The Washington herald., 1907-12-09
American in China Alleges
He Is Prosecuted.
KILLED A NATIVE SOLDIER
II. Dement,. After Being Acquitted
by Chinese Court, Is Arrested and
Tried I'm United States Court mt
Shanghai-Gives Interview Descrih-
ing His Strange Adventure.

charged with the manslaughter of a ma
tive soldier, in an interview given at
Shanghai, makes an attack on the Ameri-
can consul at ChMgking. NJ Mitchell.
whom he accuses of incivility and perseJ
cution.
Describing the shooting incident for
which he was arrested. Dement, said:
Il Travelled on horseback at the rate of
twenty-five miles day and everything
went smoothly until was five days jour
ney from Chengtu, when / received note
from an American missionary at Yojo
stating that the consul was in Chengtu,
and he sent me an invitation to know if
/ could wait five days in order TO accom-
pany him. rs he was intending TO go to
Tajinlu-the same direction as myself.
AS did not see my way clear to stay
in dirty Chinese hotel. wrote back
that the consul mad given me no reason
why ! should delay. and 1 would remain
for some days in Tajinlu. where 1 re-
manned five or six days. but as no mail
came for me. and as l was anxious To
travel as quickly as possible. and as I
considered my time to be very valuable
10 me / left
Pays No Attention to Telegram.
AT Bathang received notice from a
Chinaman that DR.. Shelton had sent
telegram asking me TO come back to
Tajinlu. Thinking this was sentimental
because Of what the doctor had said of
the savageness of people and dangers
beyond Bathang. I paid no attention 10 it.
allow me or any other foreigner TO enter
Tibet. so l compromised with him and
easily gave 20 any idea 1 had of going
west TO Lhasa and started south toward
Aunnan | entered a small Tibetan VII
lage Of five or six stone huts, situated
in small valley in the mountains about
16,oO0 feet above sea level. l arrived just
after darkness had set in and slept there
that night
In the morning before I started
thought l would try the gun belonging
TO one OF my two soldiers, and I fired TO
the right of me a shot and TO the left Of
me shot into the air On my right the
ground WAS level, but on my left there
was gradual rising OF the mountain
side. which l did not know at the time
as the place was strange to me.
! saw two horses. a stone wall about
five feet high. and some trees, over which
/ fired 10 my left. AT the time of shoot
ing ] was laughing and looking az the
soldier IN front OF me. and. unfortunately
a Tibetan man was struck on the head
by my bullet and killed. / don't know
what .be was. / never spoke 10 him or
even saw him. and didn't quarrel with
him. I can't speak Tibetan. and it was
purely and simply an accident, and the
same thing may happen to any one else
at any time
Is Made Prisoner
There was only one witness Of the
shooting. viz: a Chinese soldier. and we
left the place Immediately. We proceeded
to Antenze. where l surrendered the
gun which Il was carrying. Here we were
kept for two days and examined. and 1
signed paper, written in Chinese, un-
der certain amount of compulsion. I
can neither read nor write Chinese. so
am not aware OF the contents of the
paper. l was asked where I wished to
go. and ! replied 10 Tali-fu, where I
would make my statement to a foreigner
as l could not understand Chinese. At
Likiang-fu / was stopped and made
prisoner.
AT Likiang-fu ! was arrested and
put on trial by Chinese government Off
cials. II was proved TO their satisfac-
ton that the whole affair was an acci-
dent. and I was acquitted after a four
weeks trial. In the meantime, however.
there came three teleerams from the con
sui ordering me to be arrested bound.
and taken rs q prisoner to Chungking by
soldiers. The savages interpreted this as
an order to kill me and send my head TO
Chungking.
In reply to the second telegram 1 sent
the following. addressed Consul Chung
king: 4 don't wish TO go to Chungking.
but / wish TO go to India. Tibetan I shot
has been proved accidental. If 1 must 90
10 Chungkng (under protest.. then send
me 900 taels for travelling expenses.
Dement, This telegram was unanswered.
Dragged i'm the Mud.
Il suffered every indignity now because
of the Chinese knowing 1 was in dis
favor with the official Of my country.
One day fifty Of these savages threw me
off my horse, got me down, dragged me
through water and dirt, tore my clothes
off me. wounded me, beat me, kicked me.
twS-ted my wrist behind my back until
suffered agony. sprained my ankle, and
broke my arm open at the elbow, and
carried me dirty. torn, and bleeding. and
threw me down in front Of the prefect.
'He insulted me and had irons put on
me while the soldiers threw me down in
a dirty room and We're rude to me. jeered
at me. and beat me again; finally half
a dozen of them getting on top of me
and holding me down with my face in
the dirt. | don't know how near 1 came
TO being beheaded If an official had not
interferred. for l was nearly strangled,
all the breath having been squeezed out
Of my chest by pressure on my back.
Arrived at Chungking. l was taken 10
dirty Chinese hotel, riding my own
horse from the wharf, and next day to
the American consulate and then 10
prison at the British consulate, where
everything was taken from me. and
was not allowed to speak a word. NV
consul. the first white man l had seen
for several months. treated me like a
dog. and forcibly took my personal. pri-
vate papers. diary. and money from me-
although l protested
Charges Unfair Treatment.
For two weeks I was left in prison
ignorant Of what l was charged with. and
then. through the British consul. I asked
the American consul If he would send the
following telegram TO the Ambassador for
me: wish 70 know why I am kept in