Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-16
A JAPANESE EXECUTION,
A Naval Officers Description of Scene
He Witnessed In Yokohama.

r. BOUT daylight Of pleasant summer
NNW morning In 1868, party OF officers
GRH were sent ashore in the dinghey Of
GE5l man-of-war lying in the harbor of
Yokohama, Japan. Notice had been
posted in town a few days previously that three
men were to suffer death on that morning for
the crime OF robbery, and while hoping that
some time during the cruise We should have
chance to witness Il ''hari kari" or ''happy
dispatch" we made up party to see decap-
tation.
We landed just above the French hatoba and
short walk brought us to the execution
ground, a sloping hillside beyond the town
limits, but not inclosed. small tent had been
put up and three holes dug to a depth Of a
couple of feet and in line In front OF each
hole was planted a stout post with an iron spike
on top
few spectators, mainly foreigners were as
sembled and soon procession was seen coming
up the lane to the ground; bonze or priest
led and behind him marched i'll single file the
criminals, fanked by dozen samourai or SOL
diers in charge of an officer.
The men who were TO suffer death were large
and fine looking, dressed in the ordinary mid
die class costume and had their hands tied be-
hind their backs, but were otherwise unfet-
tered. Zach had pinned to his breast q white
placard inscribed with charac ters which was
told gave name, crime and sentence. is they
passed within few feet of me noticed that
each man was recitinS III a low tone, but their
| bearing and features were impassive and their
| step firm. They were halted few PAGES in the
| rear Of the freshly dug holes and the officer
/ stepping In front read what / suppose was a
warrant for the execution. ! had placed my
| self by one of the posts facing the men and as
the reading finished heavily built man bear
| ing a two-handed Japanese sword stepped from
| the tent with two assistants. The sword was
| naked and such as in those days every yakonin
| or feudal retainer habitually carried and the
| cutlery then was equal to any Toledo work.
The executioner stopped by the first hole
| while tire attendants led forward the nearest
| man, who quickly knelt down and. bending
| forward his body, stretched out his neck till
his head looked down into its grave. The as
sistants also knelt one on each side and sup
| ported the criminal in his constrained position
by holding his shoulders. One OF them also
| pushed back the gown from the neck and wet
| the nape from a tub of water. The exec1tioner,
| who had been standing by with the sword rest
ing on his shoulder, then advanced his left
foot. lowered his weapon TO level with his
| thigh and, with a seconds pause. as il to take
aim, gave quick, downward. slicing cut. The
head, completely severed. disappeared in the
hole and the trunk. released by the assistants,
Strengthened out with hardly a quiver, bu,
streams of blood gushed from the severed
| arteries.
The other two criminals stood behind with
| osns hosos' out % Tar as could see or Judge
gave no sign of emotion, and in a shorter time
than 1t takes in telling, each had In his turn
knelt aud received the fatal stroke.
When ali was over the executioner affixed
each head ON the spiked posts and the bodies
we're taken OF for burial X
ITO stay at home is best" wrote Longfellov
in one OF hi. beautiful poems. II is slso the
cheapest In the majority of cssss.-Someruia,
| Journal
People Who have always been wealthy arr
simple enough In their manners. The suddenly
ySHs.