Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-04-10
WARS OVER DEAD BRIToNS
Murders of British Subjects in Foreign
Lands Seldom Go Unpublished.

Lands Seldom Go Unpunished.
In more warlike times than our own,
unprovoked murders of British subjects
in foreign lands seldom went long un
punished.
When for instance, Chinese officials
boarded the British vessel Arrow, haul
ed down the national flag, and killed
her captain for daring to protest, Sir j.
Bowring, governor of Hongkong, de-
clared war there and then, practically
on his own initiative, and within few
weeks the Chinese fleet had been de-
stroyed and Canton bombarded and
burned. This happened in 1856.
In 1862 again, similar swift retribu-
ton overlook the murderer of MIR. Rich
ardson, an English merchant living in
Japan. Because he refused to pros
trate himself in a street in Yokohoma
when the Prince Of Satsuma happened
to be passing with his suite he was
brutally beaten to death by the princes
armed retainers. Whereupon our war
ships bombarded Satsuma's town OF
Kagosima, burned his palace, and
sunk his steamers.
1t is only fair to add that in after
years the Japanese voluntarily express
ed regret for Mr.. Richardson's murder
and in 1894 a japanese gentleman, Mr..
Kuookawa, erected a monument to his
memory on the site where he was kill
ed.
If we care to go back little further
many similar instances might be cited.
Britons were quick to draw the sword
when the British empire was a-build-
ing. In some cases, even, outrages fall
ing short of the actual taking Of hu-
man life, have been followed by hos
tilities.
There was, for instance the conflict
which was known in semiderision as
the War of Jenkins's Ear"
Jenkins was a merchant captain
whose vessel was boarded by a Span
ish guardship, and in the course Of
scrimmage that ensued Jenkins ear
was cut off, You'll hear more Of this"
yelled the angry master mariner, and
he caused the severed ear to be smoke
dried and cured, much as If it had been
kipper or a haddock.
In this state it was exhibited to the
members Of the house Of commons, who
passed it from hand to hand with a
great show of gravity, and many ex-
pressions of sympathy. Afterward an
apology and a money indemnity were
demanded, and neither being forthcom-
ing, war ensued.
Not infrequently however, money
talks" in these international disputes,
as in private ones. When, during one OF
Guatemala's periodical revolutions,
John Magee, our consul at San Jose,
was seized and brutally fiogged by or
der of the commandant, Colonel Con
zales, we sent a warship there and
threatened to lay the town in ashes un-
less, within "a hours, an indemnity OF
G $4,000 was paid, being at the rate OF
G 1000 for each lash inflicted.
The Guatemalan government was un-
able at such short notice to raise the
money, but offered, instead, to grant
Magee certain concessions, including
the right to establish bank and build
wharves at San Jose. This offer was
accepted, and Magee, by virtue of his
monopoly, became in time enormously
wealthy. He died in 1900, leaving be-
hind him a fortune Of s1O,000,000.
Then again, there was the case Of
n1 Mr Sfnlxao which
created such tremendous excitement in
the spring of 1895. Stokes was an Eng
lishman engaged in trading for ivory in
the Congo Free state. and he was ar
rested by Major Lothaire, Belgian
officer, on charge Of gun-running and
melting the natives to rebel, and, after
summary trial by drum-head court
martial, was hanged.
The British government insisted on
Lothaire being brought to trial, and
this was done. In fact, he was tried
twice, once at Bona, and again at
Brussels, and each time he was ac-
Quilted Whereat public indignation in
this country blazed up afresh, and with
tenfold force.
However, a war with Belgium being
unthinkable-it would have set all
Europe by the ears-we compromised
matters on the usual money indemnity
basis, the sum of $4,000 being handed
over by the Belgian government to the
next of kin of the dead man.-Pearson's
Weekly.