THE BLIND GODDESS
Holds High .Carnival in Hoary
Headed Gotham , and Blind
as She is ,
Still Sees Enough to "Wring Her
Heart with Pity for
Ignorance ,
'
4
And Raise Her Temper "With
' Ire Against Folly.
The Little "Napoleon" Between the Mills
of the Gods , and the Bars of the Tombs ,
Faces Twelve Men at the Pirst Station on
.the Eoad to St. Helena.
Special Correspondence ,
NEW YORK CITT , OcL 28 , ' 85.
4 The principal theme of conversation In
Gotham for some days past has of course been
the bringing of "Ward before the powers that
be to answer the charges'in the first indict
ment that could be found against him pos-
eess'ng the necessary drawing qualities to
urine him Into court. "Even handed justice"
Jinds it so difficult to lay bauds on anything :
that will reach a man through red tape and
eharp lawyers now-a-days , no matter what the
general opinion may be of his guitt , that it
took nearly a year and a half to find an in
dictment of this nature , hut'it came at last ,
and not only drew Ward into court , hut like
wise brought out from the recesses of dark
ness specimens of humanity so steeped In ig
norance , and so blissfully unconscious of the
world about them , that it seems impossible
that they can live in the 19th century , and in
the metropolis of the nation. And to think
that this very stupidity , indifference , and
irant of opinion is to'a great extent held at a
premium on the make-up of juries in this city ,
in every case which has been thoroughly and
repeatedly written up In the newspapers days
and months beforehand , is enough to draw
from the hllud eyes of Justice the salt tears of
Borrow , and wring from the sound judg
ment of thinking peop e a swift condemna
tion.
THE JUUT.
As striking examples of ths amount of in
telligence necessary to qualify a citizen as a
Btern minister of justice and arhitcr of late in
the great metropolis , some of the jurors
chosen on the W.iid case would prove inter
esting. Moses Huntoon , the first juror cbosen ,
was taken because he "Hadn't read much of
the case , " hadn't read anything that would
Rive him an opinion , did not know anything
about the relat'ons between Gen. Grant and
"Ward , and didn't have any idea of the con
nection between the Marine Bank and the firm
of Grant & "Ward , and consequently could
pive an unhiassed opinion , and was promptly
chosen. Chas. P. Sawyer , another juror , had
licard and read of the caso , hut had no Im
pression about it , which qualified him at once
as a fitting representative of justice. The pr'n-
clpal reason for accepting another seemed to
fce because he had read several papers , and
lad not succeeded in getting any ideas from
them whatever regarding "Ward or anything
connected with him. Tuis of course was all
that was required to fit him for the jury box.
Still another was accepted because he didn't
lawi ? iujbody connected-S-ith the case , hadn't
any definite knowledge about the matter at
issue , and only read one paper , and read that
because it hadn't very much in it. How are
those for specimens of that decisive inlelli-
cence and good judgment supposed to guar
antee a man "A fair trial by a jury of his
peers ? " And these were selected out of over
seven hundred men of Gotham brought face to .
face with the question , "are they competent to
serve on a jury ? " And these were not by any
means the most unfortunate specimens devel
oped by the search. So it seems after all the
newspaper articles written against. Ward , and
abrut the whole matter for over a year past ,
'there still remain cit'zens of New York who
know very little about it , and that too , in spite
of the fact that it created one of the greatest
excitements known in the history of ihe
city , and that Wall street was black with a
* ush of excited citizens such as had not been
Been since memorable Black Triday. Such a
elate of affairs is a sad commentary on the
average intelligence of the ordinary jury , and
is not calculated to inspire confident belief
that the ignorance of the dark ages i * rapidly
dissolving under the enlightened educational
system of the 19th century. In fact It would
look very ranch as if some of the hard work
and enlightened Ideas which are being so faith
fully distributed by willing disciples over the
Deserts of Africa and the jungles of India ,
could be diverted with good effect toward the
unenlightened nearer home , who wear more
clothing externally , but appear to carry no
more ideas internally , than the Hotcntots or
the followers of Cetewayo.
However , Ward and bis lawyers oa one s'de
av.d the pro-ccution on tie other , determined
to make the best of tlie material at hand , and
turn the hose of eloquence upontlicm n hopes
that it would drench them with jud clal ideas ,
If not brains , and we present below the prin
cipal lawyers for the ttatc , District Attorney
JIar Ine in the center , Mr. Nicoll to the right ,
and Col. Fallows to the left , endeavor'ng to
link the chain of evide-.ice agiinst the little
pale faced financier , now of 'the Tombs , late
of "Wall street
' Ward lias grown thin and pale under the
rtraiu of the past few wei-ks , and anyone
looking at him , and noting ihe lines that gath
er on his sallow , peaked face , and the expres
sion , of anxiety that plays almost constantly
over his features , and looks out of his hag
gard eyes as he occasionally gazes at the faces [
of those arouno ; Instinctively feels that this
man fully realizes that he is fighting for hia
t. liberty , and with all the desperation of oae
who knows that he has few friends and many
enemies . gathered about and around him.
He endeavors to look cheerful , but the effort Is
a painful failure , and impresses the looker-on
at once as a sad , sad farce. The opinion is
gaining ground that after all Ward may have
been the tool of others who knew enough to
rum him at any time , and who fleeced htm out
of everything , or nearly everything , that the
firm got hold of in the way of profits. It was
stated by a personal friend of the Ward fam
ily , and of Ward himself up to the failure , to
the writer afew days since , that it was a known
fact that Mrs. Ward had turned her d omonds
and jewelry over to her husband to help de
fray his expenses during and before the trial ,
and that Ward had been raising heaven and
earth to obtain money to carry through his de
fense , going so far as to plead with his wife to
get her mother , Mrs. Green , of Brooklyn , to
mortgage her homestead and let him have the
money. This , however , It is understood , her
lawyers would not allow , in justice to herself.
If Ward has indeed been so foolish as to play
the catspaw for others , without profit to him
self , his lawyers certainly would be justified
in entering a plea of insanity , since such a
proceeding would be so utterly without paral
lel in the great failures of the age ,
that he could reasonably be considered Insane.
It is stated by those who know that Mrs. Ward
had over 100,000 worth of jewelry , and one
diamond ring worth S10.0DO alone. Also that
she owned the
handsomest turquoise ever
brought to this city , and diamonds and pearls
of all shades and hues known in these stones ,
all presented to her by her husband during his
supposed fortunate carper , and that they have
been parted with for his benefit now , in his
hour of dire need , for none suppose that he
will be ab'e to escape the meshes of the law ,
even if he should not 02 convicted on the
present Indictment against him , and that this
is hut the opening shot in a general f usilade ,
which may not take place if he is convicted on
this charge. There are indictments of all
descriptions known to financiers ready to dash
for him as soon as the opportunitv occurs ,
and the outlook Is enough to br ng into his
countenance the nevous lines and haggard
look which tell of mental suffering and anx
ious hours.
,
(
I
In strong contrast to the grave and anxious Et
iemeanor of Ward , his nervous actions , pale w
ace , smileless lips and thin , sallow features , gi
hone Iheround , full face of "Buck" Grant in f
his histor.c court-room. No shade of fear or ft
.nxious watching dimmed his naturally satistc
ied look , but with the air of a man who feels | hi
hat be is safe , however much his erstwhile i w ,
lartijcr may suffer , hs looked c ilmly over the n
ourt-room , and smiled occasionally , as his
yes met favored acquaintances , or scowled
ictimes as his glances rested on Ward , as if
neniories not the pleasantest were brought to
aind. And poor old Fish , who less than
aventeen short months ago held the proud
> ositlon as president of one of the first bauk-
ng Institutions of G itham , and through
rtiose bank passed millions daily , he , too ,
aime from his prison home to confront his old b
Ime partner of morj fortunate days , and ti
svidently with no love in his heart for Ward , fi
mt with the bitterest hate enhanced by weeks
> f imprisonment , and memories of happier
lays now lost to view forever in the cold
prison walls of his cell at Auburn. James D.
? ish is now in his sixty-sixth year , and has
jut slight hope of living out his term of ten
fears in prison , as Is evidenced b his careless
Iress , and hopeless yet defiant manner. Sortl
row , disgrace and ruin have wrought a sad
ihange in this once gay gallant of the green
oom , and debonair bank president who
fvooed the sirens of song and the ballet. One
would not think to look at him now , with his i
alack slouch hat carelessly placed on his head , j.
iis ill fitting suit of dark blue cling ng lazily
x > his form , his roundeJ shoulders and his
restless yet defiant dark eyes , shaven face , ex1 1 j ,
apt for a little stubble allowed to grow under
lis chin , and few white locks remaining upon
m almost bald head , that t iis could possibly a
ac the same bank j-residcnf. Tour corre- \
ipondent sat wthin two feet of him last
lucsday while his brother testified to the
hundreds of thousands of dollars that passed
through the Marine Bank daily and it seemed )
to please tlie old ex-President , disgraced as he t b
now is , to see the looks of surprise cast at him t
by the curious when these amounts were told if
iff one by one , and dilated upon by the coun r
sel , until they seemed fabulous to the lookers
DH. He knew the estate from which he had
alien , and was proud that he had once occu
pied it , and determined that he should not be :
alone in hia fall if his testimony could bring
Ward to the peaitentiarj.
JAS. D. FISH.
In this very court room where "Ward was
now fighting for h s liberty against the one
charge which could be found to brng Lira
there , so did Wm. M. Tweed fight for his lib
erty in thissamrt room some years ago , and
strange to say , also fought for it against the
one indictment that could be found to hold
against him , up to that time , for although it
was known that he had stolen millions , the
difficulty , as wi'h Ward , was to get up a legal
indictment against him that would hold and
convict , so cleverly ore the laws framed to give
every citizen a fair chance , or , the lawyers.
Jt was In many respects a parallel case , but
Ward's is tlie most dramatic , and one of the
most dramatic features of it was the defiant
answer g ven by Fi-h , when asked liis age ,
name-residence , and occupation , by the pro
secution " is James D. Fish
: "My name , sixty-
six \ ears old , and I am a resident of Auburn .
State prison , where I am sentenced to a term
of ten years at hard labor. My occupation Is
a conv.ct. "
There was no evasion , no prevarication , no .
sarcastic f mile but a sing e glance at where
Ward sat cow ering that told of garnered hate
and nurtured ill will nga'nst him , such a
glance as a , condemned felon would cast at the
man he firmly believed hai lured him to ruin ,
and blasted his remaining life. Thus the three
famous original partners sat in court , Ulysses
S. Grant , Jr. , James D. Fish , the convict , and
Ferdinand Ward , the unconvicted defendant ,
and it is safe to say that all three cared little
what became of the others , save that two of
them were determined that the prison walls
should encircle tt e little man on trial , and he
barbored an earnest wish that the only one
not arrested might also fall into the wearisome
entanglements of the law. Evidently it was a
Qrm badly divided against itself in adversity ,
however closely the bonds of friendship might
Lave bound it together in days of yore.
W. S. Warnar , too , is in the grip of the law
at last , and Uncle Sam's United States court
has caught this sharp broker in its drag net.
Just what it can do with him , and whether he
cau he reached at all or not , it will probably
take some time to decide , since lie is supposed
to have plenty of money to fight with , and will
make it interesting for Uncle Sam to convict
him.
if Unc'e Sam can find any way to make 1
iVarnertalk , and talk to the point , it will be I
in achievement that none of the correspond- 1
inls , reporters , or newspaper men generally ,
mve been able to do , as he was the mosthope-
ess man to interview that the newspaper fra-
ernity of New STork probably ever tackled ,
; nd they finally pave him over to hardness of
icart end cujoment of his gains in peace. If i
ie should come up for tr.al before a civil
t
ourt there are a few reporters tliat would like
o be on the jury in his special case , and there
re a few of them that would doubtless l.ke to t
aake it warm for him , in one way or another , n
or reporters and newspaper men are among li
he few unlucky ones that are liable to serve
n juries m this city. A great many people
re excused by reason of their profession or
USlness , or because they belong to the state
lilita. because they are druggists , doctors ,
tc. , etc. It is a curious fact that in this city ,
rhere there are at least a quarter of a million V
rown men , but sibont fifteen thousand of
iiem are liable to jury duty , and out of that
ftcen thousand every sensible man endeavors
o get out of it by hook or crook ti.e moment
e gets caught I know of one of three men
ho will not allow the ccsus taker to get their
ames : for a directory , and still of others who
rill not vote , because the jury lists are made
p of names taken from the directory and the
:
xists among t .e great majority of the fifteen
liousand , there are some of them who are
vcrjoyed if they can get on such a jury as
hat of the Ward case , where the defendant is
rell known , and the case is of almost national
nterest. It will prove a source of interest to
ie handed down from generation to genera-
ion , probably , by the present jury in the little
iuancici's trial. SPIRTO GEXTIL. [
Learned to Work.
One wise regulation among the Jews insists n
m evf ry boy learning a trade. It fs notneces-
ary that every boy who learns a tra'le should i
ollow it ali his life , but it is best to know r
horoughly s < me kiud of work. It is only by tl
his one can prove his fidelity and excellence. is
Governor Palmer of Illinois was a common isfc
jlac'isinith once , and began his political career fct <
is a cin stable in Macoupin county. A circuit
udgc in t1 e central part of Illinois was once a
tnilor. Thomas Iloyne , a rich and eminent 3V.
awyer of Illinois , was onca a bookbinder. V.
V.A
3ra lu > Corniug of Xcw York was too lame to A
lo hard labor , and eornm need as a shop-boy ir
n Albany. When he applied for employm
irst he was as'-cid : "Why , my bir , what can J
rou do ? " "Can d t what I am bid. " was the tl ;
inswer that secured him a place. Senator
iVilson of Massachusetts HUS a shoemaker , VI
i urlow Weed was a canal-boat driver. VIb
Sovernor Stone of L > wa was a cabinet makpr , b :
vh ch trade the late Stephen A. Douglas also pi
vorkcd at lu bis youth. Large numbers of men g
f prominence now living have risen from ;
tumble life bv dint of industry , wi.h mt which la
alent is useless as a gold coin on u barren j
sland. Wor.t alone makes men bright , and j
t docs not atone depend on the kind of work St
< u have to d-i whether yon rise or not. It c
lepeudson how ou do it.
Every rran is fond of striking the nail on the
cad ; but when it happens to be his finger-
nail , " his enthusiasm becomes wild and Inco-
icrent.
f - . v . "
* - . X-
A THEORETICAL JISIIES3IAN.
Some Fish Stories That.Bear . tho Stamp of
Truth.
When tho average American mind
lightly turns to thoughts of ichthyolo
gy , writes a correspondent to The New
York Commercial Advertiser , it soonis
to expand with tho size of tho word.
It was a fortunate thing for the mem
ory of the immortal Washington that
he never wont fishing nor told a fish
story. Ex-Vice President Wheeler did ,
and we all know what happened.
President Cleveland followed his ex
ample ) and it is impossible to tell what
may come of his action in thodim ,
vast , and , so to speak , chaotic future.
Fishermen appear to take to mendacity
as readily as a duclc , according to pop
ular tradition , takes to water. As tho
ancient eel , who had been skinned
ten times , remarked , "it is time that
this sort of thing should be stopped. "
It has become wearisome to listen to
the stories of great "catches" from
men who have caught their fish from
market-stands or from tho convenient
vokel. The truth has been told before ,
and the heavens have not yet fallen.
Perhaps these falsehoods about fish
havo kept them up. It may bo that a
few truths about fishing may bring
the downfall of rain of which farmers
in Arizoiia stand in need when there
has been no rain since the beginning
of the year.
I am by nature an enthusiastic fish
erman. I can with my own hands
make a brown hackle , a rod ibis , or a
coachman , can fasten a shell and cast
a fly. Theoretically I am all right.
Practically I am all wrong. To be a
theoretical fisherman is to entail upon
yourself much misery. You may be
come a fish commissioner. You are
certain to never catch any fish. My
misguided theoretical knowledge in
duced me to invest extensively m fish
ing-tackle and purchase rods from ov-
ery villianous charlatan who had one
for sale. It also brought me in
vitations without number to fishing
parties. Let me deliver niy fish tales.
One of the liveliest sports on Long
island sound is snapper-fishing. The
snapper is a species of young blue-fish.
You fish with a rod and generally have
four hooks on your line. You use line
bait and you "skitter , " that is , draw
your bait rapidly across the surface
of the water. If you are lucky , you
are tolerably certain to pull in a snap
per oh each hook. If you are a theo
retical fisherman , you pull in your
line bait. Well , some time a ro a near
and dear friend invited me to visit
him at his residence at Kye , Westches-
ter countand go snapper-fishing.
The carriage met me at thu depot and
bore me to the hospitable home of one
of the most eminent jurists New York
has ever known. I knew the good
cheer that awaited me and the hearty
welcome I was to receive , and was
happy. That night we talked fish ,
law , and literature. The next day we
were to fish. The next day it rained.
Perhaps that does not fully express it ;
for , as a plain and unadulterated mat
ter of fact it poured. Naturally , my
host suggested a postponement of the
lishing expedition , but as a theoretical
fishorman , I scoffed at tho idea. We
sat in a miserable , wet boat for five
hours with a steady rain pouring dowu
on us , running in little rivlcts down
our backs , and percolating into tho
interior of our boots. During that
time Adolphus , my untheoretical
friend caught sixty-three snappers ,
and I caught a half ounce llounder
and a cohl. I have not been snapper
tishing since.
My next notable fishing experience
was also on Long Island sound , Larch
mont , a short distance from the Larch-
mont Yacht club-house. My friend
Jaybird wrote me that the blackfish
were biting splendidly. I went to
Lachmont. Sunny smiles and kindly
words greeted me. The trees swayed
and caressea each other in the lazy s
August air : there were the merry
shouts of bathers ; now and then the
saw of an errant crow , and , within c
Lhe household , the melody of a voice *
hat sang the song of sentiment with
the heart of a sentimentalist. The
night sped rapidly , and the inevitable
There were four of us
in the boat , Jaybird , his blue-eyed
wife , a case of claret , and myself ,
when you fish for blackfish you use a
drop-line , with clams for bait. You
ish near the bottom , and as the black
ish is a sluggish biter it is necessary
ihat you should feel the slightest taut-
iess of tho line or your game will
jorge the bait. All this I knew theo
retically < , but I had not counted upon
ihe begaul. This interesting creature
a sort of young porgie , and has a
'ondness for bait that does not belong
to him. I believe 1 fed the begauls E
ibout half a bushel of clams that day. t
Jaybird and his better-half caught the j
jlackfish with pertinacious celerity , u
ifter three hours 1 succeeded in catchE
ng two begauls , and then recklessly ii
abandoned myself to the blue eyes and u
he case of claret. h
Shortly afterward some friends inb
rited me to go weak-fishing in Prince's
ay. We stopped at Huguenot and c
mt up at what was then known as the t
Dxcelsior Fishing club-house , It was ' 1
ate Saturday afternoon when wo arI
ived , but before long there was a t
iteaming dinner of broilod spring a
chickens , corn , and fish the standard t
neal of the hotel to welcome the comt
ng guest. By and by the great har
vest moon come up , round and glows
ng , and off in the distance , towards v
Perth Amboy , we could see tho grim
ruins of the factory where Garibaldi
made candles before ho fomented rev
olution. Being a fishing club , tho con
versation of those present naturally
drifted on tho subject of iish , and , as a
Veracious , chronicler , I grieve to say
the subject of poker was not entirely
foreign to it. Men spoke of a straight
hand of bass , a flush of flounders , and
a sequence of weak-fish. Although a
theoretical fisherman , the terms were
unfamiliar to me , and holding my peace
1 tried to slumber and dreamed of a
cold deck of sharks.
At sunrise wo were on tho fishing
grounds. All things were propitious
to good sport , and the untheoretical
fishermen prepared themselves for it
with gusto. The weak-liish is one of
the gamost that swims in salt water.
You fish with a tolerably stout rod ,
light line , click reel , just a little above
the bottom , and with a shedder crab
for bait. You must handle your game
carefully , for ho has a tender mouth
and you will tear it out by too zealous
haste. He will fight almost as well as
ft two pound Adirondack trout , and
you can battle with him for five min
utes before laying him , shining bright ,
silver , gold and pink , on the bottom
of your boat.
It did me good to see the untheoreti
cal fisherman enjoy the sport and their
good luck. For more than an hour I
had not even had the glimmer of a
strike , when suddenly whiz ! my line
ran out about twenty yards , and it
seemed as though there might bo a
whale on its end. Tho other lines
were pulled in , and the party watched
my struggle. How the gamy fish
fought ! I reeled him in ; he darted ,
away in a mad swirr and rush. I hauled
him in again , and then he made a wild
dive for the bottom , only to start off
again in a reckless tangent. This sort
of thing continued fully five minutes
it seemed an hour when he gave
signs of weakening , and carefully reel
ing up , I brought him to the side of
the boat , dead and vanquished. The
miserable thing was a dogfish , meas
uring about seven-inches in length.
Every fisherman who at all claims
the name is ambitious for the experi
ence of deop-soa fishing. There is a
soupcon of danger about it that is al
luring , and the sport is in itself suffi
ciently exciting to repay all who in
dulge in it. Many a summer morning
I bal stood on the bluff at Long j
Branch and seen the boats of the men i
who supply fish to tho hotels daucinir i
on the crests of the waves while
the fishermen played an accompani
ment of pulling in fish , and longed to
bo with them. My time came.
One line summer afternoon I found
myself snugly rested in the stern
sheets of a yacht and scudding across
Barnegat bay from Tom's river , the
quaint little New Jersey town where
Tom Placide , the comedian died of
cancer caused by smoking , and which
the Wainwright murder has since
made so notorious. It was a hum
drum enough place then , and I was
not sorry to leave it and sail away to
tho , strip of sand about eight miles
from Barnegat light , whither I was
convoying myself and sporting im-
pediments. It was a great resort foi
sportsmen , and the house which shelt
ered them , was a low , rambling con
cern , built partly from wreckage
taken . out of the sea. Shooting , fish
ing and loafing comprised the daily
routine , and we all slept well be3ause
we ate well and lived in the open air ,
like sensible , Christian men. On one
side were the calm and quiet waters ol
Barnegat bay , on the other the broad ,
expanse of tho Atlantic ocean , with a
white sail or the black smokestack of
a steamship dotting tho horizon. It
was natural that before many days the
subject of deep sea fishing should be
broached , and equally natural that I '
should bo inveigled into such a trip.
The accompanying fishermen this
time were neither amateurs nor tho- ,
orists. They were sturdy toilers of
the sea , where fishing meant meat and
drink , and who fished for business , not
sport. The first sensation in deep sea
fishing is getting your boat over the
surf , and this my two sturdy conipan1
ions accomplished with a dexterity i
that surprised me. Then a small sail ]
was rigged , a light breeze sprang up , <
and we sped away to the fishing i
ground. The sport was royal for tho <
practical fisherman. When we turnt
ed tho bow of our boat toward home i
there was a load of codfish and one
spider crab. It may , perhaps , be su-
perflaous to add that the practical fish
erman had caught the cod and that the
spider-crab was my catch. . 1
They rallied me at tho hotel over c
my bad luck , but consoled me with
the information that there was
gorgeous that was tho word they
used bass-fishing by moonlight in
Barnesat bay. That night found me
in the stern of one of the yachts ,
moored at the dock at the end of the
hotel lawn , with a rod in each hand ,
bound , so to spoak , to catcli fish
iouble-hamlyd. Tho bait used was
clams , for they told mo that the bass
took kindly to clams by moonlight.
They did not take kindly to the clams
offered them ; but the mosquitoes
took more than kindly to me. Had J
as many hands as Briajrius had head ?
there would not have been too many
to manage the rods and mosquitoes.
Now and then one of tho guests would
stroll down from the hotel and ask
what luck I was having. This thing
* f'g
kept on for one hour and nhallbj
the watch" , and there was not so much
hooks. By and
as a nibble at my two
by tho landlord camo down and said ?
something to me. I played tho end
of ono of thq rods over tho side of the
yacht. I had been fishing for bass in
just two inches of water. Whon they
got up to tho hotel and had picked
tho mosquitoes out of my hair tljgy
were good enough to tell me that M
B. B. Eoosevelt had dono tho sam < p
sort of fishing tho previous year , only
he had been induced to nso gun-wads
for bait somothing 1 had firmly re-
fused to do. I havo just been invited
to go fishing for trout in tho lako at
Central park. It is evident that my
opportunity has come at last , and I
havo prepared a book full of brown
hackles for tho occasion.
The Troubles in Burmah.
For many months the relations be
tween the court of Mandalay and tho
Indian government have been troubled ,
says Tlie London Telegraph. Not only
has tho rule of King Theebaw boon
sanguinary and oppressive , even for a
golden-footed potentate , and a con
stant source of disquietude , but hia
capricious conduct has seriously in
terfered with tho upper and lower
waters of Irrawaddy. Recently a
fresh and acute cause of annoyance
has been furnished by tho action of the
French consul , a foreseen consequence
of the extension of French influence in
Indo-China. Tho French , indeed , aim
at establishing political control over
tho entire region from the sea to the
Burmese frontier , including the reduc
tion of Siaui to a dependent state.
One object of King Theebaw has been
to secure the transport of arms and
ammunition through Tonquin , but , so
far , ho has not been able to obtain
more than vague promises. The actual
crisis in Burmah appears to have risen
out of tho intrigues of the French con
sul. He is reported to have obtained
concessions for tho making of rail
ways , offering large interest , and pro -fl
posing to take as security the customs.
A bank also has been suggested which
is to manage the tea trade and work
the ruby mines. Finally , he is report
ed to have offered a largo sum provi
ded the king would cancel tho leases
of the Bombay and Burmah trading
corporation and transfer them to a
French company. Tho latter state-
inent seems to explain the recent de-
cree against the corporation , imposing
on them a fine of 230,000. Now they
have an immense body of servants and
hundreds of elephants employed in the
forest cutting and carrying timber.
; They have refused to pay the fine and
[ have appealed to tho Indian govern-
'ment. It seems that the viceroy sug-
igested a settlement of the dispute by
'means of arbitration , although under
itlie treaty ho might havo called for
: tho trial of the case before a mixed
court. King Theobaw , trusting , no
doubt , to his French , supporters , has
.refused arbitration , and has declared
in insulting arrogant terms that he
will not accept Lord Dufferin's pro
posal , and will not reopen the ques
tion at all , but at once enforce his ar-
[ | bitrary decree. The consequence , oJ
course , to the Bombay-Btirtnah cor
poration will bo very serious , and ,
coupling the king's tyranical conduct
with French proceedings , it will be
seen Chat the Indian government can
! not tolerate either. During the whole
of his cruel reign the subjects of Theo-
'haw have been continually migrating
4ulo British Burmah , where they find
protection and employment. To such
an extent has this movement gone on
that while tho population under our
icontrol has largely increased , that re
maining in Upper Burmah has suffered
a corresponding diminuition. Had the
Burmese ruler behaved with ordinarv
'decency , and had not French interfer-
lence inflamed his arrogant spirit , there
jcotild have been no question of hostilo
fmeasures. t Now , however , that Brit-
jlsh interests are politically threatened
by 1 the invaders of Tonquin , British
subjects capriciously fined by tho
king ] , and the Indian government
openly and rudely insulted , it is clear
that 1 adequate reparation must bo ex
acted , and an end put to the turbu
lence and tyranny displayed at Man-
clalay. Lord Dufferin is a prudent
ruler , and he may be trusted to dc
enough , and not more than enough , to
safely guard our interests and relieve
Siam as well as Burmah from the pres
sure of an intrusive power.
All About the ilodjeskas. " * *
Mme. Modjeska's niece , a pretty lit-
tlo Polish maiden of seventeen , is trav
eling with the great actress this year.
She is engaged to her cousin Ralph ,
Modjeska's only son , who , by the way ,
has just been graduated from the high
est scientific academy in Paris , and
has been appointed to service as one
of the civil engineers employed in the
construction of the
new bridge over
the Missouri river at Omana. Since
her last visit to America Modjeska Mis
been offered the management of tw *
theatres in Poland one at Cracow , te
be six years in course of construction
and to bo the finest playhouse in th
world. But
Modjeska is
averse to ac
cepting responsibilities of this char-
ncter , and at present it is her intention
to devote herself to dramatic literature
when she has finished her professional
career. Chicago Kews.
Love's warning : "Don't .
cry , J. , you hurl
my vaccination.-
V
