The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-09-16


being held by only a few persons, and
they usually relatives of the king or
queen. The late minister to Washing
ton, Ye Pom Chin, is one of the few
who hold the first rank, he having sue
~cessfully secreted the queen at his
mountain retreat for some weeks and
months during and after a bloody
emeute some fifteen years ago, when
her life was in great jeopardy; for she
was bounded by the kings unscrupu-
lous father from the time she became
the kings consort until her death. Ye
Pom Chin later, three years ago, effect
ed by virtue of his position of refugee
at the Russian legation, his majesty's
and the crown princes escape from the
clutches of the pro-Japanese-Corean
conspirators who, since their murder
of the queen a few months before, had
practically kept them in durance vile.
The military, besides especially
guarding the palace, also policed the
city, Gen. Dye making the precincts
and locating the troops. The arms
with which the troops were provided
were mostly from the United States,
including the Remington rifle, Calling
guns, etc. The provincial troops gen
orally had flint lock or, as was mostly
the case, the slow-match and the prim-
ing pan. These seemed to answer in
a country where the population are not
allowed to own arms, and are used sue
cessfully even against the tiger.
After the invasion of the country by
the Japanese, especially in 1895, there
was a constant struggle lending with
the murder of the queen) between the
Japanese and the royal family for the
control of the military in the palace,
who were the special guard Of the roy
al family, which the king claimed
should be under his direct orders,
whatever authority the Japanese might
choose to exercise over the troops To-
Gated elsewhere throughout the coun-
try. The Japanese, with a japanese
army in the capital city, had already
begun to r~eorganize, a la Japanese,
some of the old army residing outside
the palace, for only a portion of the
army, on any one day, stood guard
within the palace walls. Gen. Dive
stood by the royal family in this con-
test. He was, after the advent of the
Japanese, in July, 1894, permanently
quartered quite neal the royal COM
pound, in a granite and brick struc-
ture adjoining the library (said to be
the finest building in the peninsula),
which annex was erected for the use
OF the queen or crown prince. Here
he was then the Japanese and Corean
conspirators assaulted the palace and
murdered the queen in October, 1895,
after the Japanese had disarmed all the
army, excepting a few men, who were
then ready to obey their behests. 1t
was at great personal inconvenience
and sacrifice that, Notwithstanding re-
peated threats and ever-present immi-
nent danger surrounding him, he stood
for months, and years even, Loyalty by
the royal family, who seemed to rely
much upon him for their personal safe
ty and the preservation of their dynas-
ty, for it seemed to them, as his maj
esty said, that they lost nearly, if not
quite, all their Corean friends in their
sore hour of need.
When the household minister, the
queen and others were being wanton-
ly murdered two attempts were made
by the japanese and their Corean CO.
a%djutors, with men under arms, to
forcibly eject Gen. Dye from the palace
Enclosure, as they had just lone in the
case of the only other foreigner in the
palace on that eventful morning. How
ever, certain signs and warnings from
Gen. Dye caused them to desist for the
time being, when they found hat they
might have to imbrue their hands with
the blood of an innocent foreigner,
whose only fault, in their sight, was
standing Loyalty by their sovereign or
royal host. These efforts to separate
him from the royal family did not end,
but continued for months, during
which time he was practically a pris-
oner with the king and crown prince.
The mex efforts were in the form Of
bribery, repeated attempts being made
at it by the de facto minister of war.
The palace Enclosure contains many
acres and a town of palaces and ap-
purtenant buildings. The palace as
signed for the residence of his majesty
and the prince royal was in each in
stance a half mile or more distant from
Gen Dyes quarters, with an intermina-
BILE number Of walls and vexatiously
la~byrinthine structures between, and