The times., 1899-08-26
THE CASE OF DIR. BEDLOE.
He Was Persona Non Grata 10 China
Mystery About the Matter.

He Was Persona Nom Grata TO China
Mystery About the Matter.
The suspension Of DR.. Edwin Bedlos. of
Philadelphia, United States Consul at Can
ton, China, from the exercise of his con-
suiar duties, was based on charges against
DR.. Bedloe made by the Chinese Govern
ment On account of these charges. and the
inference. if not the specific notification.
that the Consul was persona non grata TO
China, the State Department had no other
alternative than to relieve him from duty
at Canton. This could have been done with
out suspending him. but the charges were
of such character that the department
decided to place DR.. Bedlos under sus-
pension pending an investigation. It was
explained yesterday by official who de-
clined TO give any detailed account of the
case, that the action OF DIR. Bedloe in
granting an American register to the al
legged filibustering steamer Abby was not
the reason for his suspension, and did not
enter into the present aspect of the matter.
The little the officials will admit con-
| cerning DR.. Bedloes case may be summed
/ up as follows:
DR.. Bedloe has been suspended from the
| exercise of his consular duties and is now
F., on his way to Washington having de-
I -
| absence to return home to lay his case be-
/ fore the State Department. His suspen-
sion was not due to his action in the Abby
case, and the charges against him do not
affect his integrity. One official was EN-
phatic in making this last statement. He
4. said the charges concern DIR. Bedloe's con-
I suiar functions alone and that his honesty
! has not been questioned. IL Is admitted
also that RounseyilIe Wildman, United
| States ut
charges against Dr. Bedloe in connection
with the Abby incident.
From what was learned yesterday Il is
evident that Consul General Wiidman has
accused DR.. Bedloe of being concerned in
f, other Irregular proceedings than granting
/ the American register to the Abby. There
/ is no eoncealment of the official belief that
J DR.. Bedloe went beyond his authority in
granting the register. but that admission
/ is always coupled with the declaration
that the Abby case does not figure as a
cause OF the Consul's suspension. The mys-
! terry OF the matter is the tacit acknowl-
edgment by the State Department OF the
truth OF the allegations of the Chinese Gov
eTnment in suspending DR.. Bedloe- Just
! why Consul General Wiidman should be
so prominent in the case is not explained.
1 The Canton Consulate is not within the
! Jurisdiction OF Mr.. Wildnan, but comes
under John Geodnow, the Consul General
at Shanghai. Mr.. Wildman is apparently
anxious 10 secure the removal of DR.. Bedloe
| from his consular office, and it is said that
| other Consuls In China have also had some
| thing TO say to the State Department IN
regard to the case. That considerable Bit
| terness exists between several of the con-
| sular officers of the United States in China
i is not denied. and DR.. Bedloe appears to be
! in the centre of all OF 1t.
The statement was made yesterday by
! prominent official that the action OF DR..
| Bedloe in the Abby case had been prac
tically disposed of some time ago without
injury to his official status, despite the
charges of Mr.. Wildman. 1t was said fur
thermore that the presence Of DR.. Bedloe
in Washington was not necessary TO the
investigation and that he was coming here
by permission OF the department granted at
his own request When last heard from
he was in Paris. The Canton Consulate is
now in charge OF Hubbard Taylor Smith,
consular clerk, who was transferred from
Kobe, Japan, where he has been acting
consul.
Notification has been received at the
Navy Department from W. F. Sylvester,
Of London, England, one of the owners
| of the Abby, that he is coming 10 Wash
! ington TO contest the seizure Of the vessel.
In his letter he says that the ground of his
contest will be that the Abby was taken
| when the Filipinos were the allies OF the
United States. The seizure occurred in
September, several months before the out
| break of the rebellion against American
authority, but after the protocol OF peace
/ had been signed by the United States and
| Spain. Mr.. Sylvester claims that when
| the Abby was seized she was really a
British vessel. although she had cleared
! from Canton under an American register
| her sale TO British syndicate having been
made between the time of her departure
from Canton and the time OF her seizure.
| Edwin b. Hay, the representative CT the
| Abby's owners in Washington, laid several
| papers in regard TO the case before the
State Department yesterday, and these will
probably be reviewed in an extensive brief
which the State Department is now pre-
! pairing. 1t is apparently the view of the de-
| partment that the Abby case should be dis
posed OF in a prize court of the United
States, and should this prevail 1t will be
necessary to send the vessel to San Fran
cisco. An official said yesterday that while
! the case of the Abby and the present stat
US of Dr. Bedloe had no relation to each
other, the State Department would un-
questionably take cognizance OF any infor-
nation which might develop in a hearing
before a prize court showing that DR.. Bed
| loe was culpable in granting the vessel an
| American register.
| On the advice OF the Attorney General
of the United States. instructions were
sent at one time to Admiral Dewey TO re-
I lease the Abby, but on July 1 last these
were revoked. The revocation was said
! to have been due to information received
| by the Government that the Abby was en-
| gagged in Illicit trade at the time the
| seizure was made. 1t has not been denied
by those interested in procuring the re-
| lease of the vessel that she carried a cargo
of arms and ammunition on her voyage
to the Philippines This cargo had been
landed before she was seized by the
revenue cutter McCulloeh.
HAWAIIAN PROSPERITY.