Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-11-22
JAPANESE PRISONS.
An Interesting Visit to One Of the
Mikado's Jails.

MikadO's Jails.
Mode Of Conducting the Bureau of News
paper nsOrship-Detectivesa and Their
Work-The Daily Lives Of the Con-
victs-A Weil-Managed Prison.
The Japanese policeman carries a
roll of string cord, and when he makes
an arrest he winds the cord several
times around the prisoners waist at
taches his hands at the small of his
back and then takes hold of six feet
of cord that remains and politely
draws his man to the lookup. The
calaboose is composed of wooden cells
like elephant houses. The prisoners
first trial is secret inquiry before the
Judge and clerk, and after the trial the
man is led away in cords. Japan's po-
lice system is modelled on the French
method, and French is the language OF
the department
My guides took me over every hole
and corner of the Department of Po-
lice. a huge green and white wooden
building surrounding fountain and
pleasant garden court. There was
the bureau of the detective force: the
bureau of the political force. who look
after possible political intrigues, ques-
tiOnable lectures, public meetings. and
so forth; the bureau of prostitution
the translators' bureau; the library
the financial auditors Office; the pri-
vate bank of the department, the
temple-like place of detention for po-
litical prisoners. the police barracks
and fencing room. and a score more.
After awhile we reached a room where
twenty particularly intelligent-looking
officials sat at both sides of a long
table piled up with newspapers. scis-
sors, blue and red pencils, paste-pots
and all the familiar equipment of the
exchange editor sanctum. 1t was the
bureau of newspaper censorship. and
these gentlemen with the spectacles
and scissors and paste were examining
all the newspapers of Japan for
reasonable or seditious sentiments or
improper criticism of ministerial or
imperial affairs.
This" said my guide, waving his
hand proudly over the piles of news
papers and the teapots of the censors,
lis an institution you have not yet
reached in England"
The procedure of this branch of the
Japanese police is simple in the
extreme. A lynx-eyed censor discov-
ers an article which seems to his con-
sentative notions to threaten the
stability of the Government, to bring a
Minister into contempt, or to foster
improper agitation among the people.
He extracts it and submits it to the
director of the bureau, who probably
takes counsel with the higher authori-
ties If the censor's view is confirmed
the editor of the paper is peremptorlly
but politely summoned--every thing is
done politely in Japan. and have no
doubt that the school-hoy is politely
birched and the criminal politely exc
cuted-to appear at the Department of
Police at a certain hour on a certain
day. When that summons comes to
join the innumera5le caravans Of mar
tyrs to a sense of journalistic duty. he
knows that-in the expressive Ian
guage of the Bowery-he is a ''goner."
Sir" he is told, '.your estimable
journal is suspended for so many days.
Good morning"
VOLTA tout The Bureau of Newspa-
per Censorship has plagiarized the
methods of fate. 1t neither warns nor
explains nor justifies-it simply
strikes. But the japanese editor is not
the least willy of his tribe. and he. too,
has taken leaf from the same book.
Noticing how often fate strikes the
wrong person, he has concluded to
make the imitation complete in this re-
spect also. and be therefore provides a
dummy editor. in the sorm Of some
worthy individual who tor small
weekly consideration ami the attrac-
ton of long periods of inactivity. con-
sents to take upon himself the editorial
punishment when it comes, for not in
frequently Imprisonment accompanies
suspension.
MY friend" says the real editor to
the dummy editor some fine morning.
81 am about to go before the Minister
OF Communications. Pray make your
arrangements accordingly"
So justice is satisfied and Japan is
guarded and providence is inflated.
Tie whole system of secret police is
highly developed in Japan. There Is
. regular staff Of detectives who dis