Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-04-10
JAPANESE REGRET
MERE BAGATELLE'
CONSUL GENERAL INSOLVENT,
SAYS AUTHORITY
OFFERED NO APOLOGY FOR ACT
OF ARMED THUGS
Actual Facts in Mukden Invasion as
Now Given Out Throw New
Light on international
Trouble

BY Associated Press.
PEKIN, April 9-The American le-
gs ton here has received no information
regarding the invasion of the American
consulate at Mukden by Japanese and
the resultant encounter between the
Japanese and the native staff of the
consulate.
The Japanese legation also was
questioned and a partial verification
was obtained together with expressions
OF regret that such small matter
should have been cabled to the United
States.
An official of the Japanese legation
quoted Japanese newspaper published
in Mukden as saying that Willard ID.
Straight, the American consul general
there, was an excitable man given TO
exaggerating trifles and difficult to deal
with. Otherwise the legation mini
mixed the occurrence and deplored 1t.
A court of inquiry has been ordered
by, M. Kato, the Japanese consul gen.
eral at Mukden, and full report will
not be submitted either to Washington
or Pekin pending the report Of this
court.
1t is hoped that this investigation
will lead to an acceptable explanation
end proper reparation.
kato Was lnsolent
A detailed account of the incident
has been obtained from an authorita-
tive sources This shows that the con-
duct of M Kato in the beginning might
be described as extraordinary--it Is
even said he was insolent.
When the matter was brought to his
attention he offered no apology nor did
he express regret and he asked Mr..
Straight to prove his own statements
as against the verbal declarations of
the Japanese thugs involved. This Mr..
Straight declined to do, but he per-
mitted Japanese official to examine
the scene of the onslaught and to con-
duct an investigation.
The allegation that M. Kato showed
lack of consideration in his relations
with the American consul general has
created bad impression here. Mr..
Straight twice made formal represen-
tation of the seriousness of Invading a
consulate protected by the flag and
dragging the servants of the consulate
out into the highway.
Gets Some Nicer
At the second presentation M. Kato's
response was more cordial, but he
sought to discredit Mr.. Straight's pro-
test by the declaration of a postman
that the staff of the consulate had at
tackled him.
The postman was bringing letter to
the consulate. Unfortunately he sought
to enter the building by a private door
which was barred and encountered the
opposition of the Chinese servants of
the consulate.
At this point Mr.. Straight interviewed
and conducted the postman to the main
entrance The postman went away to
return in a short time with the Jap
anese who made the attack.
The consulate servants, armed with
sticks, offered resistance. The post
man in the course of the scuffle en-
teled Mr.. Straight's bedroom and hit
one of his personal servants in the
face. While this was going on the
rostman's accomplices had been cap
tured by three other servants.
The postman made an attempt to
cali in reinforcements, but in this he
was not successful.
In the meantime the Chinese police
had arrived on the scene and the in
yading Japanese were arrested. The
police were not OF much use, for Mr..
Straight found 1t necessary personally
to guard the prisoners with a firearm
In his hand and thus to convey them
before M. Kato.
Postman Led Mob
Persons who witnessed the encounter
say the postman was at the head of
his four or five countrymen who Gre
ated the disturbance and that during
the row a number of disreputable Jap
anese gathered In the street and men,
aced the consulate.
NJ. Kato was in bed when Mr..
Straight and his prisoners arrived at
the consulate and this fact may pos
sihly explain his apathy in the matter.
The Japanese police. made no response
to Mr.. Straight's appeals for aid.
The consulate at Mukden, unlike the
others in China, was not provided in
1900 with a stand of rifles and revolv-
ers. Consequently its only only re-
course for protection lies in an appeal
to the Japanese.
The Chinese authorities at Mukden
are thoroughly intimidated by the jap
anese and Chinese invariably flee from
any difficulty that promises trouble
with foreigner. Satisfaction is ex-
pressed in Pekin that the outrage was
not actually committed on the person
of the American consul general.
This incident has brought out the
reference to the fact that last January
the German consulate at Mukden was
subjected to trespass and outrage at
the hands of Japanese and that Japan
showed reluctance to mete out pun
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