The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-09-13
ORIENTAL THIEVES.
GINNING JAPANESE THIEVES
AND ALERT POLICE.
Criminals Are Watched Continually
nv MiniOns Of the Laws-Stealing a
Ladys Shoes on Her Feet.


country. 1t is not because the japanese
are not criminals. No country on the
face of the globe has more plenteous
crime nor is more versatile in the WAYS il
is committed. But the police have so
completely the pedigree. record and
whereabouts of every man, woman and
child who was ever born or landed i'm
Japan at their fingers ends, and their con-
duct from day to day, that it would be
truly easier for the arch-nihilist of Russia
TO escape all police surveillance than it
would be for the most insignificant,
pettv. japanese sneak thief to escape it
for day.
A strong suspect of the gravest crime
is often discharged simply to be watched,
and while he is not Swallowed or even
followed about from place to place by
notice agents, vet the eye of the police is
never off him for IL moment. and the
record of his conduct is as complete in
the chiefs Office at Toxic as is that of
the most closely Swallowed of Paris's sus-
meets in the central office of that mys-
ferrous corps of officers known as the
French police. When he leaves one
ueighborhood the police in the district to
which he says he is going are notified,
and if he does not proceed to that district
the police know it rs soon as he arrives
at his destination. 1t appears that every
arrival and departure of native japanese
in every district in Japan is reported by
the district officers to the central office.
As suspect goes from district to dis
trict instead Of detective shadowing
him his story pur,ues him. and he is
virtually shadowed by his crime. Wher-
ever he goes it goes, and, once COM
mittcd, he walks in its shadow forever.
Suicide is common thing in the
country, and. while it is not by any
means confined to this class, still a great
many self-inflicted deaths among these
people come to public notice. Occasion
ally the mode of execution is one, even
in this country, never heard of before
An account of such one, whether of a
military man or another il does not mat
ter, has come into public print here
within short tine. One of the English
papers published in Japan, in comment
ing upon the suicide says it is Every
terrible and with this enlightened in
dOrSement | give the details: y resident
of Kawazoyc made this departure from
the wcll-beaten path of suicides. uSin"
startling dcliberation in his plans. lie
placed upon his head "a bag of bran,
thrust into his bosom some tempo coins.
tied japanese lantern to each of his
feet and then hanged himself.
The meaning of these singular prepar-
atoms were not at first apparent TO the
villagers who came upon his decorated
corpse, but local Daniel interpreted it
satisfactorily to everybody, and especial
ly SO to me. According to him the bag
of bran was intended to signify that the
unfortunate deceased forcsaw the near
necessity of starving on husks, while the
corns were to signify that he still had a
few piastres to his earthly credit, enough
to buy him decent funeral, and the
lanterns were designed TO show that he
see a faint light of hope for lingering
earthly career, but that Notwithstanding
these few encouragemcnts he was de-
Cided to cut himself off from the miser-
able company here below. Instead of
saying while there's life there's hope, the
japanese say while there's light on ones
footsteps; so the fellow meant that there
was still candle light on the sandals, and
they had not yet entered the darkness OF
utter restitution when the felo dc Sc
launched himself so picturesquely into
eternity.
Speaking of the shoes tied to thi:
mans feet reminds me that there is nc
more peculiar class of criminals in Toxic
than those who make practice of steal.
ing shoes left at the doors of houses by
people who have gone within, and some
times stealing them of off their feet.
Japanese never enter houses to walk on
the polished floor and soft mats without
removing ;their foot-gear-the wooden
sandals fastened on by Il cord, slipped
between the great and second toes.
There is a story told about these shoes al
the time of the opening of the railroad
between Toxic and Yokohama. An eX
cursion train was the first to go over the
road, and the public was invited to take
the initial ride on n railroad without pay
ing fare. The generous invitation wa:
largely accepted, and rs the passengers
all entered the cars they thought that us
ual etiquette required them to leave theil
shoes on the outside. So when the train
pulled out in the confusion the passen
gers, intoxicated with the novelty of the
situation and listening to the wonderful
belching of locomotive, paid no atten
ton TO the long line OF shoes that were
lett standing in an imposing row facing
those who were left in the coy station al
the capital. When the train arrived al
Yokohama, about eighteen miles distant,
the simple people emerged from th'
curious little coaches. fully expecting &c
md their shoes awaiting them on the
outside, and were filled with unspeak