The Washington herald., 1907-03-03


entation OF certain number of tails
of rats. This news, printed on Sunday
last, was followed by the publica-
ton on Monday OF a cable message
from Tokyo to the effect that twenty-one
Korean students, finding themselves COM
pletely destitute in the japanese capital,
owing 10 the cessation OF the allowance
which they had been receiving from their
government. had addressed q petition to
their emperor at Seoul. fnclosing a finger
cut from the hand OF each student by
way of a guarantee Of the truth of their
statements as 70 their desperate plight.
These two dispatches, especially the one
with regard 10 the ampuJated Korean
dlgits. suggest certain reflections not all
or them Of grcwsome character, and
one Of which at any rate goes 10 show
that samples of this kind cannot be abso-
lutely depended upon as evidence Of good.
faith
Thus I recall in this connection a story
Of which Lord Granville Gordon, younger
brother and heir TO Lord Huntley, pre-
mier marquis Of Scotland. was the hero
He had gene into the wiIds of Albania on
was most Hospitality entertained for sew
eral weeks by an old chief. who put him
in the way Of splendid sport. 1t was only
on his return to civilization, after a pro-
longed stay ia the mountains, that the
English consular officials and subsequent
IS his relatives and friends. were amazed
70 find that his ears were still in their
usual place and that he possessed the
normal number Of fngers-for during his
absence messages had been received
from the chief in question saying that
Lord Granville was being held for ran
som, and that unless S20.0c0 was paid for
his ransom he would be put To death
The old chieftain had accompanied his
second demand for money by an ear.
which he declared had been cut off the
head OF Lord Granville. subsequent de-
mands for money being accompanied by
another ear and by several fingers, said
TO have been those of the hope Of the
historic house of Gordon. Now although
Ceramic" Gordon IS not particularly
popular among the members Of his fam /
ily who. like many of his acquaintance. (
are OF the opinion that his death would +
not be an overwhelming loss. stiu the I
idea of lis thus being slowly sliced to
pieces seemed 50 particularly horrible 4
that an effort was made and the money 4
raised and dispatched. Those who con /
tri5uted thereto have always been trou-
hled since then By doubts as TO whether /
Lord Granville himself was not the in 4
stigator OF the scheme and party there I
to. their suspicious being strengthened by /
The fact that on his emerging from the /
Wilds of Albania without any trace of 4
mutilation he was exceptionally flush Of /
money, ii somewhat unusual condition OF +
affairs.
About a year OF so ago a young Eng /
Lshman Of the name of Wills. employed (
by the Turkish tobacco reggie at SaIoaiId.
was captured by bandits, and carried off ]
into the mountains. whence an ear. al
legged 10 have been cut from his head.
was sent down to the British consulate.
with an iutimatioH that unless his ran
som was forthcoming ut once, further
mutiiauoHs would eusue and that if. in
spite thereof the money was not paid ign
course of time. he would be pat to I
death Subsequently, the funds were
raised and turned over TO the briggnds,
whereupOn they released their prisoner.
who turned out 10 be in fun possession
Of both of his ears. and had not under
gone any muyilati0n whatsoever. In this
instance no one dreamed Of imputing 10
the young fellow any attempt to hoax
his employers his relatives and his
friends. and he was until he reached Sa-
lOniki after recovering his liberty i'm the
most complete ignorance of the fact that
his alleged ear had been sent to the Brit
ish consul general
There was however. no hoaxing, moth
ing but cruel earnest. in the case of the
Greek brigands who seized in April. 1870,
d party of tourists and foreign diplomats
while picnicking at Marathon The ladies
and children, after brief detention,
were released. and two days later Lord
Muucaster, q frequent visitor TO Amer
lea, was permitted TO proceed to Athens
for the purpose Of raising the ransom,
amounting to over $4,000 The bandits,
moreover, demanded q free pardon.
threatening TO murder their cIptives If
any attempt were made 10 dispatch troops
against them while the negotiations were /
in progress. The English and Austrian
ENJOYS at Athens took immediate steps
for the payment OF the ransom by di-
rection OF their home governments, and
secured the most solemn assurance from
the Greek government that nothing
would be done To- sndanger the lives Of
the prisoners by dispatching armed forces
against their cCptOrs. In spite of this
pledge the Greek authorities, anxious TO
avoid being subsequently compelled to
refund the amount of the ransom TO the
British and Austrian legations, sent
troops after the brigands, endeavoring to
surround and 20 either kill or capture
fhcm ON becomiug aware cf fHig fhn
bandits. believing that the English and
Austrian ENJOYS were breaking faith with
them. first of all attempted to arrest the
advance OF the soldiers by sending them
either a couple Of fingers. or toes. I for
set which. cut from their prisoners, and
on this failing to have the desired effect,
proceeded to murder their captives I'm cold
blood the victims of the massacre in
Guiding Edward Herbert. secretary of
the British legation, and grandson of the
second Earl OF Carnarvon. Frederick w
ner, brother of the present Marchioness of
RipOn, Edward Lloyd q member OF the !
English bar. and Count Albert de BoyI,
secretary Of the Austrian legation 1T
Athens besides q couple of English SER
wants and an Interpreter
Throughout the Orient the heads of de-
feated rebels are always preserved by
the victorious commanders for presenta- /
ton to their sovereign as an indication
that the work has been well done and at
the close of the great Satsuma insurrec-
ton in Japan, in 1871. the head of Saigo. J
its leader. who had been killed in the bat i
tie of Kagoshima. was brought north 10 7
the capital at Tokyo where il fell 70 the &
lot of his own brother then minister OF G
war fknoWn in America as president of j