The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-13
HOTEL. AND CORRIDOR.

Two distinguished gentlemen arrived
in Salt Lake yesterday and registered
at the Cullen hotel. They are Rev. S.
a. Moffett and Rev. D. D. Clifford, two
Presbyterian missionaries to Korea
who have but recently left that stormy
little monarchy OF the far east, where
uneasy rests the head that wears a
crown" is an axiom that finds exem-
plification in the every day life of the
ruler. ReYs. Moffett and Clifford have
been in Korea seven and eight years
respectively, and are now enjoying the
regular parole of a year which is al
lowed workers in the Presbyterian mis-
sions after stated terms of service.
They are now on their way 20 their
homes and stopped off in Salt Lake
over Sunday because they are opposed
TO travelling on the Lords day Rev.
Moffett's home is at Madison. Ind,
and Rev Chords at Mendoza, Ills.
spend the greater portion of their pa
role in describing the progress of the
work in Korea to the presbytery
throughout the country.
Rev Moffett. when in Korea, is To-
Gated at Pyeng Yang, the scene of the
greatest battle of the Chiuese-Japa-
at Seoul, the capital AS there was
no fighting in the capital, Rev. Clifford
saw nttle OF the War reyonu the inu.v-
ment of troops in and out of the city,
but Rev. Moffett had a realization of
the awful fratricide of the terrible con-
fiict.
>
Speaking of events of the war last
evening, Rev Moffett said:
y was at Pyeng Yang just prior to
the great battle. ana all during the
time the Chinese were occupying the
city. Owing to the treatment some
foreigners had received at the hands
of the Chinese, I decided TO leave the
city when they had taken possession,
and was given an escort through the
lines. The escort accompanied me to
within about three miles of the Japa-
nese outposts. and there left me. 1
had some aDprehensions I'D to that
time. but from the time the escort
turned back I was in perfect safety,
as the Japanese We're especially cour-
teous to foreigners. / was given
pass through their lines and went to
the capital and remained till after the
battle which took place about three
weeks subsequently.
1t was a most terrible battle, I'M
doubtedly the most ferocious of the
war. The Chinese occupied an almost
impregnab bic position in the city, which
is surrounded by a wall nearly 20 feet
high ard u TO Is feet in width at the
top. They had about $1,000 men. and
against a European army of that
strength no other army of many times
its numbers could have taken the city.
But the Chinese had no leaders and
were not equipped as were the Japa-
nese. The Japanese army was very
slow in preparing its schemt,-of battle
They surrounded the city and ap-
preached ii from four directions, and
while the city was engaged on one side
as a strategy, the great body of the
army. attacked the opposite side. At
one side of the city is great emf
hence which commands the whole
country. and at that point the wall IS
much lower than anywhere else, and
It was here that the japanese massed
their forces and charged over the wall.
Another division carried one of the
gates by storm. and il was not long
before the two armies were engaged
hand to hand. The superiority of the
japanese was demonstrated by the fact
that they lost only a few hundred men.
while the Chinese loss was over 1000.
l returned 70 the city immediately
after the battle, and then was when
got my idea of the terrible destruction
that was wrought All the roadside
leading to the city, the whole country
side and the streets of the CITY were
literally strewn with the corpses of
the Chinese soldiers. and nearly half of
the buildings had been destroyed. The
devastation was terrible and to add 10
the awfulness of the scene. the dead
bodies we're allowed to lie where they