he
ought > to go to work with him tn 'lU cheap
ti'llliiRg , mil ho fumigated all at the same
time. If ho'd been smoWng i opium pipe ,
Instead of pmclllng punk , ho ought to be man
cn-ough to confess HI Yet U was noticeable
that they wcro all very anxious , to examine
the picket again , but Cy P.irktr was allko In
different to demand or entreaty.
A few "O'j-o later I saw Abe Wjnford , one
of the party , com'.tig out of See Yup'a wasi-
house. Ho muttered something In rasi'lng '
about ' ! ho Infamous delay -In sensing iimc
his washing , .but did not linger lng In con
versation. The next day 1 mot another miner
nt the washhouse , but ho lingered to lojg on
fiomo trifling details Mat I finally left him
there alino with Sco Yup. WCicn 1 called
up Poker Juck of Shatla there- was a singu
lar smell of loccnse In l.ls cabin , which he
attributed to the \ery resinous quality ef the
"O , It ain't anything about symptoms , Doc ,
and there ain't anything the matter with
me. It's only Just to ask ye If yo happened
to know anything about the medical practice
of these yer Chinamen ? "
"I don't know , " said the doctor bluntly ,
"nnd I don't know anybody who dees. "
There was a sudden silence In the bar , and
the doctor , putting down his glass , continued
with slieht professional precision :
"You sec , the Chinese know nothing of
anatomy from personal observation. Autop
sies and dissection are against their supersti
tions , which declare the human body sacred ,
and are consequently never practiced. "
There was a slight movement of Inquiring
Interest among the party and Cy Parker , after
a meaning glance at the others , went on half
aggressively , half apologetically :
"In course , they ain't surgeons like you
Doc , but that don't keep them from having
their own llttlo medicines , jucit as dogs eat
grace , you know ! Now , I want to put It to
you , as a falr-mlndcd man , If you mean tcr
say that Jest because these old women who
B a I've out yarbo and spring medicines In fam
ilies don't know anything of anatomy , that
they ain't fit to give us their simple and
nat'ral medicines ? "
"But the Chinese medicines are not simple
nor natural , " replied the doctor , coolly.
" .Not elmple ? " echoed the party , closing
hart ono and all , secretly nil unknown to
each other , patronised him. there w s no
doubt , but , at the isnino time , as they evi
dently were not uro that Dr. Duchesno
bad not honxe < l them In regard to the
quality ot See Yup's medicines , they fcnew
that an attack on the unfortunate China
man would In either case reveal their secret
and Mpoko them to the ridicule of their
brother miner * . So the matter dropped , nnd
Sco Yup remained master of the situation.
Meantime ho was prospering. The coollo
gang ho worked on the river , when not en
gaged In washing clothes , were "picking
over" the "tailings" or refuse ot gravel left
on abandoned claims by auccemful miners.
As there was noitnore expense attending
this than In ctonobrcaklng or rag picking ,
and the Iecdlngi of the coolies , whltli mas
ridiculously ohonjv there was no doubt that
Sco Yup was reaping a fair weekly re
turn .from It ; butim ho sent his receipts to
? an Francisco through coollo managers ,
after the Chlnenotcustom. * nd did not u.io
the regular cxprcit company , there was no
way of ascertaining the amount. Again ,
neither" Sco Yup' nor his fellow-countrymen
ever appeared tonhave- any money about
them. In ruder -times and more reckless
camps raids were otten made by rufllans on
their cabins or ilhelr traveling gangs , but
never with any pqaunlary result. This con
dition , however , It seemed , was destined to
change.
Ono Saturday EeoYup walked Into Wells ,
Fargo & Co.'s rocprcaj office with a package
cf gold dust , which , when duly weighed , was
valued at $500. It was consigned to a
GilntBO company In Sso Francisco. When
the clerk handed Sco Yup a receipt , ho re
marked casualty :
"Washing ceeimvto W. See Yup. "
" \Vashco velly good puy. You \\aotee
washcc , John ? " said See Yup , eagerly.
"No , no. " stld the clerk , with a laugh.
"I was only thinking ? 500 would represent
the -washing of a good many flhlrts. " .
"No leplcsent woshee shirts nt all !
Ite
i 1
A SELECT COMMITTEE OK THE ' MEN 'WAS ALLOWED TO EXAMINE THE
PROPERTY. n
fir logs toe wao burning. I did not attempt
to probe these mjo'.cries by any direct np-
lpcal to See Yup himself ; I reapscteJ his . eti-
j conce ; Inded , If I bid not I wa.i . quits
! satisfied that he would' have lied to me.
I Eaough ttat Ms washhruse was well
j pi'trculzeJ , anil he was decidedly "getting
. on. "
I It might have been a mnth afterwards
that Dr. Duchesne was setting a broken
bona in the ccttlcment , and after the opeia-
tlon was over had enrolled Into the Palmetto
saloon. Ho was an eld army sturgeon , much
! respected . ad loved In the district , although
perhaps a llttlo feared fcr Wie honest rougli-
uess and military precision of hla specon.
After ho had exchanged silutatlon.i with the
mtnerj In his usual hearty fashion , and
accepted their Invitation to drink , Cy Parker ,
with a ccrtuln affected carelessness which
did net , ibcwever , conceal a singular hcslta-
tlen In his speech , began
"I've been waltln' to ask yo a question.
Doc a sort o' darned fool question , yo know
nothing in the way of consultation , don't
you see , tho' It's kinder In the way o' your
purfcshun. Sabe ? "
"Go on , Cy , " said the doctor good-humor-
edly. "this Is my dlspansary hour. "
"I don't mein to say , " continued the doctor ,
glancing around at their eager , excited faces
with an appearance of wonder , "that they are
positively noxious , unless taken In largo
quantities , for they are not drugs at all , but
I certainly should not call them 'simple. ' Do
you know what they principally are ? "
"Well , no , " said Parker cautiously , "per
haps not exactly. "
"Como a llttlo closer and I'll tell you. "
Not only Parker's head , buttlio others were
bent .over the counter. Dr. Du dice no uttered
a few words In a tone inaudible to the rest
of the company. There was a profound sl-
lenco , broken at last by Abe Wynford'a
voice :
"Ye kin pour rno out about three fingers
o" whisky , ( Barkeep ! I'll take It straight. "
"Sumo to me , " said the others.
The men gulped down their liquor ; two
of them quietly passed out. The doctor
wiped his lips , buttoned his coat and began
to draw on his riding gloves.
"I've beerd , " said Poker Jack of Shasta ,
with a faint fcmtle on his white face , as bu
toyed with tbo last drops of liquor In his
glacs , "that the darned fools sometimes
smell punk as a medicine , eh1
"Yes , that's comparatively decent , " said
the doctor , reflectively. ' 'It's only sawdust
mixed with 'ft. little gum and formic acid. "
"Formic acid ? Wot'a that ? "
"A very peculiar acid eecretcd by ants.
It Is supposed to be used by them offensively
In warfare Just as the skunk , eh ? "
But Poker Jack of Shasta had hurriedly
declared that hewanted to speak to a man
who was passing , and had disappeared. The
doctor walked to the door , mounted his
horeo and rode away. I noticed , however ,
that there wag ajjllght smile on his bronzed ,
Impassive face. This led mo to wonder If
ho was entirely Ignorant of the purpose for
which ho had been questioned aud tbo
effect , of hla Information , I was confirmed
In the belief by the remarkable clrcumitaut
CCB that nothing more was said of It ; the In
cident seemed to hayp terminated there ,
and the victims made no attempt to re
venue themselves on Bee Yiip. That they
Catcheo gold diut when wAshee' talllns" .
The clerk did "shabbec , " and lifted his
cjebrows. Ino next fcalurday * See Yup ap
peared with another package , wcrtn about
$400 , directed to the tame consignee.
"Didn't pen out'quite so rich this week ,
oh ? " sa-ld the clerk , engagingly.
"No , " returned" Sec Yup , Impassively ;
"ne t tl mo.ie payee more. "
When the third Saturday came with t'he '
apptan.nce of See" Yup and ? ! EO worth of
gold dust , the clerk fcH he was no longer
bound to keep line secret. He communi
cated it to othcrs.vand lit twenty-four hours
the whale wttloment knew that See Yup's
cello coirtany were taking out an average
cf $400 per wedofrom the refuse and talllr.js
ot the old abandoned Palmetto claim.
The aytcas'ment ! of the settlement was
profound. In earlier days Jeulousy and In-
dlgnat'Ion at theslicces , ? of thcae degraded
heathens might have taken a more active
and aggressive stupe , and It would have
fared 111 with See Yup an ! his companions.
But the settlement had become moro pros
perous and luw-abrdlng. There were cue or
two eastern families and some foreign capi
tal already there , and Its jealousy ci'd In
dignation was restricted to severe Investi
gation and legal cfltlclsmi Fortunately for
See Yup , U was an old-established mining
law that an abtudonsd claim and Its tailings
became the property of whoever chrae to
work It. But It 'was alleged that the See
Yup company had In reality "rtruck a lead"
discovered a h'Jtherto unknown voln or
original depoelt of gold not worked by tbo
previous company -and , having failed legally
to declare It by pre-emption and public reg
istry. In their fcollsh desire for secrecy , had
thua forfeited their right -to the property.
A surveillance of their working , however , did
not establish this t.ieory. The gold that
See Yup had seat away was of the kind
that 'might ' have been found In the tailings
overlooked by 'the late Palmetto owners.
Yfct It was a very large yield for mere refuse.
' 'Them Palmetto boys wete mighty kee-rlesa
after they'd m'id'3 ' their big 'strike' and got
to work on the vein , and I reckon tney threw
a lot of go'.d away , " said Cy Parker , who re
membered their large-handed rccklecsae.is In
the "Jluth days. " "Only that wo didn't th'nk '
It was white man's work to rake eve an
other man's Icavln's wo < mlght hev had what
them derncd Chinamen hov dropped Into ,
Tell ye what , boys , wo'vebesn a llttlo too
'high and mighty , ' and we'll bcv to climb
down. "
At last the excltemeut reached Its climax
and diplomacy waa employed to effect wh-it
neither Intimidation nor espionage could se
em e. Under the pretense of desiring to buy
out See Yup's company , a select committee
of the miners were permlttoj to ex.imlco the
property and Its workings. They found thn
great hank of stones and gravel , represent
ing tbo caul-out debris at tlio old claim , oc
cupied by See Yup and four or flvo p'.oddlng
automatic coolies. At the c-nd of two hourn
the committee returned to the saloon burst
ing with excitement. They spoke under their
breath , but enough was gathered to satisfy
the curious crowd that See Yup's pile of tail
ings was rich beyond their expectations. Tlio
committee had seen with their own eyes gold
taken out of the wind and gravel to the
amoust of $20 In the two short hours of their
examination. And * the work had been per
formed In the stupidest , clumsiest , yet pa
tient Chinese way. What might not wtiito
men do with better appointed machinery ! A
syndicate was at dnco formed. Sco Yup waa
offered } 20,000 If tie would sell out and put
the syndicate In possession of the claim In
twonty-four hours. The Chinaman received
the offer atolldly. As ho seemed Inclined to
hesitate , I am grieved to say that It was In
timated to him ttbat If he declined the might
be subject to embdrracalng and expensive Ic.
gal proeecutlcna to prove hla property , and
that companies'would be formed to "pros
pect" the ground ran either side of his heap
of tailings. SedTfup at last consented , with
the proviso that .tho money should bo paid
In gold Into the"hands of a Chinese agent
In San Francisco on1 the day of the delivery of
the claim. The symllcato made no opposition
to this characteristic precaution of the Chi
naman. It was llko them not to travel with
money , and the .implied uncomplimentary
suspicion of dangar'from the community was
overlooked. Seto Yup departed the day the
syndicate took -possession. He came to see
me- before he went. I congratulated him
upon hU good 'fortune ; at the same time I
was cmbarmecd by the conviction that be
was unfairly forced Into a sale of bis property -
erty at a figure- far below Us real value.
I think differently now.
At the end of the week It wan cald that the
DOW coiracy cleared up about J300. Tula
wee not as much as the community had ex
pected , but the syndicate was apparently
satisfied , and the new machinery was put up.
At the end of the next week the syndicate
won silent as to their returns. Ono of them
made a hurried trip to San Francldco. U was
wld tt-at ho was unable to see cither See
Yup or the agent to whom the money was
cxiltl. U was also noticed that there was no
Chlcaman remaining In tlio settlement. Then
ho fatal secret was out.
The littip of tailings had probably never
yielded the See Yup conHwny more than $20
\ week , the ordinary wage of such ft com-
xiny. See Yup had conceived the brilliant
dco of "booming" It on a borrowed capital
Jt $500 In gold dust , which tie openly trans
mitted by express to hi ? confederate nnd
creditor In San Francisco , who In turn
secretly sent It back to See Yup by coollo
ncsaongeM. to bo again openly transmitted
o Ssn FranclMO. The package of gold dust
R-as thus passed backward and forward be-
wcen debtor and creditor , to the grave cdlfl-
. atlcw ot the cxyrcas company and the fatal
curiosity of the settlement. When the syndi
cate had gorged the bait thus thrown out
See Yup , on the day the flelf-lnvlted com-
nlttco Intnected the claim , promptly "salted"
he tailings by conscientiously distributing
, ho gold dust over It BO deftly that It co-
lieared to be Ita natural composition ctid yield.
I have only to bid farewell to See Yup and
close this reminiscence ot a misunderstood
man by adding the opinion ot an eminent
Jurist In San Fianclsco , lo whom the facto
wcro submitted : "So-clcvcr wis this alleged
fraud that It Is extremely doubtful It an
action would lie agalust Sco Yup In the
premises , there being no legal evidence ot the
'salting , ' and none \vhatc\cr of his actual
allegation that the gold dust was the ordinary
yield ot the tailings , tint Implication resting
catlrcly with the committee who examined It
under falae nretensc. and wtio subsequently
forced the sale by Intimidation. "
Coats more worth moro. bicauso pure
Wright's pure old-fashioned buckwheat Hour.
Tin : r.vnniju i > isio1101. . ; , .
More roiixloiicr * Thau There Arc
\rluiil SurvIvorH of ( InViir. . '
In iin 'clxhausUve review ot the pension
question tlio New York Sun shows how the
Slon rolls havu been Increase ! until tliero
arof-tnow moro pensioners than "actual sur-
.vlvors" of the war.
Thcro are , according to the Sun , 187,500
people drawing pensions w > ' : o tave no legal
claim to them and there are thousands moro
who are clamoring to be let In.
In the face of all the talk of deficiency < < nd
Inability make the revenue of the govern
ment equal to the cutgo , this statement .ot
the pcnslcu matter Is particularly pertinent.
No country In the world Is s ? generous In
rewarding 'its old Midlers aud no nation rajs
otu such vast sums every jear for services
received. - '
But the liberality of Uncle Snm has been
grossly abuaiM ted the * ni.ntca greed of
lfLtti politicians who care nettling for the
deserving old soldier or his widow or chil
dren has nichcJ the public pockctbook until
It Is now fiat.
A glance at the follcwlng table tells the
story of fraud and greed :
Actual survivors of the war 727,122
"Survivors" drawing pensions 733,527
Survivors demanding- pensions Ib7j00
Widows , drawing pensions 213o2 : !
Widows * demanding- pensions 10I.9.1S
Pensioners demanding Incieate 2."o,849
Total lebe.lion penMoncrs on rolls. . . t > ! 7,523
Total survivors or widows getting or
demanding pensions 1.139,317
Ono 'Interej'tlng Item Is the number of pen
signers demanrttagcir Increase 255,849. Tnc-se
arealnndy drawing millions a year , but
they are not satisfied. They are llko the
"daughter cf the borso leach" forever cry
ing : "More ! More ! "
Last year thirty-two years atlcr Wio close
of I'he ' war 54,072 naw pensioners were added
to the rolls. Mere are getting in cvciy ( Jay.
They como regularly through the pension
to.1ice3 and they como by "special bills , "
pasiied without Investigation or pretei se at
U. It la estimated that 9,000 clew pension-
grabbers ahow up every week.
Since 1S93 , during a period of fourteen
yo-.rs. . the pension rolls hive been steadCly
growing. In spltu of deaths which have deci
mated uho ranks of tfte survhors of the war
the rollo have continued swell. Here Is
tlio record.
NUMBER OK PENSIONERS.
S83 303K8,1Sil ! 070,100
US4 322.75C1S02 S7G08 ?
lb3 i 345.12SIH93 9CfiO2 !
ISMi 3C5.7S3IS94 09511
1SS7 40G,0071813 | ! 970,521
18SS 452G371S9S | ! P70,07S
ISM 4-9,7:51SS7 ! 070,014
1890 537,944 ]
During the last thirty years the nation has
paid out In pensions the enormous eum ol
$2,178,755,269.68.
The pension expense for the one year just
closed Is reported by the secretary of the
treasury to be $141,203,880.
Th'.s Is mo're thcin It costs to sustain the
entire etandlng army of any of the most
powerful nations on earth , except Ru.ssla.
The following table shows what a fighting
army costs , as compared with aa army which
fought thirty jears ago :
Grcnt Britain $87,403911
Germany 110,187,020
France 118'J91.30 !
Italy . . . . : 51,778,040
Russia 17C.8I2.GOO
Austria 07258,253
Pensions in rhe United States 141,203,810
The pension acts are supposed to provldo
that no ccie shall receive the government's
bounty unless he Is at present disabled In
whole or In part and therefore to a degree
dependent.
Some figures gathered In 1890 show , how
ever , that of the total number of 1.034.073
survivors of the war tliero wcro 'JG1,5S7 en
gaged In occupations by which presumablj
they earned their living.
The same table shows the occupations of
some of those who are supposed to need
government assistance. A few Items arc In
teresting :
Clergymen G.H22
Farmers , planters and. overseers ? . " > 7,001
Agricultural laborers 3G.8S7
Dentists V-14
Physicians nnd surgeons 10.S03
Jouinallsts 1.G19
Lawyers 9.2
Government officials 11,215
Teachers i 2R > 9
Engineers nnd firemen ( stationary ) . . . . 105 ( I
Hotel keepers i 4.431
Agents 13.0S8
Hankers nnd brokers 1,953
Clerks and copyists 13,445
Draymen and hackmen 10140
Merchants nnd dealers ( lutall ) 27,222
Merchants ( wholesale ) 1,613
Olllclals of banks , Insurance and trust
companies -i'S5 ! '
The tables show ccncluslvcly that thou
sands are drAwlng pensions who are not only
self-supporting , but who are well-to-do and
In many Instances wealthy ! ,
But they do not scruple to take the $6 or
$8 a mcnth from the government , knowing
that It Is an open and apparent fraud.
To add to the evil , It Is known that In
many cases those who are actually entitled to
pensions do not get them. Sometimes .they
do not apply , ibelog prevented by a keen
sense of honor from accepting government
charity unless compelled by dire necessity.
"SOLID.-not liquid ! "
A Screw Loose !
The queer mental attitudes we take are
simply mild insanity nervousness.
Dr.
Charcot's
are a
speedy
remedy for unhealthy fancies.
They renew and strengthen
the nerves and impel ( hem
to vigorous action. They
tighten "loose screws. "
Dr. Charcot's Kola Nervine
Tabletsluve no ' 'aftereffects"
they produce permanent
good ,
Witc fr | > rooff ol euro. We and II
pjtlc je. Gtt them ol your drugc'utp or
tidrcka Chemical ind Manufacturing Co.
u la Ctoiii , Wi * .
HARPER'S MAGAZINE
JANUARY
Roden's Corner
a new novel by
HENRY SETON MERRIMAN
The location of the Thj illustrations
story Is In London were drawn by T.
and The Hague. It elc Tliulstrup , from
is rich in incident studies made In Hol
and character. land and London.
The New Northwest
By J. A. WHEELOCK
" J'ionttr J'rtss" . J'aut , .
( Editor pf the of SI. Minn. )
A Group of Plnyers I Massni's Crooked Trail
By Laurence Huiton. Handsomely ill'd. I Written and ill'd by Frederic Remington.
SHORT STORIES
The Sixth Sense , by MAUOARET Sun ON lluiscor. : Between the Lines
nt Stone River , liy Captain V. A MirciirL ; The Blazing Hen-coop , by
OCTAVI : THANTT ; The King of Beaver , by MAUY IlAimvni LA-iiinavoon ;
Margrave , Bachelor , by CLAUA MAVNAUD PAUKKR ; A Holiday Episode ,
\ > y JOHN C. Ociiti.iRi.i : .
35 Cents n Copy ; $4 oo n Year.
an 'a
For Winter
ALL HAIL THE
T KING
We're off for the aUatlngVcVc !
down the toboggan slide ! Gee ! But
isn't it fun !
The Ice Carnival is on at the Ex
position grounds. They charge 10 cents
to get into the grounds , 10 cents admis
sion to the ice and 5 cents for each ride
down the toboggan slide.
IF you will bring in two new sub
scribers for the Daily and Sunday Bee
for two weeks each , you can get a ticket
to the grounds , an admission to the ice
and four trip tickets for the toboggan
slide , or eight tobggan tickets or four ice
admissions. * '
IF you bring in one new subscriber
to the Daily and Sunday Bee for three
weeks , you can get a ticket to the
grounds , an admission to the ice and two
trip tickets for the toboggan slide ; or
three ice admissions , or six toboggan
tickets.
IF you bring in more subscribers , or
for a longer time , you can get tickets at
the same rate for each Bona fide new
subscriber that is , an admission to the
grounds , or an admission to the ice , or
two trip tickets for the toboggan slide ,
for each week paid in advance by the
new subscribers you bring in. The
more subscribers , the more tickets. A
whole lot of fun for just a little work ,
None but bona fide new subscribers
count , No subscription taken for less
than two weeks. J
Bring your subscriptions to the
Circulation Department ,
Bee Publishing Co , ?
Bee Building.
> * % % % % % % % * % % % % % % % ' % % v5i
