Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-06-13
JAPS DISMISS
TWO AMERICAN
MISSIONARIES
Claim They Failed to Prevent
PrO-KOrean Demonstrations
During Celebration.
Counter Claim Made That Jap
anese Officials Used Brutal
Methods in School Houses.

Seoul, Korea, June 12.-The two
American Methodist missionaries, Henry
Appenzeller and Miss b. A. Smith. who
were dismissed by japanese officials in
Korea from their positions of principals
of private schools, were accused of fail
ing to comply with the requirements of
the japanese to prevent pro-korean
demonstrations by students or refusal to
punish students alleged to have disobeyed
the government order.
Statements issued by representatives
of the japanese government and by Alr.
Appenzeller indicate that both mission
aries refused to investigate demonstra-
tions of some Of the students in their
schools on the anniversary of the Korean
independence movement or to punish
students who participated in them The
position taken by both missionaries was
that such action by them would involve
political element and that they had been
warned from the American consul gen
eral not to interfere in political matters
IN Korea. Mr.. Appenzeller declares
that he obeyed the government order to
the extent Of warning his students
against demonstrations and had told
them they would be punished if they dis
obeyed.
Miss Smith, principal Of the Paiwha
girls school The government agents
assert that she did not warn her stu
dents against demonstrations as directed
by the government "under the plea that
the problem was political in nature and
an educationalist ought not to interfere
with it." The authorities admit that
Mr.. Appenzeller. principal of the Taichi
school, warned the students against dem
onstrations but state that when they
had shouted long live Korea" and the
police had placed Gordon around the
Y IL IN fha af-
fair or punish the students.
Mr.. Appenzeller declares in a state
ment that he told the government Off
cials that he was ready to deal with any
offense against school discipline but that
it seemed to him that political element
was involved which transferred the. re-
sponsibiity for the investigation from
the principal (himself) to the police.
Having done all in my power to pre-
vent any such occurrence, / ought not to
be called upon to search out offenders
of that sort" says Mr.. Appenzeller.
He explained that if he had searched
for the offenders as government agent
demanded he would have been regarded
by his students as tool Of the police"
Quoted their own investigation, excluded
him from the inquiry room and took from
the school one teacher and Ii students.
He continues:
Claims Jap Brutality.
"As I had heard that the inquiry had
been carried on in a brutal fashion, L
commissioned the teachers to gather
facts concerning the police inquiry. L
have detailed statements in my posses
sion and they show a total Of Al stu
dents who were maltreated in one or
more of the following -slapping,
punching, kicking, wrists twisted, an OBJ
1ect inserted between the fingers and
these pressed until the blood started.
One student is said to have had finger
broken. This had been done in the
school,"
It is alleged by some foreigners that
the Japanese officials in Korea tend to
interpret the school regulations in such
a manner as to make educationalists CO.
ndiutors of the police to an unwarranted
degree. 1t is q matter of regard that
Americans engaged in teaching IN ko-
rea are specifically enjoined by American
government regulations from taking any
part whatsoever in political matters in
Korea. This was brought out at the
time Of the independence demonstrations
last year when the American consulate
general mailed copies of instructions in
tended to guide Americans in Korea.
These instructions had come years be-
fore from the state department in Wash
ington..
At the time of the independence re-
volts Japanese officials sought to induce
the missionaries RE to ;thi1. Their influence hq 16e
missionaries declined to take any action
on the ground that the matter was po-
litical. In the present cases the Japa-
nese authorities contend that the matter
was one vitally touching school disci-
pline and that the missionaries should
have acted.