Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-04-09
KOREANS ! '!99E:CT !!
WILSON 10TS<:SSN'g: II.
To THEIR A|b>IS>
GREAT AEROPLANE
Independence Movement Be-
Iieved to Be Deep Seated
and Extended to All Glasses
of the Population,
CHIEF OF POLICE
DENIES CRUELTIES|
Admits Stern Measures Were
Used but Declares Were
Necessary to Put Down
Dangerous Demonstrations,

Seoul, April s CTuesday, by the As
sociated Press Japan is experience
ing in Korea, as other countries have
before, difficulties in assimilaung an
alien people. The general impression
in Seoul is tnat the independence
movement among the Koreans is
deep-rootei and determined and has
extended TO all classes of the people.
SumEering for years, the insurrec-
lion has come to a head in the period
of the peace conference at Paris, from
which apparently the Koreans expect
much. Faith permeates the Koreans
that the world sympathiZes with them
and will help them finally to acquire
the right OF eIt-determination.
Independence news is being secretly
printed and distributed almost daily,
despite repeated seizures of printing
presses, and it is declared that the
Koreans are confident President Will
son will come to Korea in an airplane
and listen TO their views
A white flag set up on Seoul hill is
supposed to Indicate the landing
place.
Nj Shops Closed.
The Associated Press correspond
ent touring the city found every Ko-
rean shop and place of business closed
and shuttered. Occasionally white
gowned Koreans stood on the side
walks smoking long bamboo pipes and
staring stolidly AT the passershy.
Foreigners, as well as Koreans. al
iege serious maltreatment of those
who have taken part in the demon
strations. The Union Severance hos
pital, founded by l.. II. Severance of
Cleveland, has at patients from this
cause twenty -four Koreans, including
a boy of / 5.
General koima, director Of gem
darmes, in a statement to the Associ-
ated Press, places the casualties to the
police, Gondarmes, soldiers and Jap
anese at fifty-siN, Of whom seven We're
killed, aud To Koreans at 453, of
whom l54 were killed, The early mild
treatment by the authorities, accord
ing TO General kojima, was inter-
preted by the Koreans as evidence of
weakness and they began to resort to
violence. He estimated that 20,000l
took part in the demonstrations
armed with axes, knives and clubs,
and the gendarmes were forced tol
employ severe measures He regretted
the boodshed.
The general appeared to be more
concerned about the allegations of
Japanese cruelties than the insurrec-
ton, which he believed was being
mastered He denied the accusationsl
that prisoners were tortured. Tor
lures were so frequent IN Korean his
tory, he explained, the Koreans,
seemed to believe that they were be.
ing continued under japanese rule.
tlogGing Not Denied.
He questioned the allegations thatI
Koreans had been tied to wooden
crosses and floSSed, but admitted thati
the old Korean system of floggngt
prisoners was kept up by the Jap.
anese, the Koreans themselves often |
preteiling this mode of punishment !
10 paying a fine. Moreover, the jaiIs
were insufficient to hold all the of. |
tenders. nuring the uprising at Ping
Yang tllO miles northwest of SeouD |
tlogsing was carried out effectively
ana reduced the number of rioters |
Those punished were Immediately
treated by physicians in order to pre- !
vent gangrene and other dangerous
effects, No women were flogged
General koiima denied that the DO
lice made insulting illusions to the
Christian cross.
The mobs, according to the genera.
had destroyed thirty eight public Of
fices in Korea and fifty tramways.
Eight hundred arrests had been made
In Seoul, 269 persons being held for
trial In the provinces 4,l53 arrests
had been made up to March Is. There
was no evidence that American mis-
sionaries were involved.