ers of the
Chinese troops on the 13th instant, a Chinese soldier stopped him,
and, with some remarks, which were unintelligible to the Japanese,
suddenly struck him on the head. Yoshimoto became enraged, but was
soon surrounded by a large number of Chinese soldiers and others,
who subjected him to all kind of humiliation. As a result of this
lawlessness on the part of the Chinese, the Japanese sustained
injuries in seven or eight places, but somehow he managed to break
away and reach a Japanese police box, where he applied for help. On
receipt of this news, a policeman, named Kowase, hastened to the
spot, but by the time he arrived there all the offenders had fled.
He therefore repaired to the headquarters of the Chinese to lay a
complaint, but the sentry stopped him, and presented a pistol at
him, and under these circumstances he was obliged to apply to the
Japanese Garrison headquarters, where Captain Inone instructed
Lieutenant Matsuo with twenty men to escort the policeman to the
Chinese headquarters. When the party approached the Chinese
headquarters, Chinese troops began to fire, and the policeman and
others were either killed or wounded. Despite the fact that the
Japanese troops retired, the Chinese troops did not give up firing,
but besieged the Japanese garrison, delivering several severe
attacks. Soon after the fighting ceased, the Chinese authorities
visited the Japanese barracks, and expressed the desire that the
affair be settled amicably. It was the original intention of the
Japanese troops to fight it out, but they were completely
outnumbered, and lest the safety of the Japanese residents be
endangered, they stopped fighting. On examination of the dead bodies
of seven Japanese soldiers, who were attacked outside the barracks,
it was discovered that they had been all slain by the Chinese
troops, the bodies bearing marks of violence."

Without entering again into the merits of the case, we would ask those
who are acquainted with recent history whether it is likely that Chinese
soldiers, knowing all the pains and penalties attaching to such action,
would deliberately attack a body of twenty armed Japanese under an
officer as the Japanese official account states? We believe that no
impartial tribunal, investigating the matter on the spot, could fail to
point out the real aggressors and withal la