The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-01-14

! SHANGHAI. Jan. ia strange sto-
ry comes from Seoul. Korea, relating
to the conspiracy which broke out there
last November The facts are only
known to a few persons. one being the
king, and all have the strongest mo-
tives for concealment.
II win be remembered that on Novem-
Der IS an unsuccessful plot eliminated
in an attack on the palace by q number
OF Koreans belonging to the Queen'1
party. II. waeber. the Russian charge
d'attaires: Drs. Allen and Underwood,
and other Americans were accuRed. on
apparently strong grounds. OF being
privy to the plot. They were, in fact.
said to have been on the ground stimuli
taneouSly with the attempt. They,
however. denied all completely. The
king and the japanese being warned be-
forehand. posted extra guards and foil-
ed the conspiracy. Information now
shows that u. waebeF and the English
consul shared the secret, the object be-
ing to seize the ministers, expel the
Japanese, free the king from the latter's
influence and restore the queen, who
was reputed to be dead. but who was in
reality alive The Russian secretary
Of legation was the leading spirit 10 the
-, nsri acy and VAS ieputfd to convey
the queen from her place OF hiaiJS to
the palace. The failure OF the attempt
necessltated the keeping OF the secret
OF the queen being In existence, which Is
now for the first time diyuiSed.
When In October the Koreans and
Japanese broke into the palace, the
queen, seeming danger. hid hastily.
without speaking to her women, saw
the bodies OF her ladies in waiting
dragged TO the pyre prepared for them
outside and watched the completion OF
the tragedy from her hiding place. The
queen was concealed for IN hour and n
half,every moment expecting discovery.
She ned ut last through n secret pass
age to the old palace and thence. after
changing her dress, made her escape
outside OF the walls OF the city, where
she reached u place OF safety.
When the Japanese and Koreans ex-
ar,ined the charred bodies OF the wo-
men who had been burned, the king and
some others shrewdly feigned that they
had discovered the identity OF the queen
in one OF the victims, lest a search
should reveal her whereabouts and lead
TO her murder.
The japanese accepted the account of
the queens death as true. II. waeber
and Huber, the latter being the German
consul. must have been privy 10 the Sc
cret. which was, however, well kept
Three Koreans were strangled last
week as the queens rnurderers, while
the trial OF Vlscount Mura and other
japanese officials IL proceeding at Htro-
shimn for the murder OF a woman who
stlll lives. HI Han Shin, the leader OF
the last abortive plot, Is In hiding here.
An American friend. who came here
on the Russian cruiser Otvajny. says
that Russia Is using the murder OF the
queen as o weapon against the Japa-
nese, although well knowing It's falsity.
The king OF Korea has acted on the
theory that the queen was dead. lmme-
diateiy following her supposed demise.
the king issued a decree stating that
the deceased queen, being designing
woman, would be considered TO have
occupied the position OF d concubine
during her lifetime. The purpose OF the
decree was TO prevent the succession OF
the queens son to the position OF crown
prince. The kings decree excited great
INDIGNATION among the foreign minis
ters stationed at Seoul and they pro-
tested aRninst II as an act OF immoral
ity. The king accordingly revoked the
decree, and issued one restoring the de-
ceased queen to the full rank Of royal
consort. The original decree degrad-
ing the queen Is said 10 have been In
splred by the Tai Won Kun. who head
cd the rebellious element At the time or
the uprising