The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-07-19
MISSIONARIES ARE
ACCUSED IN COREA
Twenty Americans Indirectly
Charged with a Political
Conspiracy.
tNatioral News Association

tNatioral News Association)
SEOUL, July 19.-Twenty American
missionaries stand accused in re-
markable conspiracy trial now pending
in Seous with completely in plot to
commit murder.
These men have not been indicted
of any crime and are not defendants
In this trial, but their names have
been introduced into it by the pointed
questions put to the Corean prisoners
by the presiding Judge, who bases his
questioning upon alleged confessions
made by the prisoners to the Japanese
police examiners.
The Americans thus accused are
Bishop M. c. Harris, head of the
Northern Methodist Missions in Japan
and Corea; Rev. Fl. G. Underwood, of
the Northern Presbyterian Mission,
whose 27 years of service makes him
the senior missionary in Corea; Rev.
w. A. Noble, head of the Northern
Methodist Mission; Rev. w. M. Baird,
president of the Pingyang Christian
College and a leading educator of Co
rea; Rev. S. A. Moffett, of Pingyang,
a recognized leader in the great Chris
tian work in Northern Corea; Rev.
Graham Lee, DR.. J. H. Wells, Rev. w.
l.. Swallen, Rev. w. N. Blair, Rev. C.
r. Bernheisel, Rev. J. G. Holdcroft,
Rev. e. M. Mowry, of the Northern
Presbyterian Mission at Pingyang;
Rev. N. C. Whittemore, Rev. Cyril
Ross, Dr. A. M. Sharrocks. Rev. 8. l..
Roberts, Rev. H. w. Lampe, Rev. G. s.
Mission at Syon Chung; Rev. G. G..
Morris and Rev. A. l.. Becker, of the
Northern Methodist Mission at Ping
yang.
The list reads like a roll of honor
of the Americans who are giving their
lives to the service of the Prince of
Peace In Corea. And yet these men
find themselves pilloried before the
world as accessories with 125 Coreans,
conspiracy to assassinate the Cover
nor General, Count Terauchi.
Bishop Harris is reported to have
told the conspirators:
Help will be given to you by the
missionaries and the nations-not out
wardly, but in secret. You will have
our moral support in all your plans"
Mr.. Underwood is charged with
keeping the conspirators at the North
ments and as we'll is alleged to have
urged the assassination of Count Ter
auchi.
Mr.. Moffett is alleged to have re-
buked the accused men for failing to
execute the plot, reviling them for
their -cowardice, -. -. ..a
Messrs. Moffett, Wells, Baird, Lee.
Ross, McCune and others figure as
custodians of the pistols for the con-
spirators.
In varying degrees each man in this
long list is similarly implicated in the
questions of the Judge reading from
the dossier containing the alleged con-
fessions. g.
Every Corean defendant has repudi-
ated in open court his confession, and
every defendant save one has testified
that the alleged confession was wrung
from him by physical torture, under
the stress of which he simply assent
ed to the questions propounded by the
police examiners, and that when sub
sequently arraigned before the Pro-
curator he did not deny the confess
sions through fear lest the denial
would involve return to the police in
quisitors for further torture.
A single defendant who did not suf-
fer torture repudiated on the stand all
his allegations made previously against
the Americans.
There is no present prospect that
these Americans are going to be Civ
en- the opportunity to vindicate them
selves, as the Judge has refused the
application of the defense that the mis-
eionaries be summoned as witnesses.