Back in the U.S. to-day, if it is only the P.I. (Incident on the “Medway” at Singapore — wedding — capt’s daughter & some off. Big cake ordered topped by the Br. lion, rampant. Chino bakery made it, all right. Brought in for bride to cut, tissue cover stripped off, and there, in all his glory, was the lion. But unfortunately, instead of the front leg, he had one hind leg lifted. The limies had him varnished and put away among their most cherished possessions.) Hot and bright to-day. — Harrison saw the S.O. & Navy reports @ Nanking, 1927. A landing squad of @ 20 sailors escorted the missionaries & families from the consulate to the S.O. compound. On the way, the missionaries, who had been given 2 M.G.’s to carry, deliberately threw away half the parts & a lot of ammunition. — The Navy comdr., Smith, who opened fire, got signed statements from all the missionaries about conditions. One month later, they had all reversed themselves & were saying the Chinese were good people & hadn’t done anything. — In Nicaragua, Sacasa was getting amm. from Mexico thro. the east coast. A Navy Lt. Comdr. & Capt. Thomason (Marine) had the landing party. They were to establish a neutral zone. They picked up 2 million rds. of S.M.A. in boxes with the Mexican stamps on, illegally entered. So they quietly dumped it in the river. The admiral, an old nurse named Lattimer, went crazy, court-martialled the Lt. Comdr. & gave Sacasa 2 million rds. out of the magazine of the Rochester. Tie that one. — We got to Zambo at 11:30. Canoes out with divers, all ages & sexes. Went ashore at 2:00 with Scruggs & Cushing. Took taxi to San Ramon penal colony (1870 —Ramon Blanco); rode all around town & post. Had a drink — saw Capt. Christian (P.S.), heard about P.D. Grier’s death — walked to old Fort Pilar. Back & out to ship at 5:15. (Bought a tray at San Ramon — camagon wood — 1100 convicts out there, self-supporting.) At 7:20 in to dinner at Maj. Zech’s. Zambo 1s a pretty place, — the post is a gem — big trees, grass, flowers & a lotus moat running through it. Old Spanish fort. Fronts on the sea; good swimming & sailing. Clean town, good streets. Has all the proverbial air of the tropics. — At Zech’s, the Van Brunts, Zechs, Adm. Woodson, Gygax, Harrison, & self — Mrs. Black, Tipton, & a couple of others. Kind of a dumb party; Woodson held forth at great length with a lot of drool about his wonderful experiences. — Blah.
