River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-04-19
story ofan Exile.

Yokohama letter in St. Louis Globe
Democrat: Lieut.. Foulke is soon to
marry in Japanese style. The Lieuten-
ant has beeen rather the pride of his
brother officers for the last three years
because OF the abilities he displayed as
a diplomat and landsman during his
services as naval attaehe of the United
States Legation at Corea When in
Japan ten years ago he became much
attached to japanese girl nj Nagasaki
whose father kept one OF the prettiest
of the many charming tea-hOuses on
those green hillsides. His study Of the
japanese language was aided by her,
and for the years that he was away he
wrote TO her in Japanese characters
and she answered in English script.
There is more romance, too, about q
dangerous illness through which she
once nursed him. She is spoken of Us
woman of great intelligence, beauty
and fascination, and a strong and adj
mirable character. She is unusual
among japanese women, and, although
now past thirty, still charms and at
tracts. Lieut.. Foulke is Il quiet, shy
man, of scholarly tastes, caring little
for formal society. Word has been
brought to Yokohama that he is at
Osaka, where his Japanese iiancee now
lives, and that he will soon marry and
take his wife directly to America, where
he has been ordered to stand his exam
ination for promotion in the service.
Once before an officer of the American
b.I boa,, Il 10
woman, and still resides here, he never
having gone home. II happened some
fifteen years ago, when the young
American Lieutenant obtained two
years'leave of absence for the purpose of
giving instruction in a japanese en-
cheering college. When his time was
up the deep and strange fascination
of this country was upon him, and
rather than break the spell and leave
these ideal surroundings and the quiet.
poetic life, he resigned from the navy
aud ceased all communication with his
family. He was not happy with his
wife, and he wrote her that he should
never return, and that she might get
a divorce or do rs she pleased. He at
tached himself a nominal teacher in
the family of rich kiotO noble, this
giving him the right to live in a city
in the interior. and taking a Japanese
wife. adopting Japanese dress, and
making himself entirely one with the
natives. he quite ceased TO be con-
sidered Il foreigner at all. Some of his
old shipmates returning to this station
have tried their best to hunt up the
exile, but failed, rs he assumed a
japanese name with Japanese dress,
and there IS no way to trace him or
get at him, There is a tradition that
he is often seen riding about the streets
of Kioto, and one maj claims TO have
seen him at Yaams Hotel there one
night. The delightful mystery about
the man increases with different ver-
si0ns of the reasons for exile. One Is
that he dropped out of his old world
solely to escape from his wife, all other
means having failed. The other side is
that it was his romantic love for his
japanese wife that caused him to sac
riicc home. country, family, friends.
his profession, and ambition for the
dreamy, monOtOnous, contemplatiye
life that he leads in the abandoned
capital of old Japan. His American
wife who lives in Philadelphia, obtained
q divorce few years ago, and it is
runlored that the mysterious masquera-
der has resumed communication with
some of his relatives, and will come out
Of his seclusion now that part of the
necessity is past.