Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-24
Coreans at San Francisco
Make Savage Attack
On Corean Council Of States
Diplomatic Adviser.
After Being Handled Roughly D. W.
Stevens Is Shot.

San Francisco, March 23.-Following
an attack upon him by four Coreans
at the F'airmont hotel last night, ID. w.
Stevens, 4 member of the Japanese
Council at Seoul, was shot and perhaps
fatally wounded this morning at the
ferry depot as he was about to leave
for Washington. The shooting was
done by n. w. Chun, a Corean. Stew
ems was shot twice, one bullet pene-
trating his right lung and the second
the groin. A third bullet struck com
panion OF the shooter. l. w. Ching. a
mob of 500 men pursued the shooter
VINO ran from the scene. He was cap
tured by ii. Sexton. a deputy in the
assessors Office.
Mr. Stevens and the wounded CO.
rean were taken to the General Elmer
gency hospital. Mr.. Stevens, accompa-
MED by Japanese Consul Gen. Chezo
Koike, Rad just stepped out of the no.
tel omnibus when several Coreans APP
preached them. one of whom said n few
words to Stevens and then struck him
in the face. He then drew a revolver.
covered with a handkerchief. and be-
gan shooting at Stevens. At the hos
pital Dr. Hill extracted bullet from
the lungs. Stevens is man of strong
physique He is in splendid health
and may recover.
The attack on Mr. Stevens was the
result of mass meeting of Corean
societies of San Francisco, which APP
pointed four permanent members,
Earl Lee, c. NJ. Chung, y. NJ. Moon
and b. S. Choy, all young men, q COM
mittee to interview Stevens to ascc,-
tain his views as expressed in the
press after his arrival. The opinions
| expressed by him were decidedly ia
vorable to the Japanese in Corea The
four Coreans called on Mr.. Stevens
shortly after o'clock last night.
Lee who speaks English fluently, ask
ed Stevens if he had made the state
ment attributed to him in the press,
and the latter replied in the affirma-
| tive. The young men wanted to know
| if the japanese were not killing off
| the Coreans. Stevens said no. The
spokesman then wanted to know If
all the Corean officials had not been
eliminated and Stevens again respond
ed to the contrary, adding that the
young man probably had been too long
| away from his country to KNOW tne
exact condition of the government
Then the attack began. Stevens
was knocked down and beaten with
| chairs His head struck the marble
flooring, but he quickly rose and seiz-
/ ing a chair, placed his back against
| the wall and held his ASSISTANTS at bay
until help arrived. After the assault
Lee said Il called him liar when |
was held, but they would not let us
fight. So we left. We all are very
sorry that we did not do more to him.
Lee said that Stevens is paid by the
i Corean government but is doing what the
Corean people do not want him TO do.
THAT is said Lee, The Is TALKING
falsely about us and the Japanese. In
reality he is In the service of Japan.
Since the japanese began TO protect Co
rea thousands of my countrymcn have
been killed. The Japanese soldiers hold
up peasants for their property and Kill If
refused. About 500 villages in my coun-
try have been destroyed by the Japanese
troops in little more than year since
the trouble began. The Japanese want to
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