Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-21
"A TALK WITH THE KING OF KOREA

We had been steaming all night up the
Han river in a second hand japanese
tug. lodging from sandbank to shoai, re-
versing engines one minute, ana plough
ing ahead the next. Wearled with e1loft'
I sandwicIed myself between the Jap
anese sleeping on the lower deck and was
doing off, when a clawy, clalnmy some
thing bounced into my face. Win a
start I was up, in time to see a huge rat
clear the deck, over the unconscious
sieepers. and disappear into his hole, my
compliments following hard after HIM.
Robbed thus of rest, l climbed out on top
and spent the remainder of the night
watching the grouping of stars and NILS,
that changed. or passed, or swung about
with the moving of the steamer. Here
Korea had made her first stand against
foreigners; here her dead had laid heap
ed up where the white men entered.
Mountains had failed in their guardian
ship, and, in all probability would fan
again. Toward the east rose a black de-
nuded range, three thousand feet up
among the stars, watching under its
shroud the fate of dynasty and city. Be-
meath slept king and queen, eunuch and
palace-maid, all certain that there was
no flaw in it's guardianship, that they
might laugh, and live, and sing on fear
lessly, for themountain would see to 1t
that all was well.
With morning we reached the landing.
llo Vi Ao SoiAAS W w "co
a girl some fifteen years of age, dressed
as a Japanese. She had ridden down to
the river, four miles, astride of a foreign
saddle. Her nationality was a question.
Was she Korean or Japanese? She SEEM
ed intensely in earnest, taking no notice
of those about her. but stood, switching
the ground nervously with her riding
whip, and looking with great Impotence
for some one on the boat. She was not
awaiting me, for l landed, and went close
up to her, but her eyes never Wavered.
Some one had failed her. In ar instant
she was astride her pony. and with one
cut of the whip, was off, cavalier fashion,
for the south gate. An onlooker remark-
ed that yon girl IN the horse was half
Korean and half Japanese, and that she
was attendant on the queen in the palace.
Viewed in the light of Korean feminine
modesty she certainly seemed a dare dew
IL girl. -
All was quiet in the capital. The same
familiar odors as of yore greeted me.
Dogs We're not better hammered. Streets
still had their cutters %ploughlng lazily
along the middle. Pride and poverty
strobe by.
i slept comfortably till early morning,
when the rafting sound of rifle shots dis
turbed me. There was something up
somewhere Koreans never move other
wise, and that morning the city was all
In motion. Nothing short of a political
~earthQuake, OF tidal wave, could make so
great a stirring. | sauntered down to the
Pacific to find, if possible, the center of
disturbance, when, bundling forth from
the side ga te. came soldiers, prisoners,
and frightened women. Some one said
that the queen had been murdered, and
here was the blood before my eyes of
Hong, late commander-ln-chief of the
Korean army. shot half an hour ago. Elk
citement grew intense. All day long the
white-coated multitude surrounded the
palace. filled the streets. and surged from
gateWay to gateway. On the second day
1 was asked by one in authority to push
my way into the palace. find the quarters
of theforeign general. remain with him
alr night. and discover, if possible, by
whom this tragedy had been committed,
for the queen indeed was murdered, and
her body burned with American Standard
oil. A young girl in attendance. it seems,
half Korean and half japanese, had
pointed her out to Miura's soldiers and
the rebels had followed. and they had
slaughtered her, like a rat in it's hole, and
now they held the palace. while his Ko-
rean majesty shivered and chartered
foreigners said he, Ito stay by me: let
them be anything in the world, tide
walters or missionaries. globe-trotters or
Swiss bell-ringers. only let them be for
eigners," said he, Foreigners" On this
specially f1attering invitation, l was in
vited to run the guard and risk my life
On behalf of his Gracious majesty.
Thinking that I might find some amuse-
ment on the road to royalty, / went
straight for the gates, n the guard
presented beautifully. All danger was
dressed like a Japanese, stepped in