Mr. Allen to Mr.
Hay.
American Legation,
Seoul,
Korea, February 18,
1904.
No. 671.]
Sir: I have the honor to hand you confirmation
of my telegram of to-day regarding the attack of last evening upon an
electric car belonging to the (American) Seoul Electric Company.
The attack was made by soldiers without any real provocation. Some
allowance must be made, however, for the condition of affairs in this
city. * * * The damage, moreover, was slight in this case as compared
with previous ones. It would have been serious, however, had it not been
for the presence of the American guard.
I send you inclosed the report made to me by Messrs. Collbran and
Bostwick on the subject and a copy of my letter to the acting minister
for foreign affairs.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1.]
Telegram of February 18, 1904.
Last night a company of Korean soldiers attacked electric carriage,
property of American citizens, damaging it and injuring operator.
American seamen quieted the disturbances.
[Inclosure 2.]
Messrs. Collbran and
Bostwick to Mr. Alleny.
Seoul, Korea, February 18, 1904.
Dear Sir: Herewith we beg to hand you a
copy of our assistant manager’s report giving particulars of the
incident that occurred last night, and which but for the presence of
the American guard in Seoul might have had serious results, as the
Pyeng Yang soldiers, to say the least, are not well controlled by
their officers.
No provocation was given by the crew of the car and not the slightest
justification existed for the brutal assault made upon them.
The injured conductor is now in the American hospital, where his
wounds have been dressed; but we are in hopes he can resume duty in
a few days.
When the alarm reached the main building by means of one of our
Korean employees, who could not quite make himself understood, the
officer in charge turned out with a squad of men and hurried to the
scene of the trouble; but fortunately the trouble was all over and
their services were not needed.
Mr. Morris reports that the conductor was cut with an unattached
bayonet.
The damages to the car can be repaired for $25 or $30, and is too
trifling a sum to file a claim for. We beg, however, to call your
attention to the conduct of the Korean soldiers.
Yours, respectfuly,
[Page 452]
[Subinclosure.]
Mr. Morris to
Mr. Bostwick.
Seoul, February 18,
1904.
Dear Sir: The following is a report of the
trouble last night. Run No. 21, car No. 18, conductor Kim Yung Soon,
motorman Chun Chang Un, turning in from South Gate at 8 p.m.,
arriving at Chong Mu switch at 8.16 p.m., found a cart in charge of
soldiers loaded with bedding, guns, etc., stuck in the spring
switch. The motorman asked them to hurry and get it out. In their
hurry they broke the axle, which made them angry, and they took
their revenge by catching the conductor and motorman and beating
them. The motorman got away, but the conductor was cut badly in two
places on the head. I took him to Doctor Ernsburger at East Gate. In
one of the cuts the doctor put two stitches.
The car had three windows broken and the iron rod for hanging the
headlight on, also the beading around the bottom of the windows was
all torn off. The car would have been damaged much more if Hong Tuk
Sung, office boy, and ticket agent Kim In Sung hadn’t run it back to
Chong No when the soldiers ran after the motorman. After beating the
conductor they took him to their quarters at Pai O Gai, and the
officer in charge let him go, telling him he was not to blame in any
way. The weapon used in beating the conductor was a bayonet detached
from a gun.
Yours, very truly,
J. H. Morris,
Assistant Manager.
[Inclosure 3.]
Mr. Allen to
Mr. Ye Cho Yong.
American Legation,
Seoul,
Korea, February 18,
1904.
Your Excellency: I regret to have to inform
your excellency that at about 8.30 p.m. yesterday a car of the Seoul
Electric Company was attacked by Korean soldiers just west of the
electric office building, the cause being that the soldiers seemed
to be enraged because the motorman rang his bell for them to remove
a cart from the track. The conductor of the car was injured by the
soldiers and the car was damaged. Further injury was prevented by
the approach of American marines from the Electric Company’s office
building.
As it will be easy to ascertain the facts in this case, I trust to be
soon informed regarding the steps your excellency’s Government
proposes to take to punish these soldiers and prevent a recurrence
of these disagreeable incidents.
I take this, etc.,
