Fifteen Years Among the Top-Knots; Or, Life in Korea

by Lillias H. Underwood

Missionaries returning from the interior reported that they had heard lamentable tales on all hands, of farmers strung up by the thumbs, for the extortion of money or deeds of lands and of women dealt with brutally. The poor country people were like sheep in the midst of wolves, their shepherd gone, their fold broken down.

One of the measures taken by the pro-Japanese government, which excited great feeling and probably did more than anything else to arouse protest, because so cruelly calculated to wound the desolate and stricken king, was a decree sent through the whole land in the king’s name declaring the queen a wicked woman and degrading her to the lowest rank. This they asked the king to sign and seal, but shaken as he was, he absolutely refused so to insult his dead consort, and the cabinet were obliged to forge his signature, and seal the paper themselves. This act bore the stamp of the Tai Won Kun, whose insatiable hate was not satisfied with the murder of the queen, but followed her with insults to the grave.

In the midst of these days of confusion and excitement, the loyalist party, or at least some of them, made an attempt to rescue the king. This all his friends ardently desired, but it was very difficult to accomplish, as his majesty was surrounded constantly by spies and guards, whose interest as well as whose business it was to keep him under the strictest surveillance.

Numbers of Koreans came to my husband with various schemes for the accomplishment of the king’s release, seeking his advice and aid, but while he was very willing to express his sympathy with their object and his disapproval of the rebel government, he did not consent to any part in any of their projects, partly because he did not know whom to trust, and partly because none were such as he, a missionary, could take part in or support. I do not doubt, however, that if he could have seen a way to do so, he would gladly have sacrificed much to have assisted the king to escape to a place of safety, where he could establish his own government without fear of the combinations formed against him.

The plans of the rescue party were made very secretly, so that none of the missionaries at least knew anything of them, though two of the leaders, General Yun and another, were in our house till a late hour the previous night, and perhaps to this fact was due the conviction which a number of people entertained that my husband was concerned in the loyal but unfortunate plot. The enemies of the king, however, got wind of the plans of his friends, and through spies and treachery ferreted it all out, and prepared themselves fully. One of the traitors, an army officer, who pretended to be ready to open the gates and assist the rescue party from within, really disclosed everything to the false cabinet, and was prepared with troops to receive and repel the loyalists. On the evening set for the rescue of the king, just before my husband’s return from the palace, where he had been all the afternoon, he found Dr. Avison, of our mission, here at his home, with news that the Koreans were preparing to attack the palace that very night, as he had just learned from one of the party. Mr. Underwood was hardly willing to credit the idea, sure that all his feelings and sympathies were so well understood, he would have been informed had this been the case; but while Dr. Avison was still in the house, the secretary of the American legation called, at the request of the American minister, to say that they had authoritative information of the same thing, and as the king would no doubt be much alarmed, and would be in great danger from the traitors, should the attack succeed, the American minister asked that Mr. Underwood would spend the night near the king’s person.

As the gate would probably be closed and admittance refused to every one, the minister had sent his card for Mr. Underwood to present in order to gain admission. It was of course understood that this was only a suggestion, and that Mr. Underwood was perfectly at liberty to refuse, but he was really glad to go, and felt honored in being selected for this service, so he at once consented, and asked Mr. Hulbert, now of the government school, to accompany him. Dr. Avison having been called for professionally, also joined them, and the three men met at the palace gates, where the guard at once refused to admit them, positive orders having been sent forbidding the entrance of any one. Our minister’s card was shown to no apparent effect, except that the officer on guard offered to go up to the palace with it and obtain permission. This Mr. Underwood knew would be futile, for the cabinet would almost certainly refuse, so he replied, “No, I must be admitted at once and without delay, I came at the request of the United States minister, and if you choose to refuse his card, and his messenger, you must take the responsibility; I shall return at once and give him your reply.” As an officer had been severely punished only a few days before for refusing entrance to a foreign diplomat, who had left the palace gates in awful wrath, the men now on guard hesitated. “Decide, and at once,” said Mr. Underwood sternly. This conquered, and the Americans hurried in. They went directly to the king, and making known that they had come for the night, asked his wishes, and were requested to wait in General Dye’s rooms, close at hand, to be ready on the first alarm to take their places near his person.

The three guardsmen then repaired to the general’s room to await developments, where Mr. Underwood had some conversation with General Dye, and the traitorous Korean officer, who even then suspecting that Mr. Underwood had some part in the friendly plot, tried to entrap him and to induce him to betray himself and the others. But as my husband knew nothing of the persons engaged, or any of their plans, and was himself quite innocent of any complicity in their scheme, it was impossible for any information to be elicited from him. Suddenly at twelve o’clock the report of a gun was heard, springing up, he ran to the king’s apartments, followed closely by the other two. A line of soldiers was drawn up, standing shoulder to shoulder along the path, who called “Halt,” sharply, as he approached; paying no attention he ran swiftly past them, and before they had time to realize, or to decide what to do, Dr. Avison and Mr. Hulbert had followed. At the door just beyond stood a couple of officers with drawn swords crossed. Mr. Underwood struck the swords up with his revolver and rushed through, the other two men entering immediately behind him, just as they heard the king calling, “Where are the foreigners, call the foreigners.” “Here, your majesty. Here we are,” replied the three men, entering the room, where the king grasped them by the hand, and kept them on either side of him the whole night.

As for the poor half-armed party of the king’s friends, they were allowed to proceed until well within the prepared ambush, and when they discovered the trap, it was almost impossible to escape. Many were captured, some killed, the rest fled in all directions. This of course seated more firmly in power the rebels whose position had till now been more than questionable. Many arrests were made, and executions and the severest punishments meted out to those who were convicted of having dared to attempt the restoration of the king.

While Mr. Underwood was at the palace we were having our own little drama at home. A new missionary, a tall Westerner, had undertaken the protection of the household, and armed with a big six-shooter, we doubted not, he was more than equal to any ordinary emergency. Our chief source of anxiety (as far as our home was concerned) was the safety of the prince, who with one attendant only, occupied a room in an ell at the further end of the house, distant from our apartments. What if when all attention was concentrated upon the palace, he should be carried away or murdered in our home, by the enemies of the country! We felt we were a lamentably small party of defense, still we hoped our nervous fears were groundless.

Just as we were about to retire, however, at about ten thirty, a sharp rap came at the door of our missionary guest’s room, which opened to the garden. This was evidently some stranger, as any of our acquaintances would have come to the main entrance. I was called at once, with the added information that a Japanese officer was waiting to see me!