The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-06-09
IN A CE!EmULP0 Hotel
Experiences Of an American
Correspondent In Korea.
ORAMPED QUARTERS FOR A GIANT

Small Room-DicIzering With Sam
pan Men-Woes of "a Yankee Drum
mer Who Hoped to Sell Some Toilet
Soap.
Before our ship dropped anchor off
robed Koreans clambered over the side
and wildly fought for passengers for
their sampans Ga Korean boat. got
placed to leeward of three Of them in
a body, and l remembered something
had read somewhere about an English
man who said the dirtiest man he ever
met was a clean Korean. l do not in
dorse his remark or even encourage
anybody to smile at it. Still l found
that Koreans, sampan men at least,
were pleasantest to study when one
stood we'll to windward of them, says
Richard n. Little, the special CORE
spondent of the Chicago News.
The little Japanese custom and police
officers who had come aboard had a
remarkably free and easy way of dis
posing Of all the Koreans who got in
their path. They smOte them quite
earnestly over the head and implanted
lusty kicks with right good will. Even
the Japanese coolies who had come
aboard soliciting business for the Che
mulpO hotels scorned the unhappy Ko-
reans and played football with them
around the deck.
One Korean attached himself to me
and followed me about, imploring that
I should go ashore in his sampan.
did not like to have him follow me
about, although he almost made me
homesick, he was so suggestive of the
stockyards. So finally 1 told him that
would go ashore in his sampan and
appointed him guardian angel Of my
baggage and left him sitting serenely
happy on top Of 1t.
When l returned a few minutes later
found the Japanese runners Of some
hotel had freed my Korean up in the
crosstrees Of the foremost and had
taken my baggage away from him.
The Norwegian captain of the ship was
telling the Korean that If he didn't
come down from the crosstrees he
would pitch him overheard, and the
Japanese coolies were relating to him
at the same moment that if he did
come down they would break his neck
In three places at once The Korean
seemed in doubt as to just what to do.
Still he seemed to have more fear Of
the Japs in his heart than he did Of the
Norwegian captain, and he stayed.
appealed to the japanese policeman,
and he ordered the Korean to come
down and get into his boat So the
trembling wretch descended and as
he struck the deck scampered madly
for his sampan. The policeman kicked
him; the Norwegian captain threw a
Delaying pin at him; two Japanese
coolies slapped him as he went by, and
the custom officer stopped his official
duties long enough to bang him over
the head with ledger. 1 expected to
ind him gasping out his death agony
In the beat, or at least overcome with
confusion. He was neither. He charg-
ed me three times the usual price when
we got to the landing, with as much
cheerfulness as though he had never
seen a Japanese in his life
l refused to pay, and he charged four
times. I tried to argue, but he calmly
laid hands on my baggage 1 appealed
to a Japanese standing on the wharf.
In my most fluent Japanese explained
the case. / held up a twenty sen piece
and, holding it in my hand, extended it
to the Korean. Then took three twenty
sen pieces and by some more eloquent
gestures explained that was the price
the Korean wanted. The Japanese ad-
justed the difficulty Immediately. He
caught up the twenty sen piece out Of
my hand and hurled it in the Koreans
face. Then, with a fierce yell, he
picked up a boat hook and jumped at
the Korean. The boatman Immediate
~ bowed obsequiously and admitted
at once that the argument advanced
by my japanese friend was conclusive
and satisfactory and that 20 sen was
most generous reward for his services.
Ihy OdSSdSC was plShCu ny w IhACC
or four Koreans, who proceeded to put
the various pieces on the pack frames
they carried on their backs. 1 saw q
Korean trudging along the road car
rying four immense boxes Of canned
fruit, according to the marking. Ac-
cordingly l did not doubt but that
three or four men could carry all the
baggage I had without fainting from
exhaustion. l started away and heard
the carriers following me. Then /
looked around. l was delighted to
find that / was heading a most inn
posing parade composed Of some two
dozen Korean coolies. They had di-
vided my luggage among them. One
unfortunate man stumbled along under
the weight of a dress suit case. An
other bent double under the burden Of
two steamer rugs and a waterproof
coat, while the man at the rear Of the
procession crawled along with pocket
folding camera and a pair Of field
glasses. / halted the caravan and
took nm a collection and succeeded in