Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-21

!
/ IlTNNI OF Prince Ito as resident
Ia S general of Korea recalls the
lkM MI dramatic chapter of Korean
] lH> %[dl history which followed the
lkssezaA coming of Viscount Miura to
Seoul as successor to Count
Inouye, who, like Ito, was a pacifcator.
/ The result of the Chino-Japanese war
had given Japan her long-desired foot
hold in the Hermit kingdom. Follow
/ ing the conclusion of peace between
| China and Japan, the influx of jap
anese into Korea, which had begun
during the conflict, showed a substan-
tial increase. The Japanese minister,
/ Count 1nouye, took up with TOXIC the
matter of the conduct of his nationals
in the country. He declared that
while Japan was hotly urging upon
Korea the necessity of reforms, the
japanese in Korea stood greatly In
need of reformation. They were, he
asserted, guilty of the grossast bru-
tality and injustice to Koreans in
insufferably arrogant and too much in
clined to violence to gain dishonest
objects. He believed that unless
something should be done to correct
abuses Japan would not only he justly
hated by Korea, but would also suffer
in the estimation Of the civilized
world.
The advent of Viscount Miura was
hailed with delight by the Japanese
to mean that in their policy of club
bing the natives they would now have
aid instead of opposition. The Tai
wonl1un had returned sometime before
from exile and imprisonment in China.
He was without official position, but
anxious to play role in politics. He
had been for some time at outs with
I, YoortipIIln TlW hated
the queen, who dominated the king
and directed affairs. He seized upon
an opportunity to make an alliance
with Viscount Miura, not because he
liked the Japanese more than he had
in former years, but because he saw
an opportunity to even scores with
his enemy in the palace.
While the japanese had reathrmed
the independence of Korea in a treaty
entered into at the beginning of the
war with China, they were pursuing
policy SO aggressive that the king and
queen were greatly alarmed. Count
Inouye had repeatedly told the queen,
presumably in good faith, that his
government had no designs upon the
integrity of the country or the repose
of the royal family. The queen was
nevertheless fighting the Japanese ef-
forts at reform" When Viscount
Miura came to Seoul the question of
how to eliminate the queen as a dis
turbing factor in the Korean equation
was unanswered.
The Taiwonkun and Viscount Miura
now had a common cause. The former
regent embittered by his experience
as a prisoner and enraged because the
queen had outpointed him In the
game of politics since his return, was
without scruples. Viscount Miura was
an old soldier whose idea OF accom-
plishing an end was to employ force.
The two formed a plot Whether the
Taiwonkun or the Japanese minister
was the first to make the suggestion
is not known, although a court in
Japan subsequently accorded that
honor to the Korean. At any rate, the
proponent found q ready response to
the proposal. Viscount Miura and
the Taiwonlxun were soon working out
the details of their plot In brotherly
fashion. The Taiwonkun desired to
taste again the pleasures of power and
the Japanese soldier-minister desired
to rid his government of perpleXlng
problem.
The businesslike manner in which
these two worthless entered into con-
tract to murder the queen has no
parallel in the annals of international
politics in modern times. The Japanese
minister was afraid that the Taiwon-
KUN WOulO u6ludHu lOO mum ~ -
way of reward for his part in the bust
ness in hand, so he demanded and
received a written pledge from him to
the effect that he would not interfere
with the commercial and political prof.
ects of the Japanese. Colonel Kuneu-
nose, commandant OF the Japanese
troops at Seoul, was on his way home
on leave OF absence, when II was
decided that the murder should take
place that night. telegram to him
at Chemulpo brought him back to the
capital.
Viscount Miura summoned number
Of japanese bullies, known as "soshi,
and revealed his purpose to them, or
derlng them to get together their
friends and join in the expedition to
the palace. The Japanese police were
ordered to assist, the Taiwonkun and
his followers were advised to be on
hand, and about daybreak on October
s Japanese officers in charge of few
disgruntled Korean soldiers, Japanese
"soshi," police and others collected by
the plotters, moved upon the palace,
protected by the regular Japapese
troops. and effected an entrance by
making a breach in the wall. The
"soshi' discovered the queen in her
sleeping apartments, murdered her as
per contract, saturated her garments
with kerosene brought to the palace for
that purpose and dragged the body
into the palace park, where they set
fire to it and burned 1t.
Not the least amazing feature of the