[Footnote 4:  Ibid.]

The Japanese Court of Preliminary Enquiries, which had Viscount Miura and his assistants before it after the murder, reported all the facts up to this point with great frankness.  I have used its account solely in the above description.  The Court having gone so far, then added a final finding which probably ranks as the most extraordinary statement ever presented by a responsible Court of law.  “Notwithstanding these facts, there is no sufficient evidence to prove that any of the accused actually committed the crime originally meditated by them....  For these reasons the accused, each and all, are hereby discharged.”

What happened after the Regent and the Japanese reached the palace?  The party advanced, with the Kunrentai troops to the front.  Behind them were the police, the officers in charge, and twenty-six Japanese.  An inner group of these, about half of them, had special orders to find the Queen and kill her.  The gates of the palace were in the hands of Japanese soldiers, so the conspirators had free admission.  Most of the regular troops paraded outside, according to orders.  Some went inside the grounds, accompanied by the rabble, and others moved to the sides of the palace, surrounding it to prevent any from escaping.  A body of men attacked and broke down the wall near to the royal apartments.

Rumours had reached the palace that some plot was in progress, but no one seems to have taken much trouble to maintain special watch.  At the first sign of the troops breaking down the walls and entering through the gates, there was general confusion.  Some of the Korean body-guard tried to resist, but after a few of them were shot the others retired.  The royal apartment was of the usual one-storied type, led to by a few stone steps, and with carved wooden doors and oiled-paper windows.  The Japanese made straight for it, and, when they reached the small courtyard in front, their troops paraded up before the entrance, while the soshi broke down the doors and entered the rooms.  Some caught hold of the King and presented him with a document by which he was to divorce and repudiate the Queen.  Despite every threat, he refused to sign this.  Others were pressing into the Queen’s apartments.  The Minister of the Household tried to stop them, but was killed on the spot.  The soshi seized the terrified palace ladies, who were running away, dragged them round and round by their hair, and beat them, demanding that they should tell where the Queen was.  They moaned and cried and declared that they did not know.  Now the men were pressing into the side-rooms, some of them hauling-the palace ladies by their hair.  Okamoto, who led the way, found a little woman hiding in a corner, grabbed her head, and asked her if she were the Queen.  She denied it, freed herself, with a sudden jerk, and ran into the corridor, shouting as she ran.  Her son, who was present, heard her call his name three times, but, before she could utter more, the Japanese were on her and had cut her down.  Some of the female attendants were dragged up, shown the dying body, and made to recognize it, and then three of them were put to the sword.