Omaha daily bee., 1888-11-18

and was very sauguine as to the future Of his
country. Leaving him we visited
THE VARIOUS COURTS.
In each case the experimenting Judge was
our guide, and he led us from one room to
another explaining the whole mode of jap
anese justice. The Japanese judges are re-
quired to dress in Prince Albert coats when
on the bench. They do not look half as Dig
nified as their CLERKS, who sometimes wear
Japanese gowns, but the judges con-
tided to me that they were thinking of
adopting robes like those Of the judges of
England, and the supreme court laughed
immoderately when | told them that our SUI
preme judges at Washington were as careful
of the cut of their gowns as a lady is of her
dresses, and their eyes opened when | told
them that the gowns cost SIS a piece.
A APANEsE COURT Jon
even now, is far different from an American
one. Imagine a room, half of which Is made
up of n wooden rostrum about three feet
high, and the other half tloored with stone.
Upon this rostrum the judges sit behind
little tables, which are covered with green
cloth. In the common pleas and the prelim-
mary courts there are three of these tables.
The judge sits at the center one. At
his right is the prosecutor or prose-
cutting attorney, and at his left is
the clerk. All three have little
paint boxes before them with brushes
for writing in black the Japanese characters,
and no stenograpners are used. Close up to
this rostrom, in the pit below, there is a low
railing upon which the prisoner places his
hands and looks up at the Judge as he is
tried. There are no seats for the lawyers,
and lawyers are not allowed inside The bar.
At the extreme back of the room one or two
benches stand for the accommodation of
visitors, and upon these sometimes sit pris-
oners waiting To be tried.
THERE is No JURY,
and the Judge examines the prisoner himself.
The prosecutor states the case first, how.
ever, and the prisoner can employ counsel.
| watched one or two criminal trials. A
half-dozen offenders with handouts on their
hands and with their arms tied together with
ropes, which were also bound around their
waists, were led by these ropes into the
courts. The handouts were then tafTen off
and laid with the ropes on the seats while the
trial went on. AS far as / could see, the
judge tried to get at the truth, and the trial
seemed to be fair.
then visited II court which we do not
have III America. When Il man is arrested
by a policeman, he is brought to this court
and the ijudgc looks into the evidence for
himself.
NO LAWYERS
are emplOycu, ana IL - Just u preliminary ek-
animation. There are a number OF such
courts, and they might rather ba described
as offices, for they consist of little cubby
holes made up of a rostrum and pit. saw "a
boy of twelve examined, who had been
charged with arson. The judge put all kinds
of searching questions TO him, and compared
his answers with those he had given to the
policeman. Among the evidences against
the boy were a pair of sandals and a pair of
japanese stockings, which the boy SAID did
not belong to him. The Judge unrolled
them, and taking them into his hands jumped
down into the pit beside tho boy and buck
eled them on the boys feet with his own
hands. He then further examined the boy
and evidently thought him guilty. If he de-
clded so the boy would have TO be tried in
open cc:....t. II not he would be freed.
THE DIFFE.sSr CQVRTs.
The Japanese courts consists OF thG poiice
court, OF this preliminary examination, OF the
common pleas court, of courts of appeal, and
OF "a supreme court. The court rooms of
these various courts are all about the same,
and the trials seem to be- more by cross ex,
animation by judges than by lawyers. There
are seven appeal courts in Japan, and each
o. those has from seven TO eighteen Judges.
Each of the courts has its president, and ali
judges are appointed by the Mikado, and for
life. Judges Of the police court get from
$500 70 $500 u year, aud there is q branch
OF this court that deals with the IN