Department of State,
Washington, April 14,
1904.
No. 53.]
You will call the attention of the Japanese Government to the three
suggestions which Mr. Lambert makes.
[Inclosure.]
Mr. Lambert to
Mr. Loomis.
American Consulate,
Daitotei (Tamsui), Formosa, February 19, 1904.
No. 101.]
Sir: In reference to the wreck of the ship
Benjamin Sewall, I have the honor to
herewith inclose a detailed account of the attack by the Formosan
authorities upon the natives of the Botel Tobago Island.a I have sent similar
documents to the American minister at Tokyo.
In connection with the above matter, I have the honor to inform you
that on receipt of his communication I at once called upon Doctor
Goto, chief of the civil administration, Formosan government, to
thank him for undertaking these punitive measures. He assured me
that it is the Formosan government’s earnest desire that the actual
participators in the murders should be brought to justice, and that
it is the intention of the government to hang the ringleaders should
they be discovered. For the government to put hands upon the right
parties is, however, a task of great difficulty, as no person has as
yet been found who can speak the dialect of the Botel Tobagoans.
I understand that natives from the neighboring coast of Formosa were
taken to the island in the hope that they might perform the duty of
interpreters to the attacking force. These hopes were not realized,
as the Formosan natives could not understand the islander’s
dialect.
In the absence of distinct proof, the Formosan government is loath to
execute the death penalty on any of the natives at present
incarcerated in Taito-cho prison. Doctor Goto Informs me that such a
course would only lead to further retaliations in the future, should
innocent natives suffer the extreme penalty of the law. From what I
know of the Formosan aborigine, as seen in the person of the head
hunter, I feel certain that the fears of the chief civil
administrator would be justified did he pursue a course of
retaliation on general principles.
In the meantime I have his assurance that the captured natives will
be kept in prison pending the result of further measures on the part
of the government to discover the right culprits.
I fancy that the government is rather at a loss itself as how to deal
most satisfactorily with the case. I have therefore written to the
American minister at Tokyo the following suggestions, which, if he
considers suitable, might be suggested to the Japanese Government as
a means of preventing such lamentable occurrences in the future.
- First. That three or four of the principal chiefs of the
villages known to have been implicated in the outrage shall be
detained as hostages for the good behavior of their tribesmen
for a period of not less than three years, and that the place of
their detention be the jail at Taihoku, where an opportunity
would present itself for a mastering of their dialect by some
responsible officials.
- Secondly. That the police force on the island of Botel Tobago
be increased in numbers, particularly during the typhoon season
when wrecks are most likely to occur.
- Thirdly. That in the event of any further outrages occurring
the hostages be promptly made to pay the penalty.
These measures would have the additional advantage of bringing
natives and officials in closer touch to the furthering of law and
order.
I have, etc.,
