Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1903-05-15
HAD NARROW ESCAPE
Unwelcome Honor Thrust Upon an
American Diplomat.
Savage King Wanted Him to Marry
His Daughter because He Had
Cured His Majcsty's Ach-
Ing Foot.
Especial Washington Letter.l


ID LIND men see with the eyes of
ID others. In matters of history
and travel the majority of us see
with the eyes of others.
Listening to the living voice of one
whom we know and believing his words
to be the words of truth and sober
ness, we can take trip to far distant
Formosa, receive little instruction
and considerable entertainment.
DIR. Edward Bedloe, of Philadelphia,
consul to Annoy during the Harrison
administration, and consul to Canton,
China, during the Mckinley admins
tration, carries with him a very re-
markable coin which is the subject of
peculiar story, as narrated by this
schoiar, traveller, diplomat and states
man.
Il became the possessor of this piece
OF pagan money in Formosa," he says.
at was a talisman having history
OF some sort before it came into my
possession. l received it as fee for
remarkable surgical operation, per-
formed by myself without the aid of
trained nurse, without any of the
adjuncts of modern traumatic treat
ments.
'Formosa, as your geography will
tell you if you don't already know it,
is large island lying off the coast of
China. 1t is now the property of
Japan, having been acquired by that
wonderful nation when China was de-
feated in the brief but decisive war
of the last decade. At the time of my
visit Formosa was nominally Chinese
possession, but the unconquered saw
age natives have an unbroken custom
of killing and cutting the head off of
anyone wearing a queue, which is
known as an evidence of Chinese cit
izenship. The savages of Formosa
have no mania which equals that of
their queue collectors. On account of
this popularity the Chinese never
the people.
"a tribe or nation called Hakkas live
on the western side of the island, and
| the Formosans live on the Pacific side !;
mountain range dividing their terri
tories. They live in harmony and the
Hakkas act as go-betweens in all af-
| fairs of trade or treaty between the
! Formosans and their queue-wearing Q
enemies. Understanding these condi.
tions, and in order to avoid all inter.
national complications, when L visited
Formosa I left my Chinese retinue far
behind and employed Hakka guides
and chair bearers.
''We went to the Formosan towr
nearest the coast and the king did mt
the honor to advance some distance
from his throne to meet me. Amer
lean representatives are in excellent
repute all over the east because oul
nation has never exhibited any desire
to acquire territory, such as has char
acterized all European nations. II
Formosa l was the Hi Quong Foy
Kee,' or the Commissioner of TIL,
Starry Flag and so the big ruler lef
his tiger upholstered camphor
log throne to meet me. 1t is because
the Hi Quong Foy Kee is person tc
be honored by potentates that my emf
nent host came part of the way tc
meet me. 1t was hard trip for him
too; for he was lame and supported or
either side by great big, square jawed
evil-eyed husky Chinamen-klling war
riors.
Il had been obliged to do consider
able walking over some rough roads
and his highness noticed that 1 wa'
limping a bit myself, and asked
through the interpreter what causec