The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-09-11

Tho Man Found Dead in the HoHman House
Once tho Cause OF Scandal In Washington.

Tho Man Found Dead in tho Ho6man House
Once tho Cause of Scandal In Washington.
WARRINGTON. Sept. 1O.-Maior John G.. Lee
OF Pennsylvania who was found dead In the
Hoffman House In Now York yesterday morn
Ing was well known In this city. He was .
man OF rowing disposition. and at one time was
the cause OF good deal Of diplomatic corrs-
spondence between this Government and Co.
rea He also wrote letter to this city from
Corea which caused great scandal In a ciety
eiicles. and brought forth denials and denun-
ciatione Of what he said In that letter by the
members Of the Corean Legation.
Major Lee and Col. L. II. Cummings won't to
Corea In 1889 under written contracts with the
Corean Government to serve in the work OF
reorRanizing and disciplining the Corean
army. Suddenly they were notified that their
services had been dispensed with. This was
In direct violation OF their contract. but they
could get no satisfaction from the Corean
Minister. They therefore laid their case boz
tore Secretary Blaine. but 1t has never been
settled to their satisfaction. Lee. IN one OF
his letters. said that the inactivity OF the State
Department in the matter was the laughing
stock Of all foreigners In Seoul. Corea s capital.
He said that tho French Commissioner had
m sh hs would IN Or sssn
and tho matter settled in twenty-four hon,s.,,
another letter 1t was stated that II. N.
Allen. the Kings AmSri, IN Secretary at Wash
ington. had once in oduced abandoned wo-
men OF low clas- to the White House on New
Years day as torean ladies' and had allowed
fellow who had been = gate porter for the mis-.
Washington. The contents Of the letter rot
abroad among soc ETY. people who were at that
time making mu b OF the Coreans. and
mighty hubbub en- ued. All the membsrs OF
the Corean En- assy were up In arms at once.
The 81 atements m ado BY tho letter Were indig-
nantly denied to the state DEPARTMENT and to
the houses whore the Coreare, male aud
female. had been received. For some weeks
the princi d OPT: in Washington society was
whether or not the Coreans should be counte:
nanced. Finally the matter blew oyer and
scandal.
In the correspon dence which the two Ameri-
can officers had with the state Department a
great deal was said " them about the bank
iupt condition OF the Coreans. their hckIensss.
and the utter unreliahlity OF the Govsrnnrnt.
The two officers furnished Mr.. Blaine with q
COPY OF the letter written by Allen, In which he
said that he. at tho Xmas request endeavorcd
to inte,es American capitalists in the Corean
gold mines. In that letter occurred the follow
Ing sentence:
1t was difficult. but was successful at last
bey4nd my highest expectation for | sue
ceeded In Interesting . lot OF the best New
York capitalists including Levi p. Morton. so
that they made q definite proposition 20 unite
and form q pool OF $4,000 with which to send
an ex pert to look at tho Corean gold deposits"
Mr.. Allen was either mistaken or tho " cupi-
talists" discovered In some way the real merits
OF tho scheme. for no pool was ever formed
ana no expert sent 10 Corea.