10c Yellow (116). Vertical strip of three, cancelled by three strikes of "HIOGO JAPAN" double-circle handstamp on cover to Miss Jennie A. Owen in Hartford, Connecticut, the strip is also tied by segmented cork cancel and "Yokohama Japan Oct. 23" (1870) circular datestamp, sender's directive "Via Yokohama" at upper left, pencil docketing on back "Hiogo Jeddo Yokohama Sept. 29 to Oct. 4", "San Francisco Cal. Nov. 18" double-circle backstamp, the Yokohama marking strengthened in manuscript (most likely by Jennie Owen, who kept a careful log of the correspondence), few short perfs of little consequence, some slight edgewear

VERY FINE. A RARE MULTIPLE OF THE 10-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE ON A TRIPLE-RATE COVER FROM JAPAN TO THE UNITED STATES, POSTMARKED BY THE U.S. POST OFFICES AT HIOGO AND YOKOHAMA. THE HIOGO MARKING IS EXTREMELY RARE ON COVER, AND THE USE OF BOTH OFFICE MARKINGS ON ONE COVER IS EXTRAORDINARY.

This cover originated at Hiogo and was carried on the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. branch-line steamer Golden Age as it traveled from Shanghai to Yokohama, departing Shanghai October 13, 1870, and arriving Yokohama October 21. It was then carried by the PMSS China, departing Yokohama October 23, 1870, and arriving San Francisco November 17. The presence of the Yokohama and Hiogo markings on the same cover is extremely unusual.

De Benneville Randolph Keim, a Pennyslvania native and prominent journalist, covered numerous engagements of the Civil War and Indian wars. In 1870 President Grant sent Keim to China as a special agent to investigate potential corruption in the U.S. consulates. He uncovered fraudulent activity by George F. Seward at the consulate in Singapore and nefarious dealings in the construction of the Woosung railroad. Keim also leaked the story of the Manchu rape of French nuns and massacre of Chinese citizens who converted to Catholicism.

Described and illustrated in Scott R. Trepel, "The Keim-Owen Correspondence: 1869 Covers from the Far East" (Chronicle 233).

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