Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-08
Japanese Clearly in Fault in Slaugh-
tering the. Seals.
AFFAIR IS VERY REGRETTABLE
Acting Secretary Bacon Transmits te
Toxic Solicitor Sims Account
of the Encounter.

secretary states that it is forwarded for
the purpose Of giving information such as
this government has Of regrettable Incl
dent. news of which may reach Japan In
distorted form. There Is no intention of
Offering an apology or any further regret
than is contained in this dispatch as the
State Department regards the Japanese
fishermen as poachers If they were within
the three-mile limit, and the dispatch from
Mr.. Sims emphasizes this fact. 1t is stated
that American fishermen in Newfoundland
waters IL within the three-mile limit would
be subject to arrest by British authorities
and would have no redress. as they would
be poachers the same as the japanese who
were killed on st. Paul Island.
Solicitor Sims Dispatch.
The following contains the main features
of the dispatch of Solicitor Sims at Sitka,
Alaska, sent to the Department of Com
merce and Labor and which was cabled by
Acting Secretary Bacon to Ambassador
Wright at Toxic.
Fur seal rookeries of st. Paul Island
were raided by crews of Japanese schooners
July 10 and IT. About 200. seals were
killed. but raiders were eventually repulsed
as a result of courageous action of Chief
Agent Lembkey and Assistant Agent Judge
at head of native guard Five raiders were
killed and twelve captured. two OF latter
being badly wounded. Three boats and
some small arms also captured; force pro-
tecting rookeries suffered no casualties. The
schooners were first observed on July 10
and were close to shore, easily within the
three-mile limit. On this day boats crew of
six men which had landed at Northeast
Point were surprised and captured by
Agent Lembkey and native guards without
casualty on either side. On the morning of
July II two native watchmen shot and
killed two and wounded one Of an armed
landing party. Crews of schooner, under
protection of dense fog, shot seals in water
close to shore most of the day. During this
time shotgun firing, which could be easily
heard from shore, was frequent. Unknown
how many seals were killed in this manner,
but number must have been considerable.
'.On the evening of the same day the crews
of at least three schooners made concerted
raids widely separated rookeries. The
raid on the Seapandi roOkeries was repulsed
The raid on Northeast Point was partially
successful Owing-to the dense fog the
raiders there were not discovered until
nearly two hundred seals had been killed.
pated in by an entire ships crew in five
boats. was repulsed by Agent Lembkey,
Judge and native force only, and three of
the raiders were killed and five captured.
Most of the seals killed shore by the
raiders were pregnant females. with nursing
young. few days old. which died of starva-
ton. A large proportion of those kiifed-in
the water were also females, in search Of
food for their young. Some of the raiders
taken state they are from the schooner
Toyai Maru No 2. and one of the captured
boats bore that name. Another prisoner
states he Is from the schooner Mel 5Maru.
During the time was on the island schoon-
ers were frequently sighted less than three
miles from shore. 1t is evident that at least
eight or ten schooners. believed to be jap
aneSe are sailing in close proximity to the
islands. The twelve prisoners were taken
on the cutter McCullOch to Kodiak, and
after hearing before the commander were
held for Jury and taken in charge by the
marshal.
Tho Jananese charge Mr. Miyanka called
at the State Department this morning for
information about the killing Of Japanese.
He had received no dispatches from his gov
eminent concerning the affair. and Acting
Secretary Bacon gave Mr.. Miyaoka the
same information which was sent to Am
bassador Wright.
Poachers Ranked as Burglars.
Seals are recognized as property by in
ternational law. and the Japanese killed by
American officials on St. Paul's Island
stand In the same position as burglars
killed while In the act of stealing. accord
Ing to prominent authorities on interna-
tional law. No International incident can
result from the shooting of the Japanese
poachers. it is said at the State Depart
ment. This government has no amends to
make to Japan, other than those that cour-
tesy may prompt. and mere expression Of
regret that such an incident should take
place is all that Is looked for.
Japan has no treaty obligations which In
any way require her to protect seals in the
Boring sea. The United States, Great
Britain and Russia are the only nations
bound by treaty to offer protection to seal
ing In Boring waters. and these three coun-
tries must, according to the terms of the
convention to which they have subscribed,
patrol the waters in that part of the world
and exercise every possible precaution to
prevent their subjects from poaching.
The United States has a perfect right to
protect the Alaskan fisheries from foreign
poachers, and although there have been no
former incidents In those waters which af-
ford definite precedent for the killing of
the Japanese. authorities on international
law are united in their belief that this coun-
try acted wholly within it's rights Two
years ago Swedish ship carrying a num-
Der of adventures started for Alaskan
waters. and 1t was presumed that her mis-
sion was to take seals. Immediate steps
were taken by the United States to punish
the crew in case they carried out this mis-
sion. but the vessel met with an accident
and did not reach Boring waters. Had 1t
attempted to poach it's crew would doubt
less have met the fate Of the Japanese. as
this government was prepared to defend its
property at any cost.
No Report From the McCulloch.
Revenue cutter officials today said that
they had not received any reports direct
from the revenue cutter McCulloch, which
naS driNeu at Oitkd WIN q NUMBER or jap
anese prisoners captured in the act of
slaughtering seals in the Pribilof Islands.
They have had a report from the Depart
ment OF Commerce and Labor, which first
was notified Of the capture and killing of
Japanese.
The officials OF the cutter service said
today that they had not given any further
orders and would not do so for the present.
The McCulloch will remain at Sitka await
ing orders. If the State Department should
ask for another cutter to patrol the seal
islands this will be granted. The entire
matter is In the hands of the State Depart
ment and Department of Commerce and
Labor.
The revenue cutter McCulloch is the most
noted vessel in the revenue service. It was
that vessel. now commanded by Capt. ]. c.
Cantwell. that went to Manila bay with
Admiral Dewey and participated in the
fight there. The McCulloch was in the
fighting from the first.
The vessel has mot been engaged up to
this time In patrolling the seal islands. She
went to the islands with Solicitor Sims OF
the Department Of Commerce and Labor.
who was sent there to make a report as
to conditions.