Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-10-29
ITO, JAP
STATESMAN, IS
SHOT BY KOREAN.
MTKADO'S FOREMOST DIPLOMAT
ASSASSINATED AND COMPAN-
IONS WOUNDED.
ASSASSIN'S MOTIVE REVENGE.
Killing at Hardin Is Believed to Have
Been Outcome of an Organized
Plot There.
WASHINGTON SHOCKED BY NEWS.

HARDIN, Oct 26.-Prince Hirobumi
Ito was assassinated at the Tsaitsagan
railway station here today.
At the moment the japanese diplomat
was acknowledging the noisy welcome
that had greeted him as he stepped down
| from the coach he had occupied in the
railroad train. Smiling and bowling, he
turned to make his way toward the Rus
sian finance minister, Kokovsoff, who
was awaiting him OH the station plat
form a few PAGES distant. Suddenly
half dozen revolver shots fired in quick
succession were heard, followed by the
cries of those standing near the prince,
who had either been wounded or lmag-
med themselves to be.
At the second report, Prince Ito stag
geSed and fell fainting. 1t was suisse
| ouently found that he had received three
! bullets, two of which entered the alb
domen. Prince Ito did not recover con-
| seriousness, and died twenty minutes
| later.
Crowd in a Panic.
| The fusillade of shots threw the crowd
into a panic, and it was some time be
| fore it could be determined who, beside
the prince had suffered. When the ex-
element had somewhat subsidized, 1t was
! found that three otheA members of the
| party on the platform had been injured.
Prince 1to's private secretary received
bullet, as did Japanese Consul General
! Hawaiian and General Manager Tanaka
of the South Manchurian railway, who
| had moved closer to the prince as the
| firing began. 1t is thought that those
three are not mortally wounded.
The perpetrator of the outrage was
not hard to discover, as he stood defiant
| l. Al n1Tynp in han a
proved to be a Korean, and with two
companions of the same nationality,
| boasted of a conspiracy to take the life
of the former resident general of Korea
in satisfaction for the alleged tyranny OF
| the prince over Koreans.
| AS the police bounced upon the three
Koreans, the one who did the shooting
exclaimed dramatically:
Il came to Hardin for the sole pur
pose of assassinating Prince Ito, to
avenge my country.
Three Are Arrested.
| None of the three Koreans attempted
to escape The assassin, while declar
| ing himself to have been inspired by a
patriotic motive and to believe that Jap
anese wrongs to Koreans Justlhed ms
! act, admitted under examination that
he had personal grudge against the Japa-
nese statesman, who, while resident gen
| eral in Korea, had caused the execution
of several of the murderer's friends.
1t had been supposed that the police
| protection for the prince was adequate,
| but the police stated later that they
we're unable to distinguish the Korean
among the many japanese who had
been admitted to the railway station to
| welcome the prince. The Russian police
stated that japanese Consul General
Hawaiian had requested them to permit
entrance to the station OF all japanese
who sought admission. A great crowd
| gathered, among them being the three
| Koreans whose nationality passed unde-
| tected.
Very soon after death the body of
| Prince Ito was made ready for removal
home and placed upon railroad tram;
| The casket was covered with flowers and
| in other ways the sorrow of the officials
| and public life was manifested.
Prince Ito had come to Hardin to meet
| the Russian minister of finance for what
was believed to be an important confer
ence. The conference was suggested by
| Prince Ito III his capacity ~ president
| of the priyy council of Japan. The sub
iects to be discussed were not definitely
known to the public, but they We're sup
| posed to concern affairs of administra-
| ton in Manchuria.
Conference Widely Announced.
| Kokovsoff had before declined an in
vitatiOn to visit Japan for such con-
| ference. and Hardin was agreed upon as
| a meeting place In accepting the lnvl-
i tation, the Russian minister said that
| political questions must be barred, as
| he was competent only to discuss imam
cial and technical subjects, these con-
! corning the status of the Manchurlan
railway. The conference had been an
| nounced widely in advance and 1t was
generally known when the diplomats
would reach Hardin.
The assassination of Prince Ito APP
pears to have been the outcome OF an
organized plot. The local authorities
who, anticipating the arrival OF Prince
Ito were on the lookout for suspicious
characters. arrested three Koreans who
were at the station and were found to
be armed with revolyers. However, the
task of guarding the prince was rendered
difficult by reason of japanese Consul
General Kawakar's request that the
railway officials permit all japanese to
enter the railroad station to greet the
prince. The police point out that 1t was
nuite impossible to distinguish Koreans
from japanese by their appearance.
Other Officials Lucky.
The Russian minister of finance, NJ.
Kokovsoff, and the Russian military au-
ihorities accompanying Prince Ito, were
exposed to the same danger from flying
bullets as was the prince. Indeed,
Kokovsoff was nearer the Japanese en-
Eoy at the time of the shooting than
we're those who were wounded. Had the
assassin DELAYED for a moment the shoot
Ing. the foreign consuls would have been
In much danger as Ito was approaching
Them. and they would have been direct
b in the line of fire.