The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-18

story OF an Orlchth W no Fted FROM
His Native Land TO Escape AsSas-
sinatfon by His Encmies-HidinE
in a Friends House.
From the Chicago Chronicle.
Washington. ID. c.. Feb 6..-In an hum
BILE boarding house In Thirteenth street just
north of N, in this city, resides the heir
to a throne, who, like the princes in the
fairy tales, has been compelled to leave his
country 70 escape conspirators who seek
| to remove him from this world of envy and
! jealousy for the benefit of younger rival
whose partisans happen now to be in pow
err. He seldom goes anywhere. His presence
in Washington is unknown to- the public
| and to most of the representatives of 9TH
er nations. He is retiring and different, and
remains in his room nearly all the time
smoking a little brass pipe and porting
over books, from which he is trying to
obtain a knowledge of the English Ian
guage and modern affairs. His presence is
known to the minister from his country
| and his movements are closely watched. If
he should leave the city he would be sha-
dowed wherever he went and his where
abouts would be promptly reported to his
government.
His name is Ye Wha, and he Is the Oldest
son of Lii Hsi, the king and newly created
Emperor of Korea. His official name is Ye
| Kang. His mother is a concubne of the
king, while his rival is the son of the late
| Queen Min vi, of Myung
Sung Whang HUI Ghe bright
empress), as she is. now called, who
| was -brutally assassinated by japanese
conspirators in Seoul two years ago.
For many years there has been bitter
rivalry in Korea between Tai Won Kun,
| the father of the King, who is called the
| Prince Parent, and the National Grand
| Duke, and was regent of the kingdom for
| many years during the minority OF his
son, and the late Queen Min VI, who has
| been termed the ablest woman in Asia
the Cleopatra of the East. She was a lit
tie thing so far as her, stature counted, but
! she had an, exceedingly bright mind, and
| unmeasured ambition, a determined will
and a love of power and intrigue which
was extraordinary in a woman of her ed
| ucation and environment. Her husband,
the King, Lii Hsi, was a puppet in her
hands, and whenever he received a foreign
diplomatist or had a meeting with his min
| listers she always stood behind a curtain
that fell back of the throne and prompted
his answers and instructions. From our
standpoint she was. wicked corrupt and
| CIu6i, out from HST SldHODOlHl, measured
by the morals of her own people, she was
a most estimable woman, wise, patriotic,
and worthy of admiration. Her chief am
/ bition was to secure the selection of her
only son, a weakling in body and in mind,
as the successor of her husband on the
| throne. The King of Korea may choose
| the heir to the crown from among the
| male members of the royal family, but the
| choice must be ratified by the ministry
| and through the influence of the Queen
her boy has been made the Crown Prince
Her enemies, led by Tai Won Kun and
! encouraged by the Viscount Miura, the
| Japanese minister, assaulted the palace in
October, 1895, murdered her in a most
atrocious manner and burned her body In
grove nearby. Shortly after the old
Prince parent, who is perhaps the wicked
est man alive, was overthrow again and
the friends Of the Queen were restored to
| power, which made 1t necessary for Ye
VIVA, the elder brother of the Crown
| Prince, to leave the country in order to
| escape conspiracies that were aimed at
| his life. In Korea the sons of concubines
are legitimate The King is allowed sew
| eral wives, and no distinction is made in
the social or political rights of their chill
dren. Therefore Ye Wha is quite as much
| entitled to the succession as his younger
| half-brother, the Prince Imperial Ye Kulx
| or Sei-ja (Son of the World), as he is COM
monty called by the people, because his
| personal name is so sacred, like that of the
| King that they dare not speak il.
There are several other princes compel
ing for the throne. but the only other
whose partisans are considered dangerous
| is Ye Chung, nephew of the king and the
son of his eldest brother. Like We Wha.
he is an exile and is living in London. He
Is the candidate of the Prince Parent Tai
| Won Kun. and has been involved in sew
| eral conspiracies for the overthrow of the
! government For a time they had him In
prison at Seoul, but afterward sent him out
| of the country.
| To escape the vengeance of the partisans
| of the Queen and her half-witted child Ye
Wha was sent 10 Japan where he remain
| ed for year or more, closely watched nv
the Koreans residing in that country. He
| attended the famous school of Mr. Fukiz-
| ava and was taking a course in modern
| languages when he was advised that his
life was not safe and that ne had better
| go to America. The Koreans have a savage
way Of getting rid of unpopular politicians
| Only two or three years ago a former
prime minister, who had fled TO China, was
invited down to Shanghai for a conference
| by some agents of the government and
when he entered their apartments they
calmly cut his throat. Another gentleman
of distinction who took refuge in Japan
was visited by couple OF agents of his
| government at q hotel in Yokohama and
would have suffered the same fate but for
his suspicious and convenient open win
dow.
Mindful of these incidents, Ye Wha de-
terrnined TO get out of so dangerous a
neighborhood and made arrangements to
come 20 the United States with the Rev
DR. Gale, Presbyterian missionary who
had been in Korea for several years and
was on his way home for vacation; but
the agents Of the government at Tokyo de-
tanned him and Mr. Gale sailed alone. But
ten days later Ye VIVA, who had his tick.
cts, slipped down TO Yokohama, went
| aboard the Pacific mail steamer and con-
cealed himself until after 1t left the harbor
He was unable to bring any baggage and
started for San Francisco with only the
clothes he wore on his back But the of-
ficers of the steamer were kind to him and
gave him everything he needed.
When he reached San Francisco ne start.
ed at once TO Washington and Joined his
friend Sob Kwang Pom, another exile
who had been prominent Ia the govern.
ment for many years, but was deeply in.
volved in the conspiracy to ASA slnatt
the Queen. He was member Of the cab
met organized by Tai Won Kun after tho
assassiuat ton, and signed the decree which
| 1ouradod fha late Oueefa from J,or ivt,na