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‘RWILK.IEL.;";. ‘ I .‘E'. 4- 3.: i: J." ... ».L’Z,.' 2. .r I: u . _. .. s u..uw.r.-.«.uwaâ€".u L4 .-,. ~Wn. ’ - A ‘ v_~;,-.,_-u_..w.._ . _ .".I'./~,;‘\:/J'_n\_o www.- v-v .. ._,r 7’4‘aauv‘s'vyv ._. _ h __..n m...,.m -"-7’\7csnvva _ narrated to me the following events: Â¥8¢o+o¢o+oeo¢o+oeo+oeo Incident of '-l 3’ (D 3 93 i=2 6¢o¢o+o¢o+o+9 0¢o¢o+o¢oeoe ¢°¢0¢0¢0¢9e0¢o¢0¢0¢04 'I have received from a. Russian Sai- 101‘. recently returned from Harbin, some hitherto unpublished details of the execution of the two Japanese spies arrested by some Cossacks as they were about to blow up a bridge on the Manchurian Railroad, writes M. Pravdine in Le Petit Temps. of Paris. My informant is a young man who Was severely wounded during the first bombardment of Port Arthur. He obtained permission to go to Italy to con-'valcsce from his wound, but before his departure he made a short stay with some oflicers, relations of hi8, at Harblin. where he arrived just at the time when the Japanese were arrested, taken in the act, condemned and executed. “You were present at the execution of the two Japanese?" I asked him. “Alasl‘ I saw them die,” anchrâ€" ed the young sailor. . And so I looked at him with as- tonishment. as he hastened to add: “Do not take me for an anarchist. I am, on the contrary an ancient plat. riot, and I eagerly' longed for the war with Japan; I longed to see the Japanese externrinated, and I desired that We might be able to dictate terms. of peace to them at Tokio. But, like all my comrades, on seeing those tWo Japanese ofiicers die by the bullets of our soldiers, courage- ously sacrificing their lives for their country, I could not but think their execution cruel.” “Were you present at the trial?” "I saw the two spies arrested; I was present at the trial, and at the- exerution; I can give you all the de- tails of it, for the dreadful spectacle haunts me, and I cannot forget it.” And in half an hour the wounded officer, pausing only when the pain of his right knee, wounded by the bursting of a Japanese shell, and from which the splinters had not yet been removed, became too keen, “I can give my testimony that, when the two prisoners Were brought into the little room of the Chinese fans'a, transformed into a courtroom by the Harbin council of war, both the judges and the publicâ€"the latter composed almost exclusively of ofâ€" ficersâ€"could not avoid manifesting openly their enthusiastic admiration for them. ‘ “And indeed, those men were actuâ€" ated by the most noble sentiments; they had resolved, as patriots, to make use of any means to assure vic- tory to their side, and. as soldiers, under superior orders, they went to meet certain death. "The trial took the ordinary course; the arguments on either side offered nothing of interest, the prisâ€" oners having loudly, and not with- out patriotic pride, assumed the re- sponsibility of the crime of which they were accused. “They gave their names and their titles without the slightest tremor of the voice: - “ ".l‘chomo Jokoka, fortyâ€"four years of age, colonel of the General Staff, graduated with honors from the Military High School of Jetldo,’ said the elder of the prisoners, a short, stout man, with a strong face. “ ‘Tcisko Jokkli, thirty-one years of age, captain, attached to the General Staff,’ said his companion, w‘ho Was taller and more slender in figure than the other, with angular features and a very dart complexion, casting 'a slightly disdainful glance around the courtroom. “ ‘BudIdhis-t,’ he added, after a moâ€" ment's silence. _ " ‘An-d you. colonel,’ asked the president of the council ‘you are of the same religion as your fellow prisâ€" oner‘?” “No, president; I am a Christian. And observing the astonishment pro- duced on every one by this declaraâ€" tion, he hastened to add: “ ‘But I am a true Japanese, born of Japanese parents. Only in my youth I was captivated by the gentle teachings of Christ, and I became a convert to Lutheranism.’ “Col, .lokoku. spoke English, and it was a subject. of King Edward, an onn-loye of the Russo-Chinese Bank, who translated to the court the dec~ colonel begged the priest to read to lhim the Sermon on the Mount. The ‘larations of the prisoner. “Capt. Jokki was interrogated by means of a Chinese interpreter. “The accused were shown the exâ€" plosive materials which had been found upon them; they did not at- ltempt to defend themselvos, or to deny in any particular the statements of the Cossacks who had arrested them. " ‘The interpreters translated to the prisoners the military prosecu,tor’s speech, asking the punishment of death by hanging. . “I watched the countenances of the two men, and I could not observe in them the slightest indication of fear. They remained innpassive; the pain- ful working of their minds was beâ€" trayed by no Sign. “The counsel of the two Japanese asked that the sentence of death should be comrmlutecl to imprisonâ€" ment with hard labor, the accused men having made a complete confes- sion. “The two ofT-lr‘ers remained unâ€" m, moved by their counsel’s warm apâ€" at the place of execution, impassive peal; they did not utter a word. as ever. Still, it could be seen that “Since the law allowed of a ugh- the colonel was a. prey to painful re- ter punishment we all expected a. fiectinn._ . commutation of the sentence, “Both of them lighted cigarettes “The deliberations lasted for half and asked that they should not,be an hour, and the court condemned bound to the Stakes' T1,": 00mm“? the two officers to the maximum ant took two handkerchiefs from his Penany' t1ie-3cafl015_ pocket and handed them to the Ja- “Col. Jokoka and Capt. Jokkl panese o’fllccrs' ~ _ l - , . . . “The colonel bound his eyes him.â€" heaid then sentence nith as detachâ€" self; Jokki disdainhmy refused to ed an air as if it had concerned inâ€" ' J l w different persons. It is probable do so, saying he dcsncd to sce 10 - the manoeuvred. that if the sentence had been less se- a"; dozen soldiers We", posted in vem .they woum have 511°.“ some front of the colonel, a dozen others . . , . . snip} 15‘” . in front of the captain. 'lhe sentence was to be executed ” .u vou have pity for “1-05,, two on the following morning at one ‘ ‘ - - . - s . 111th .v men, said the commandant O'Clock: all that was wanted for was ‘pn' , , ,. , . to the platoon detailed for the exeâ€" a (IFS‘DCtCh. hom (’en' kum’opat’k'm cution, ‘aim straight at the heartâ€"â€" confirming. 1t. .. x . , death will then be instantanwus.’ 'lhe telegram arrived promptly; . , “The soldiers fired. 3’19 gezlel'ahisilo aPPI'QVCd 3‘9 00"" “Jokoka went to the left; Jokki, em‘narion' u spared the “panese 'r‘ihout havin'r winl'cd an e clash officers the humiliation of the scafâ€" “1' b \ c y ’ ‘ - . ‘ v 1 rd. fold, and granted them the grace of fell foxua . . . . . “Both had been killed instantly; being 5110.1” accord’ng them 0' sokh‘ our good soldiers had had pity for ers death. , , th in." “I was present when the comâ€" fly in-and'ant read to the prisoners Gen. Kouropatkin’s order. “ ‘It is well,‘ responded Col. Jodiâ€"- oka. ‘I am ready.’ “The captain said nothing; his exâ€" pression, that became every moment more disdainful, showed his iii-differ- ence to the manner of punishment reserved for him. “Col. Jokoka aSked permission to write to his family; then he embrac- ed the captain. “ ‘I die more tranquil than colonel,’ said the latter. " ‘Why do you say that?’ " ‘I have fulfilled my duty to my" cplmtry audio the DCity' You ’i'rjwc eithenside esteems the other? done yours to your country only. ' ” 'What do you mean, captain?’ - " +â€"â€"â€"-â€"' ‘f ‘I have reflected a good deal on GLEAMS OF LIGHT. what you have said to me about Christianity. You are always vauntâ€" Bits of ing its superiority. Well, I think you are not in accord with Christ; while I have nothing to reproach myself with! glasses without milk. “ ‘Perhaps you are right, captain, The French army is three times as And I, I have a favor to ask of you. large as it was in 1870- Give 'me your authorization to pcrâ€" The SOldiel‘S 01‘ the MCXican army form the first truly Christian act, are recruited from the prisons. which it has been given me to per- The average number 0f billiard form during my life, you know I bails out from the tasks of an eleâ€" have a number of Chinese banknotes, Pllant is ten- to the Vame in an of about a thou- Soldiers in the Italian army are sand Russian rubles. Well, I desire allowed Cigars as Part Of their daily to send this money to the command- I111510115- ant, to be given to the Russian Red Ten pounds of good liay, will keep Cross for the poor wounded among a horse alive as long as 50 Pounds our enemies. ‘Do you consent to or green Clover- this gift?’ Jokki reflected an instant“ The British Museum Library inâ€" n :I have always had a great at- creases at an average rate of 100 fection for you, colonel. and if it will VOIUWGS {I (18.37- _ give you pleasure, I am willing that RUSSan takes nearlfhflll the agl‘l‘ you should give this money to our cultural machinery that the United enemies” ‘ States export. “when the commandant, came for The Nile is the only river in the the prisoners, C01. J'okoku ga\7e hi1“ World flo‘VS ll'lllcs ‘Vithr a bundle of white banknotes with red out a tributary“ signs, saying; _ The albatross has been known to ‘1‘ (There are here about, a thousand follow a. ship for two months with- rubles, and we beg you to give them out alighting- . to the Russian 120d Cross} In Buenos Ayres horses are so u tBut would it not be better for plentiful that even the beggars beg me to send this money to your 0“ hOl'SGlJfle- . . I families?’ Only twelve men in a hundred have “ ‘Oh, no,’ cried both th‘e con.- (lal‘k eyes, as compared with twenty demned men together. ‘The Mikado WGmC’n- . will not forget our wives and chilâ€" Almost every town of any Import- dren.’ ance in Germany has an opera house “ ‘Do not refuse us this satisfacâ€" 0f its own- tion,’ said Jokoka. ‘Distribute this ’lhe thickness of the film of a soap money among the Russian wounddcl.’ ll'll’l)l310 i5 “10 2,500,000th part of all “The commandant again urged the 'lm'h- 0 v. _ oifiicers to let all they should leave TllCl‘O are 0.000 words used allkc behind them be sent to Japan. in Fromm and Engllb‘h ‘VlthOUt "ah- “Jokki appeared to hesitate for a Iatlon 1-11 Slmllmg- companion punctuated these with a. groan. He had moved his wounded last words involuntarily knce. “Confound-cd Japanese!” he cried. “In what way have they dressed my wounded knee. But no matter. That does not prevent my regretting the death of Jokoka and Jokki." And seeing this, victim of Japanese bullets so strongly moved by the death. of the tw0 spies of the enemy, I recalled the Words of the Russian ainter Verestchagin, that the valor of both combatants was the most serious obstacle to the war. And, indeed, why kill one another when you, ._.__. Information From the World’s Four Corners. In Mexico hot tea is served in in Siberia, is the moment; he looked at his companion Lake Baikal, It is 4-,â€" in misfortune, who reiterated his (10â€" deepest lake in the world. sire to make this compensation for 500 feet deep- _ y the evil he had done. on this earth, Maladies t0 the Value Of $120,000.- and the captain bent his head in ac- 000 are annually consumed through- quiescence with the wish of his bro- 01”? the World. {mol- in a1..ms_ The surface of the moon is about “The Russian commandant yielded, as great as that of lAsia and Auâ€" and asked the two Japanese if there S‘tl‘alifl C0mlJillCd._ ’ was anything in which he could be SO Strong is the Bank. of England of service to them. notcpaper that a single sheet will " ‘I should like to have a bath, if lift a Weight of 100 pounds. it were possible,’ said the Buddhist. Most of the railWay stations in ‘After that we shall be at your or- Russia are about tw0 miles from the dersy towns they serve. “ "A bathroom being an object of An elephant can detect the pre- luxurv unknown in Harbin, tho-coma sence of a human being at a distance man-d’ant caused tubs of water to be 0f 51 thousand yfl‘l'ds- brought and ordered the sentinels to The British Post Office employs go to one side so that the unfortu- nate men might be able to perform their ablutions at their case. nearly 30,000 Women, among whom are over 5,000 postmistresses. The starfish has no nose, but the “The want of a. bathtub was felt Whole of its underside is endowed much more keenly by the Buddhist Willi theusense of smell. u than by the Christian colonel, whosel T110 Chllian officer uses his sword desire was to see a priest before goâ€" as a walking-stick, and eyen has 11; ing to execution. As there was no on whllst bicycling. _ . . Lutheran pastor,, the dhaploin of There» are more. words in the Engâ€" the regiment was sent to him. The fish language than in any four forâ€" eign languages combined. - In all their wars, the British have Won the splendid average of 82 per cent. of the battles. ‘ The Bank of England has usually about $125,000,000 to $150,000,000 chaplain read in Slav, and Jokcka followed the text prison. When they came to the Words: ‘For if ye love them which _ . l ' love you “that reward have ye? And of its notes in Circulation. . if ye salute your brethren only, what The longest canal in the world. is do ye. more than others?’ he closed the Imperial Canal, of China. which the book, folded his hands and cast is over 1,000 miles long. down his eyes for a. moment while Not until Hellty \’Ill.'s time were his lips moved, raspberries, strawberries, or cherâ€" “ ‘Jokki,’ he said, ‘you are right; ries cultivated in England, Bible which they had left him in Many. Chine-Se tailliplcs "have winâ€" you will die more tranquilly than I, dows made from the while mother- for I have never felt more keenly 0'-De€ll‘1 found in Oyster-3510115.. than now how little in accordance The eel has two separate hearts. my life has been with the teachings One bent-s sixty, the other ‘one hunâ€" of Jesus.’ dred’ and sixty times a mlnuto. “The vehicle which Was to convey The lyre bird of Australia is the the two‘men to the place of cxec‘uâ€" biggest song bird in the world. It tion was already waiting. Outside is nearly as large as the pheasant... surged the crowd, the hideous crowd In many villages of the Tyrol the of the lowest class, everywhere the use. of red parasols is prohibited, as same; idle tradesmen, business men they irritate the grazing cattle. come to the extreme Orient to avail In marching, soldiers take seventy. flhemselvc-s of any chance windfall. five steps per minute; quick march- in his Japanese “The two Japanese officers arrived ling, 10-8; and in charginny 150 steps. ~Giants minimum CHARACTER AND HISTORY OF EARL GREY. The New Governor-General Is No Stranger to This Country. Earl Grey has been appointed' to succeed the Earl Of Minto' as Gover- norâ€"General of Canada, says the Lon- don Times. Although with the exâ€" ception of his short period of ser- vice as administrator of Rhodesia, Lord Grey has not filled any public post either at home or in the colonâ€" ies, he has made sufilcient mark to make this appointment welcome both in this country and in Canada. It is an interesting one on personal grounds. It is equally interesting from the historical point of view. The connection between Canada and the Greys may be said to date back at least three-quarters of a century. The second Earl Grey, the Reform Premier, was not in office during the Canadian crisis of 1837â€"99, but he was profoundly interested in it, especially because his second son, Colonel (afterwards General Sir Charles) Grey, was sent there in command of the 7151; regiment. A more important connection between Canada and the family 0f the exâ€"preâ€" mier was established when his daughâ€" ter, the wife of Lord Durham, went out with her husband, the author (with Charles Bullet) of that famous report which was so hotly debated at the time, and which has counted for so much in the. political history of Canada. The Colonel Grey menâ€" tioned..abov-e, who afterwards beâ€" came so well known as the private secretary first of Prince Albert and then of Queen Victoria, was the father of the new Governorâ€"General. Another link with the colony and with the empire is to be found in the last earl, who was secretary for the colonies from 681148 to 1852, and who from that time to the end of his long life remained the sleepless critic of his successors on both sides. Hansard and the columns of The Times alike bear witness to the third car‘l's‘ ENDURING ACTIVITY; while as those who remember him are foncl of recalling, he dissented as often from the policy of Liberal as from that of Conservative secretar- ies of state. 'As far as home poli~ tics are concerned, the present earl has to a certain extent the same disâ€" position. Party leaders have never been able to count on him with com- plete certainty. He has the crossâ€" bench mind to perfection. If we remember aright, his last speech in the house of lordsâ€"on the position of the crown agentsâ€"was directed against the policy which, in the end, was adopted by the government. Noâ€" body, hoWever, will think the worse of Lord Grey, for that, or of Mr. Lyttleton for having gone outside the ranks of the thickâ€"andâ€"thin supâ€" porters of the government to find a l-overnor-Gencral. The essential thing is that Lord Grey is a, believer in the imperial mission of Great Briâ€" tain, and in the maintenance of the tie which so happily binds together the different parts of the empire. The new Governor-General is no stranger to Canada and the Canaâ€" dians. Twice at least he has visited. the Dominion; and, as it happens, he is brother~in~law of the very success- ful outâ€"going Governor, Lord Ninto. It may be added without indiscretion that no small part of Lord Minto’s wellâ€"deserved popularity is 'due to his wife, Lord Grey’s sister, who early won the hearts of the Cana- dians by her kindness and their ad- miration by the beauty of her skatâ€" ing. Whether the new Governor- General or the ladies of his 'family share this last accolnplislfment, we cannot say; but it is easy to underâ€" stand that a nation of skaters, like the Canadians, thinks all the better of its chiefs for possessing it. As to Lord Grey's more serious qualifi- cations he has shoWn his interest in colonial work in a very practical way. In 1896-97 he was adminisâ€" trator of Rhodesia, taving the post at the critical moment which fol- lowed VTHE JAMESON RAID; and since his return he has been a director of the British South Africa Company. Of course, the problems to be solved in Rhodesia are not the same as those which arise in a country like Canada, which has been settled for more than a century; but there are, nevertheless, certain anal‘ ogies. The pioneer Work of Rhodes- ia bears some relation to the work that has to be done in the great unâ€" cultivated regions of the Northwest, though the one stretches away to- wards the tropics and the other to- wards the Pole. It will count for at least something that the represen- tative of the sovereign in Canada has had a. hand in the actual work- ing of a vast region lately opened to the energies of Englishmen. As to the problems nearer at hand, the problems which are common to town may claim to ‘have felt a life long interest in them. He has long been a, public man, though not a party man. From the early movement in church reform to the more recent one in favor of the Public House Trust, manyâ€"perhaps too manyâ€"causes have attracted him, and at some of them he has worked hard. No- body ever did much without enthusâ€" iasm of 'Some kin-:1; and Lord Grey's has always been in the right direcâ€" tion, and has been supported by an advocacy that always attracted symâ€" pathy. ‘ Under the Stuadying influence of a great responsibility, [lord (lrey life all over the 'world, Lord Grey cess, we may expect for him a suc- cess not inferior to Ithat which has attended his broth‘erâ€"inâ€"law, Lord Minto. He combines two essential qualitiesâ€"those of an earnest belief in the empire and of an enainenfiy conciliatory temper. He will hold the balance even betwmn parties. and will also', we doubt not. be able to maintain with firmness the position that, a Governor~General of Canada, as the repreSentative of the crown, lS - BOUND TO MAINTAIN. He will be liked and respected by Frenchâ€"Canadians and by English,- Roman Catholics and by Protest-ants Moreover, he will maintain cordial relations ‘with the United States, which 'he knows well; while at the some time he will know how to treat those petulent demonstrations of a separatist spirit which now and then in a few obscure quarters, claim a certain notice. Moreover, his Afriâ€" can experiences will lead him. to look with sympathy upon those move- ments of expansion towards the Northwest, which are such an im« portant feature of modern Canadian life. He has what the professed politician lacks, the gift of imaginaâ€" tion; he realizes the greatness of Canada’s future and the possibilities that await development. Regions as large as states are ready for the plow; vast rivers and vast forests are asking to be made serviceable to roan. Much has been done of late years to develop Canada as a field for British emigrants, and no Can- adian problem will appeal more strongly than this to the mind of Lord Grey. If he can suceeed in carrying this movement still further, and in making it more systematic and thorough, his tenure of his high post will become memorable in the history of the Dominion and of the empire. -â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"+~â€"â€"â€"â€" . i HAVE USELESSSWORDS. British Officers Buy Their’s at the Tailor Shops. A large proportion of the officers of the British army carry swond's which areas useful for war purposes as the scabbards that hold them, says a London despatch. A director of the Wilkinson Sword ’ Company stated recently that sinCo the South African war British oldi- cers are of the, opinion that the sword is nothing more than an ar- ticle of dress, and that, under modâ€". ern conditions of fighting, it would never be brought into use. The sword which the British cavâ€" alry take into action is subjected to the most rigid test that can be de- vised. But no such provision apâ€" plies to officers, who Provide their own swords, and, in the majority of cases, buy them from their tailors. The military tailors import large quantities of soft, or brittle, blades from Germany, which are worthless,- and sell them for $5 each“ A trust- worthy sWord could not be obtained under $15. The exhibition was given recently of the Government tests for swords to which all Messrs. Wilkinson's blades are subjected. They are of the severest nature, and are applied to the. side, back, edge. and point. The company offer to test officers' swords free of change. But if the test is to be that now used the German ornamental weapons will come to a." sudden end. The new cavalry sword, which has just been approved by the Governâ€" ment, is lighter than the present! pattern, and has a scabbard of lea- ther instead of steel. It is straight, and not intended for cutting, the idea being to teach the soldiers the deadliness of the thrust. +____. 'JAPAN’S V. C. Of all decorations in the gift of the Mikado, none is so highly prized by his valorous soldiers as that of the Distinguished Service Order of the Golden Kite. The decoration is a small, indentedâ€"edged oval of a bean-- tiiul green enamel, upon which is placed a golden kite, surmounting crossed swords of purple enamel. The medal is silspen'ded from the breast: ' by a green. ribbon; and its gift is as rare‘as that of the much coveted Vic- toria Cross of our own country. There are seven classes of the order. and each grade 'd-igniiies some more valorous act ofâ€"the recipient. Its bestowal generally raises the decor- ated to the peerage, if he be not al- ready there, and sometimes carries with it a substantial bounty in the shape of a pension. The various countries of the world use three thousand four hundred dif- ferent kinds of postage stamps. The shortest span of life is that of the mayfly, which hatches, mates, lays and dies within a few hours. Nearly all the natives of Mexico have a hammock, in which they pass the larger portion of their time. Man attending the pans in salt works are never known to have chol- era, smallpox, scarletâ€"fcver, or in- fluenza. V Some thirty villages on the out« side of Mexico have each an old, solidâ€"built Spanish church, but no priest. The skin of the whale is from tw0 inches to two feet thick, and the skin of a large specimen'weighs thirty tons. Sealing wax does not contain 'a particle of wax, but is composed of Venice turpentine, shellac, and cin- nabar. Rain frequently be‘ falls more ‘afy' tween ihree o'clock and eiglié o’clock be trusted to concentrate his a.ctiviâ€",in th‘e morning than at any other ties upon the right objects. In that ftime during the day, < "Ivan-s it x's h. , gl 9?“ ‘ l' a; v -1455“, \ _ .X‘