Tokio, Nov. 15.
The "Yomiuri" publishes a report to the effect that the sergeant-major of the Garrison Hospital in Formosa stole a number of military documents, and arranged for their sale to Mr. H. B. Hitchcock, who until recently was the American Consul stationed at Taihoku, Formosa. According to the '"Yomiuri," he was caught by gendarmes when attempting to wake delivery of the documents to Mr. Hitchcock's successor. The price agreed upon was Y.100,000. The sergeant-major is reported to have confessed the above facts.
Mr. Bell, the Charge d'Affaires at the American Embassy, has furnished an explanation which sets an entirely different complexion on the case. He says that the sergeant visited Mr. Hitchcock and offered him some maps for sale, whereupon the Consul notified' the authorities, who established a watch. The sergeant kept away, suspecting trouble, but approached Mr. Hitchcock's successor, Mr. E, H. Dooman (who was for: merly at Kobe) and renewed his offer to sell. Mr. Dooman asked the man to wait at the consulate, and meanwhile notified the milit= ary authorities. The traitor was arrested at the gate of the American Consulate solely through the
sul. information supplied by the Con-
The Japanese press is continually hinting at American endeavours to bribe Japanese so as to secure military secrets and naval plans.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.