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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1900)
Otlolicr Hint) Til 10 lLLl'STKATHl) 1 1 IS IS. "Valley oi! the Nile of the Great West" Tin rcitito of Captain Uontiov lllo's march was gonornlly along (lie liiinK of the P.nltc rlvi-r. Frequently ho was cnmp.dled, bo laltse (it t ho stoop lil lifts which hi lllldeil It, to make In In ml detours. On the s.-cond ot juiii', Captain ltoniiovUlo ami par.y reached tin- Hut to rlvor, ahniit twonty-llvo miles below Grand Island. Tho captain n. ensured tho xtrcam at that point, fuitid It to ho 2, 'Jim yards wide nail from throo lo six foot doop, tho hottoni full of ipi'.ck-t-.tnd. On tho 1 1 1 It of tho a mo month tho parly i rrivod at tho forks of tho I'I'ttto. hut finding It Impossible to cross on account of tho quli ksand, they travoled far two days tilling tho .louth hranch, trying lo dlscovor a safe fording placo. At last they ci'll'poil, took oil tho bodies of tho wng.ilis, covorod thoin with buffalo hides, an 1, smearing thorn with tallow and ash s, ihey turned them into boats. In those Ihey ferried themsohes and their ollecls aen ss tin stream, which was tlno yards wld', with a very swift current. After successfully crossing the river ill' lino of march was toward the North Fork, a distance of nine miles from their fori. In IS 17 tho 1'hitle valley horn mo the high way of tho .Mormons In their wonderful exodus from Illinois to L'tah and three years later tho trails inado by thai remark able sect were followed by the rush of pioneers to tho newly discovered gold Holds of California. Twelve years later tho beautiful valley was traversed by a greater rush of ad venturers than over before In lis history. In the summer of isMl Green Uussel and his adventurous companions discovered gold on a tributary of tho I'lalto , Tho old Overland route was famed for Its picturesque scenery, but as the weary trav eler slowly trod the dangerous trail ho was too often In constant dread of attacks by the bloodthirsty savages lo allow his mind lo dwell Upon Ihe details of the mug nlflcont landscape. Today, however, us tin skyward-reaching a security which very dreams of a same route is practically shed with Inn. the tourist, from tho windows of his car on tho Cnliii I'.iclllc. may safely contem plate tho historic valley, lis beautiful towns and lmiulois, its cultivated plains Its water courses. Us peaks tuny ho scon In would have passed tho pioneer. Tin scenery Is sullhionily wild to please Hi- in.isl exacting, ovon today; for Ita Isolated button, rocky bluits, llghtttltig spllntered gorges, foaming lorroiits, fan tastically rot-moil boulders and towering mountains brook no change at the hands of puny man. ami are as linn as tho rock Itself. I'nder a sky that now hero else seems to ho of such an Intensely ci ruleait hue, tho charm of the legion Is intensified. tilllovvil.l o I In- Miilllllllllls, llefoto any Kuropoon ever looked upon II, tho Platte valley was for centuries. In all piobablllty, a gateway to tho nioiiuialiis. Tho prehistoric moiiiid-bulblors, perhaps, traveled Us lonely course and on through the portals of tho ureal com llieillal divide to the mutluni sea. Tile rude, prlinllhi nivugo of North Ann ilea, with whom tin hairy mammoth ami primeval elephant were contemporary. In a gt illogical i pooh, whose distance In the misty past appalls, travcivid l lie silent trail a loss (ho continent The whole region watered by the Hatto was regarded is a vei liable desert , never to bo brought under tho domain of agriculture, bill forever doomed to hopeless sterility. This hitherto unknown ami uninhabited territory Is now transformed Into a region where people are living in comfort and af llnonco and enjoying a degree of eivlllatlon s ml lo none In tho world. This could not have happened had It not been for that potent factor in dovclopliiK this ureal area, the Colon I'nrlllc Italtrnad. The I'lalle river Is very shallow, and for that reason was called by Ihe Otoes. whoso country embraced the region at Us mouth, tho Ne-bras-ka, ami ro-chrlstonod tho I'lalto by tho Crouch trappers, a term s.Mionymous to that given by the Indians. Tills rlvor, nearly threo-ipiaitets of a century ago. was called by Washington Irving: "Tho most magnificent and most useless of streams. Abstraction made of Its defects, nothing can bo more pleasing than tho prospective which It presents lo tho oo. lis Islands have the appearance of a labyrinth of gtovos Heating on tho waters. Their ovtraordlnary position ghos an air of youth and loveliness to the whole scene. If lo this bo added tho undulations of tho rlvor, tho waving of tho vordtiro, tho alter- sicllon of the lulled Slates. So fertile Is this largo area of country that It has been freiiuetilly designated as tho ' Valley of tho Nllo of America." Cor more than 30i) tulles the Ciilon I'aoltlc follows I ho Hatto. entering tho valloy In the western part ot linuglas county and running along Us sin face to the oily of North Hallo, where it cresses and follows the south branch to .luleslnirg. on tho Hue between Nebraska and Colorado. Clillke the allev of nun if the i ruins III Ibis and etlor xtntcs tin Mill- if the I'httlo ranges fr in the to iwii" mil.-i I' it u iiiih: i iu:i:k I NGTON I'l.vm: vai.i.ky. Till I lt i i CM i:it i i-N nations of light and shade the sin ces loll of these islands nr.ing in form and beauty, and tile purlin of the iiluiiiuphcro, some Idea may be formed of the phasing sensations which the traveler experience on behold ing a scene that h'cius to have stalled flesh from Ihe hands of the Creator." llllej til' Ihe Mil' of morion." II goes without question that the val ov of the Hatto embraces Ihe ni'st fcrlil wide i m r a- ri of win. Ii i a i ultur.il land, i.ipalde i I In ing . niiiv.it . I In Its tiatlM' state I In I .i 1 1 . 1 im inw-lcd with 111 Ml riant grass if tin- blue s'em Mir.etv, whlii Is holh grain and fodder for all kinds of live stotk. There during I be winter ratlin ami horses from the distant ranges gnlho". and, without grain, fallen and c mo out in as good condition in the Hprlng as though stall fed. When once hiokcii up and put under a I stale of cull hat Ion. this vast stretch of laud bears (ho most abundant crops. Corn, of coiirso. Is the banner crop, yielding from llfly to soveuiy tho bushels per noro. Hi w o or. small grains, such as wheat, oats, barley, ryo and lla aro itovor-falllng crops and have yielded so prollth-ally in tho past that farmers haw freipioiitly paid for their laud mil of the prollts of Iholr v car's till ing of the soil. luirlng tho past few ears tho farniois In the Hatto alley hao devoted consul liable altottllott lo the eulthation of sugar buis. Ai this lime this Industry has ri a. lied such prodigious proportli us thai it lids fair to monopolize the beet sugir manufacturing of the world. Large factor i.i ImM' been erected at I'letnoul, Norfolk. m. -. (iraiid Island and a number of oilier 1 1 mt- i:perls who have luvi HtUuti it III i owing of sugar beets declaro that tho illiv ih especially adapted to their Ullttlie mil i luil they can bo raised more sit cess (ih hero than In any other section of tin' loiiid States. Tho soil contains (ho olo oiiiiih to produce heels of enormous size, md in addition to this, tho Peels raised I tie contain more saccharine matter ly in tifth than those raised lit California n. I oilier boot -grow Ing soot Ions, Tills v.iir there are not less than Itl.l'Oi) aens i 'ami, I lo sugar heels, and the crop III Ihe i Hi-v Is estimated lo bo sulllciout lo tlt-l 'in growers several millions of ilollarn. n industry that Is still In Us lufan the raising of alfalfa. This crap I' now a all the way on tlio lino of the I inon I'aelllc from Omaha to Chcy i niie. a distance of .'till tulles, alld Is a im -i protltablo one. dinners who havi. iii-tn 1 their nt tent Ion to raising this gins, tale that they can raise from f ur lo the imps a year, each crop averaging thro tins in the acre. Ah IIio market value tangos from $i! to $s per ion. it Is only a matter of computation lo ascer.alu the prollt to bo made olf each acre of laud. The peculiar feature about alfalfa is (lie fact that II grows as well and yields, nearly as much to the aero upon tho bench s above tho river as down In Ilia valley 'Ibis, no doubt. Ih duo to th fuel that I lie long tl I in ii I h toots seek water and will go down to n depth of twenty ami thirty feet seeking moisture. Chinese Officials Behind the Boxers (Copyrighted, limn, py Crank G. Carpenter.) SHANGHAI, Aug. W. iSpoclnl Corre hpondoiico of Tho lieu.) American women stripped naked and clubbed to death by ChlniMO mobs! Our missionaries massacred in cold blood In tin.' very courts of tho Chinese governors, who arc supposed to protect I horn I Whlio men, women and children thrown Into the tin iocs of Iholr burning lnmcs! Tho hearts and heads of American girls ti.rn from Iholr bodies by Chinese rulll.ins and sent as trophies of patriotism to the r rulers! Tho highest ofllclals of the Celestial em pire, Including its cruel and tyrantilcal head, the old dowager, secretly inciting tho people to riot, arson and murder! The ho aro Homo of the Incidents which have been happening and which aro still happening In China insignificant Incidents which the powers are proposing: to wink at for a bit or so of territory or a money Indemnity. There Is no doubt but the nllbials have I'ti n behind the lloxers from tho beginning of their organization. There is evidoiic Hint tho society is hacked by a grand cum ell composed of government officials and "Ihiddhlst priests, who hold their meetings In tho monasteries throughout the einp:r and lu tho very back rooms of tho govern ment ofllcos themselves. These men have their printing establishments and aro send ini: out placnrds, cartoons and Insurrec tionary songs throughout tho provinces. They have, I am told, organized tho coun try just as our politicians orgnulzo for a prt shlcnt lul campaign, and havo Ih 'lr run ners working up clubs In tho vnri'ius d s trlets. They havo tho support of men of Inlluonco In every province, and a number of tho governors aro said lo Invo Inken I ho oath of the order. The positions of Prince Tuan, Oovcrnrr Yu of Shan Tung and (ioneral Tung Cu Sluing aro well known: they aro with tho lloxers. Just where A Hung Chang, Chang if'hi Tung, Shong nnd others s'nnd Is un -cr-taln, but they, like tho most of the olllclals, aro merely tho tools of the old enipresi dowager nnd ilanco as she pulls tho string. Story of Hie Km press Dovwmcr. Tho empress dowager will probably now deny all connect Inn with the lloxers. but there Is no doubt that she Is at tho bullion of the great growth of the society. 1 heird 'last night of an intoiview which she hid with a censor named Wang shortly before the outbreak of tho war. Censors are ap pointed by the Chinese government to mow around secretly through the different pro -inces and report on all that Is going on They aro imperial spies, whose business i Is to keep track of tho wrong-doings of olllclals nnd to gather Information as to the feelings of the people concerning thi ni and the government. , This mnn Wang had boon spying about through Oli Hi 1 1 nnd tho empress dowager pent for him. When hr nppenrcd she said: "What do you think of the lloxers In Chihll? Aro they well organized and can they ho depended upon lo Join tho troops In fighting the foreign devils when the time comes ?" To this Wang replied: "I am certain of It, your majesty. The members of the so ciety aro taught to protect to the death your heavenly dynasty ami lo wipe tho devils from the face of the earth. As for myself and all of my family, we have Joined the society and had 1 Ihe power 1 would gladly lead the van of the avenging army." As the empress dowager hoard this she nodded her ho.nl lu approval. Then, after thinking a moment, she remarked: "Ah, It ir a grand society, but I am afraid that with no experienced men at Its head the lloxers may act rashly and got us Into trouble with tho "yang Ituei tze" (foreign devils) before everything Is ready. You must havo some responsible lenders lu Chlhli and Shan Tung to control them." With this the audience terminated, hut Ihe next dav, by Imperial orders, Wang was given a high position lu Pekin. Ho was elevated from a sixth grade olllrdal to a fourth grade mot ropolltan post, and that one of groat Importance. Although since the Tien Tsin massacre Chinese olllcials have been forbidden to re fer to foreigners as devils, in tho above Interview tho empress herself Is said to have done so, speaking contemptuously of them ns "Vang kuel l.e." H by (be ( lilnese I'm or tin It iinnIii iis. The bulk of tho missionaries eomo from Croat llritaln and the Culled States and tho massacres are another evidence (hat Ihe higher olllclals rather despise us Anglo Saxons and are looking for Ihe Russians to help t Iii-tn out of their troubles. They evi dently did not think Russia would be in volved In the war, for before Its outbreak the relations between Russia ami China were very close. Indeed, It Is now whis pered that Russia will receive .Manchuria in tho settlement of peace ami that there Is an un lerstandlng to this effort with tho Chinese lenders. I heard a story hero which Illustrates tho real feeling of the empress dowager and her parly as to lhiglaud and America. II was do criptivc of a mooting of the grand council In l'ekln when Franco was demanding a share of southtrii China, (ieneral Yung l,u advised that the government ask J rent llritaln to Interfere, saying thai Ihe Culled States and Japan would Join with (ileal Britain if Russia and Frame threatened reprisals. To this Kang Yl rep'lel: "Wo don't want anything to do with Great llritaln, Japan ami the United Slates. Wo have a score o settle with tho Ihigllsh for the sack of the Yueli-ining-yueii (summer) palace. Wo want to get even with Japan for the seizure of Formosa, and we want lo punish the Culled States for treating the Chinese who go there nnd to the Philippines no better than dogs. As to Russia, wo havo nothing against It. It Is our friend, and If I'ranro joins with II, although wo havo a grudge against Franco, wo will lie just that much stronger. I am for keep ing In tho closest friendship with Russia. If It Is with us wo can defy tho world. If we have only Russia to help us Groat lliliain will cower Into the background." This speech was applauded liy Prlnre f'hlng, Prlnco Tuan, Chao Shu Ch'ao and the rest of tho council, Including the em press dowager, who nodded her old vigorously lu appioval. The lleooillel iiinM il I'lilmi The sympathy of I.I Hung Chang Russia Is well known lliiougl t tin pile. It h whlsp red by muiio of Hi thill he Is in the pay of the head with in - Chinese Russian government, and ho has even been an used of being false lo China. An evidence of Ibis was displayed some months ago in a Chinese school near Chefeo. The school was taught by an Aiui'ilcaii girl, and It had among Its students many sons of manda rins ami I n 11 ii in I i;i I Chinese, represent ing some of tho best rnmllles of the oinpllo. Tho teacher has her own ice. hod of in struction, and In her Kngllsli ehissos she often tolls sioiles lo l Hie meaning of new words in the minds of her pupils. A few weeks before tho war bioKo out the word tiallor came up. She described what "Irailor' meant, Illustrating it by lloucdlct Arnold. A day or so after lids she asked her scholars If they could dcllno the word traitor and give an example of the same. sou of u mandarin, at lie was told to speak boy, the his hand. One bright once raised and ho said "A traitor Is a man who soils his own honor nnd Hint of his own eounlry for gold, nnd the greatest example of a traitor that we know of hero Is l.i Hum: '"hang." "Yes," broke lu anulber hoy, excitedly, "ho lias sold out our country to tho Rus sians." Ami a third said: "1 wish I were near him that I might kill him." These boys probably represented Ihe feelings of their fathers. ll nilli'lnl Oppose M Isslnilll rli'N. Tho high olllclals of China realize that the missionaries are iholr enemies. They I Pan-American Exposition G. 0 Showing Progress on Electricity Machinery iransportation u log's FROM PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN AUGUST 1900. know Iholr cut nipt met beds cannot endure with Ihe western civilization, nnd Ihey four lo lose their Jobs. They havo been tit Hie bottom of neatly every riot of the past. They pretend lo bo tho friends of tho foreigners hut the blue books of the empire sold In the government shops lire full of all sorts of lies will ten lo stir up tho common people against the mission aries. In some such hooks ore descrlpl ions of bow Ihe foreigners scoop out the eyes of Chinese for medicine and photographic ma lerlals. Tho Chinese think that their eye have illlforoul ipialllicH from ours, and Hint the missionaries are here as eye col lectors. In one of the nut l-iuissionarv cartoons ilislrlhiileil some lime ago two blooiUlilrsly villains In foreign clothes ore pictured in tho net of cutting out the eyes of a dead Chinaman, while auothei mlsMlouary stands by nnd gloats over a saileorful of eyes ho has Just captured. Hint Ono hloi'se Ml oil Ills I'.jes. I have a translation of a tract which was lii'clilaleil all over China, entitled "The Henlh Illow lo Coriupt Hoctiiues." The loiter shows how and why tho oj s are n 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 . slating that Ihe foreigners are enabled to extract sliver from lead b means of thorn, and also that when spread over a glass they will record Hie magic pictuies 1 1 holographs! which the Chris Hans prize. In Ibis woiii there is nn o tract from the public records showing how one Chinese scholar cheated a missionary ami saved his eyes. It is as follows: "In the reign of the Kinpornr Wan Lie a foreigner mimed Pa i'a Id came Into Che Klang ii ml began to persuade men In join the Christian sect, and great numbers wete ensnared b) him. Now, there was a cer tain military umleigradualo, named Wang Won Mil, an athlete, who, healing that when any one who joined tills seel died Ihey secretly took out his eyes, hud a desire lo lost tho matter. So for some days ho ale nothing, ami word was sent In tho priest Ihut ho was about lo die. The pi lost calm and, sure enough, he had u llltlo knife In his hand. Coming forward, ho was about to cut out Wang's eyes, when ho, springing up suddenly, heal him and drove him on, of his house and cut olf his head ami do slioyed his Image of Jesus. When this af fair eamo to ho known lu Ihe capital the emperor rewarded him liberally." Soilll' ItiiM'l- so pel's I II inns. Another story the lloxers ore spicadlng Is I lint tho foreigners have a magic medicine which, if rubbed on tlif palm of the hau l ami hold up before Ihe face of a Chinese, will hypnotize him and make him tho slave of the foreigner. They say Hint this medi cine is made mil of Ihe eyes of infants and young children and thai tho missionaries steal them for that purpose. I have often seen when going Ihtough an Interior Chi nese lovvn a Chinese mother put her hand over the eyes of her child or hide Its head lu a shawl until 1 had passed out of sight Tho mast-snore at Tien i'sln In IS70, In which more than n score of the French Sisters of Charily were treated almost as badly as our missionary girls are being treated now, was caused by a rumor that these num were kidnaping children for Iholr eyes, It Is on tho ertisliod-eyo theory that the Chinaman does uol like in bo photographed. When his face Is recorded on tho idioto- (Cnntlhunl on Ihgbth Pago )