The Washington times., 1909-04-12
DR.. WI IS ANGERED
BYPITTSBURG STORY
Declares He Is Being Ma
ligned For Something
He Never Did.

at is all an absolute fabrication a
gross fabrication" said Minister Wu
this afternoon when told hat dis
patches from Pittsburg said he had
threatened the Chinese witnesses in
the case of the two Chinese dignata-
RIGS, recently arrested in tnat city.
The men came to the United States en-
list American interests in certain min
ing industries of their own country
They were arrested il Pittsburg on the
charge of being suspicious charecters.
and later the charge was chang ed to
that OF selling bonds without a state
license.
why am dragged into this thing
so persistently2" Mr.. WI asked this
morning. II did not know these gen
several months ago. PreVi )uSly / had
received dispa tches from the governor
OF the province from which they came,
asking me TO afford them all the cOur-
tesies and protection / could. They are
highly respected gentlemen and the
whole affair is most unfortunate"
Is Told of Dispatches.
When told that the dispatches stated
that important papers dealing with the
rumOr that he had threatened witness
es in the case had been forwarded 10
Secretary of State Knox. Mr.. WI de-
! clared emphatically:
NO papers have been forwarded to
| the state Department because / should
have been notified Immediately. When
| the gentlemen were arrested and finally
| released, L appealed to the State Depart-
ment for such redress as could be made.
! The Secretary Of State wrote me and
1 expressed his regret that the incident
I should nave occurred / requested an
apology from the authorities who had
! been responsible for the arrest and Sec
rotary Knox said he would write 70 the
Governor of the State and request that
such an apology shold be made
I nave heard nothing further from the
ahair and am astonished that I should
! be accused OF threatening ANYBODY.
4 That is absurd
/ Why should I be maligned2 Why
should I be accused Of something which
/ 1 never didZ
Engaged Lawyers.
! These gentlemen engaged two law
yers and 1 sent my second secretary 10
Pittsburg with them to aid in seeing
I that justice was done them That has
I been my whole connection with the af-
/ fair / was appealed to by my country
/ men to get them out of a difficulty
/ DR.. WI said that, according to the
/ statements made to him by the two Off
I Gals, they were arrested almost as soon
/ as they arrived in Pittsburg
They were not selling bonds" DR..
I WI said emphaticaIly: they had no
/ bonds TO sell. They were merely here
/ 10 buy machinery and TO solicit the IN
] terest OF Americans IN the mines in
I China. They already had engag ed a
mining eNpert-an American-at a
! salary Of Sl,OO month, and he will
go 10 China in the near future They
I have purchased machinery and other
/ equipment in this country, and that
| certainly does not appear ton be the
method OF frauds. From all ! am able
/ 10 understand about the case they
were met in Pittsburg by some OF their
/ Chinese friends
| The idea for anybody to suggest
/ that ! would threaten anyone. The
newspapers are so ready 10 print any,
thing that looks like a hit and thew
! 20 ahead without waiting to find out
whether it is true OF not. / am
] through with the whole thing. and tic
gentlemen, + believe, have left Pitts
I burg now and gone elsewhere"