New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-10-27
THE MURDER OF ITO
CORE4N PLOT TO KILL
THE PRINCE.
Three Others WouHded =
4SSaSSSinS admit
Conspiracy.

Harbin. Oct 26-Prince Hirobumi Ito
was shot and killed by a Corean at the
Tsaitsagan Railway station here to-day.
The Japanese diplomat, acknowledging
the noisy greeting which he received as
he stepped from his car, smiled, bowed
and turned to make his way toward NJ.
Kakovsoff, the Russian Minister of
Finance. who was awaiting him on the
station platform a few PAGES distant
Suddenly a half dozen revolver shots
fired in quick succession, were heard,
followed by the cries of those standing
near the prince, VINO had either been
wounded or frightened. Prince Ito stag
gered and fell unconscious. He bod been
struck by three bullets. two of which en-
tered the abdomen. Prince Ito did not
recover consciousness, and died twenty
minutes later.
The fusillade threw the crowd into
panic, and it was some time before it
could be learned who had been wounded
in addition to the prince. Prince ltos
private secretary, the japanese Consul
General M Hawaiian. and NJ Tanaka,
general manager of the South Manchu-
the prince as the firing began, were
struck by bullets. 1t is thought that
these three men are not mortally
wounded.
The assassin was not hard to find He
stood dehantly in the crowd, revolver in
hand. He is a Corean, and, with two
companions of the same nationality
boasted of a conspiracy, the object OF
which was to take the life of the former
resident general of Corea in satisfaction
for his alleged tyranny over that nation.
AS the police pounced on the three
Coreans. the one who did the shooting
exclaimed dramatically
Il came to Harbin for the sole purpose
of assassinating Prince Ito, to avenge
my country
None of the three men attempted to
escape. and calmly confessed that they
had conspired against the life of Prince
Ito The assassin, while saying that ne
lad been inspired by a patriotic motive
and believed that Japanese wrongs to
Coreans justified his act, admitted under
examination that he had a personal
grudge against the Japanese statesman
who. while Resident General, had caused
the execution of several of the murder
er's friends
1t had been supposed that police pro-
lection for the prince was adequate, but
the police said later that they were un-
able TO distinguish the Coreans among
the many Japanese who had been ad-
mitted to the railway station to welcome
the prince The Russian police added
that Consul General HAWAIIAN had re-
quested them TO permit entrance to the
station of all japanese who sought ad-
mission. A great crowd gathered, among
them being the three Coreans, whose
nationality passed undetected.
Soon after death the body of Prince
Ito was made ready for removal home
and placed on a railroad train. The
coffin was covered with flowers, and in
other ways the sorrow of the official and
public life was shown. The Russian
Ambassador to Pelking is accompanying
the body to Kvlnchingtsu. All along
the railroad line honOrs are being shown
to the dead statesman. KokOvsoff has
telegra phed his condolences to the Jap
anese government.
The assassination appears to have been
the outcome of a carefully organized
plot The local authorities were watch
ing for suspicious characters, and ar
rested three Coreans who were at the
station and found to be armed with re-
volvers. NJ. Kokovsoff and the Russian
military authorities accompanying
Prince Ito were exposed to the same
danger from flying bullets as was the
prince Indeed, NJ. Kokovsoff was near
er the japanese envoy at the time cf
the shooting than were those who were
wounded Had the assassin delayed
shooting for a moment the foreign con
suls would have been in much danger,
as Ito was approaching them and they
would have been directly in the line Of
the fire.
Prince Ito had come to Harbin to meet
NJ. Kokovsoff for what was believed to
be an important conference, suggested by
Prince Ito in his capacity as president
OF the Privy Council of Japan. The sub
iects to be discussed were not definitely
known to the public. but they were sup
posed to concern affairs of administra-
ton in Manchuria. NJ. Kokovsoff had be-
fore declined an invitation to visit Japan
for such a conference. and Harbin was
fixed as a meeting place. In accepting
the invitation the Russian Minister said
that political questions must be barred
as he was competent only to discuss
financial and technical subjects, these
concerning the status of the Manchurian
Railroad.