Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-06

|
TREY uuknowG TO the rest OF the world, that I
shall devote later letter TO r., especially as the
police told me that was the ilrst foreigner who
mad ever been allowed to investigate 1t on the spot
In the company OF the chief OF the special Yoshi-
wara police TO return from this depression TO
tnr secret police fancy that not only the move
ments OF every japanese criminal but OF any body
else. japanese or foreign that they Interested
In, are perfectly well-known at TIE Keishcho. An
Official OF one OF the ministers OF stale told me
That little while ago lie was on a visit 10 large
town In the South anu met there foreigner
whose movements seemed TO him inexplicable
on any theory OF privat. life These sus-
pcionS grew until at last my friend suggested TO
the police department at Tokyo the ACCESSIBILITY
Oh keeping watch upon the mans actions. A
week later secret report was put intomy friends
hands, giving the daily lie OF the suspect from
the time OF his arrival The hour OF each OF his
movements, the name OF every person with whom
he had dealings, the letters he had written, the
money he had spent, even the cost OF his private
pleasures-all was put down in black and white II
| an EnghshmaD or an American citizen critlclZes
this system OF espionage tue japanese authoritles
reply with perfect truth that the Japanese people
| are different entirety from English or American,
| and point, besides, TO the secret and political
| ''rogues' gallery" OF Tokyo alone, may add are
the d0ssiers. complete records OF loOOOO criIn-
mails, admirably arranged as a card eataiogue. IKE
the latest device OF American library catalogulng
| JAPANESE PRISONS
| With the exception OF the Ysshiwara, OF which
plenty hereafter the two prisons OF Tokyo are the
most interesting things I have seen in Japan.
These are, first, the great prison upon the island
1 q,
| the convict and female prison OF Icnigawa, In the
center the city Itself The former Is completely
| isolated all communication with the mainland
being by pOllce-itrry, and contains 2,O52 men and
| boys all OF whom are serving terms OF ten years
or less The latter contains 400 men and 100 wo-
men, among whom many serving life-sen-
fences. There is a convict-farm attached. and It
Is here That capital punishment Is inflicted. Other
wise the prisons resemble each other closely
| that IL Is not necessary to distinguish between
| Them IN description Mr.. suzuki, vice-president
OF the prison, did me the honors at Ishikawa,
| and Mr.. Adachl, the director, at Ichgawa.
The entrance Is through Il massive wooden gate
way, into d guari-roOm, adjoining which are the
offices Of the director and officials. The prison
itself consists OF score more OF detached one
story buildings, all or wood and some OF them
| merely substantial sheds under whch the rougher
/ LABOR, Ike sjone-bI eakins, Is performed. The
dOrmitories are enormous wooden cages the front
and part OF ne back formed OK oars as thick as
ones arm. before which again Is IA narrow covered
passage Where the Warder on guard walks at night.
There is not particle OF furniture Ut 4 single
article VI any kind upon the oor winch is DO isned
I'LL IL reflects your body like mirror. No boot, OF
cOursr, ever touches IT. The thick quilts or Juton
which constitute everywhere the Japanese bed are
all rolled III and stacked on broad shell running
round the room overhead. Each uormitory holds
nintty-slX prisoners and there Is q long row OF
them. The sanitary arrangements are situated in
httle addition at the back, and l was assured
That these had not been made pleasant Tor my In
spection. Ii not can only say that IN tnis most
Important respect = Japanese prison could not
Wei De improved. In TACT the whole dormitOry,
with its perfect Ventilation Its construction Oi
sold highly polished wood, in which there Is no
chance Tor vermin 10 harOor, and its combined
simplicity anu security, is an almost ideal prison
STRUCTURE. OI course the fact that every Japanese
from the M1kado 10 the cooie, sleeps upon quilts
spread out on Inc floor, greatly Simpiifes the task
vi the prison architect In Japan.
THE PUNISHMENT CELL
On leaving the dornitories We passed a small,
Isolated square erection, peaked and gabled like
little tempe. The door was soleInnly unlocked and
Hung back and j was motioned to enter Ii was
the punishment cell, ano her spoL.ess wooden box
: QaI k " al
so thick TO render IL practically silent. .sHow
many prisoners have been In II during the last
month"; l asked. The director summoned the
Chief warder ana repeated my question TO him.
"Ntort mo gGzdondseH-none whatever" was he
fe lp Nh, ~Mna1 other punisLments have your
question Was translated The director and the LII tie
group OF officials ali laughed together the bare
liea. cOud not help wondering whether there
Was another prison In the world with no mel nod
OF punishment Tor 900 criminals except one dark
eel, and that not used LOT IA month. And the
recollection OF the rlhy and suflucatlIg sly used
as punishment Cell In the Guy prison OF San
francesca came upon me like L Nausea. Jap
anese prison may BE- divl1eu into two parts
dormitUrles and workshops OF cells or prison
buildings, properly speaking, there Is nothing
whatever IL IS u place OF detention, OF refOrma-
lion, and OF prontabie Labor and In the latter
aspect one OF the greatest surprises OF life awaited
US.
IN THE WORKSHOPS.
Walking across the yard We entered the first
WORKSHOP, where couple Of hundred prisoners
were making machinery and stean-boilers One
warder, armed only with a sword, Is reckoned for
every nfteen men, and here the prisoners were
working on contract orders Tor outside firms,
unuer the supervision OF one SKILLED teacher ami
one representative or the firm giving the contract
The prisoners WORK for ulne nours day and IRE
ali dressed In cotton suits or peculiar Ierra-cotta
or crushed strawberry color. As We enter the
warder on guard comes to attention and cries
III 'ro tsukero-pay attention." when ali Cease
Work ana Low VITA tneIr Ioreaeads TO the floor re-
manning Ill th.t attitude I'll a second command
bids them rise. They were making large brass
and IRON steam pumps and had already turned out
seventy this year, and the workshop, with its ouzz
OF machinery and Its Intelligent labor, would have
been exactly like part OF an arsenal here or in
Europe, except for the red clothes and the humble
prostratiou- The next shop contained the wood
carvers. and here upwards OF hundred men were
squlttinS with blocks or wood between their
Knees, carving with the keenest interest upon all
sorts OF things from thick simple trays AMI bowls
To fragile anu delicate long leg ed storks. bought
an admirably carved tood. co-Dox, representing the
God Or Laughter being dragged along by his Cloak
by six naked boz 5, and af.erward | asked some
japanese friends, WHO supposed mad picked IL up
AT a curlo-deAlerS, how much IL was worth. Taey
guessed 10 yen-30 shIlIings or over S. / paid Us
sea Lor t-less than shiiIlngS or 30 cents. IL is
a piece thai would be admired anywhere
ana yet IL was maoe by common burglar Who
had made the acquaintance OF u carving tool and
q prison at the same time. After the carvers
CANE the paper-inaAers, then the weavers weay-
Ing ana dy eng the prison clothing, then the San
dai-Inakers, then the Ian-naKers, then the Ian
tern-maAers, then marvellous bdSket-work and
mats am nets. tnen an extensive printing-shop
where the proJf-reader was q prisoner VINO had
formerly Deen secretary OF legation In France mad
aoscJnied Win 100000 francs, leaving nj, sac Is
on the DanNs VI the Seine evidence OF suicide
and eventually been arrested with his mistress at
a SCENE of hign JInks lii Germany Tnen we visited
q WORKSHOP where Jinrkisn u were being made
tnen one wnere umbrella-haudes We're DeIns elab-
orately carved, then one where every Kind OF pot
Try, from tAe rough porous bottle anu lar 10 the
ess-sneii tea-cup was rolling fIom dozen pOtters'
wheels and then came
THE GREAT SURPRISE
TWO days previou,I had visited the house of the
most famous MAKER In japan OF the exquisite
ctoisonne ware-the enamel In inlaid metal work
upon copper-who rivals in everlasting ma erials
the brush OF Turner with his pigments and the
pencil OF Alma Tadena with bis strips Oh metal
And had stood for an nour behind MIN ana niS
pupils, marvelng that the human eye could be-
come 80 accurate ana the human hand 80 steady
anu the human heart so PATIENT Yet | give NV
WORD that mere In the prison at IshiSawa sat not
SIX ouG sixty men, common thieves and burglars
and peace-oreaaerS, VINO knew no more about
ctoisonte b-iore they were sentenced than q II In
duo Knows ABOUT SKATES, dong just the sa me
tAing-cut,ins by eye-measurenIent only the tiny
strips or copper 10 MAKE Jae outline OF a Dird's
beak or the shading OF his wing or the articula-
lions OF his toe, sticking these upon the rounded
surface or the copper vase, nllnX up the inter-
slices with pigment, coat upon coat, aud hiring
ana ming aud polishing, II until the finished work
Was so true and 80 DELEGATE and 80 beautiful that
nothing except an occasional greater dignity and
eieadth o; design Inarned the art OF the freeman
one simply stood and refused 70 believe ones eyes
Fancy the attempt 10 teach such a ming at PEN
tonSllle or Dartm0Or Or SIM sang! When our
criminal reaches his prison home In TOKYO he Is
taugnt 10 do that at which the limit his natural
acaities is reached. II he car make ctoison,e,