St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-08
The Swordsman Who Was
Saved From Death by q
Young Girl,
And Then Was Driven to 1t
by His Great Love
for Her.
His Head Cut Off and the Girl
Kills Herself at His
Grave.


egraph:
We find our way to door in wooden
fence, leading into an old burying
ground. Here, under tiny penthouse
or weather-worn boards, are two moss
covered stones projecting from the
damp earth with two little eiSternS of
stone in front of them, one containing
rain water and the other sand and
ashes. The musmees nave brought with
them bundle of senke. which we stick
up in the sand and light. The fragrant
blue smoke of the incense curls among
the bamboo stems and leaves and
diffuses agreeable. watts while some
body reads to us what is written on the
stones and on the sotoba or wooden tab
lets planted in the ground around the
grave. This is the tomb of
the Shiyoku," it says. The Shi-
yoku were fabulous birds, which
always flew with their near wings joined
together and became the emblem of
love and fidelity. Another stone says:
IN the old days his beauty was like
that OF the cherry flower. and she looked
upon it with a love like that of the sun
shine. These two birds have died in
their too short flight: the cherry bios
SONS have persisted without fruit"
Shirai Gompachi was a young jap
aneSe gentleman, a tWo-Sworded Sim
urai. in the train of DaimiO Of Tnaba,
who by the age of eighteen had become
wideIy'known in his own province for
great personal beauty and courage and
perfect skill in the use of the sword.
Those were the days when the sword
was the life and sword of the Sam
ural." The etiquette of the sword gov
erned all Japanese society. Once
drawn it must never be sheathed until
Redeemed by blood, and must never be
unsheathed within the precincts Of the
palace.
lucky day Quarreled with a companion,
and. drawing his sword upon him i'll the
court, fought with and killed him. For
this he had to fly to Yeddo, then but a
small city. and to hide in the suburbs.
1t was wild time everywhere. and he
put up one night in all Inn where gang
of robbers lived, some six or seven, who
could not see his hly-ornamented
sword and dirk without uncovering
them, and also concluding that the
owner must have plenty of gold coins
in his glrdle. AS little could the mus
NEE of the house. 4 singularly lovely
girl, wait upon the handsome young
stranger without interest. In the dead
of the night Gompachi was sleeping
soundly after his long flight, wnen he
was lightly touched by some hand aud,
starting up. saw the musmee kneeling
By the side of his futon. He had
not noticed before how beautiful
she was. this damsel of twenty
years. which in Japan Is ma
turity. "Dammatel TO not speak, she
said. Il crave your honorable pardon
for arousing you; but you must know
this is a den of dreadful robbers, who
last year carried me off from my faith
er's house in Mikawa, under the hill of
AZabu. Tonight they will murder you
TO get your sword and clothes and
money. You seem to be as brave as
you are handsome. If you are really
skillful with the sword prepare Yourself
and l Will try TO help you: and if you
can get away safely take ne with you,
for l love you and am risking my life TO
tell you all this" Gompachi answered ::
Greatly l thank you, O Ko-Murasaki
San, but [ will not have you hazard one
hair of your beautiful head for my sake.
Steal out of the house and wait in the
shadow of the bamb0oS for me. As
soon as | have tied I'D my sleeves and
fastened back My hair | will come to
you, and if any seek 10 stay me | will
Kill them"
Accordingly she went out, and while
Gompachi was putting on his day dress
the thieves Stealthily entered by another
door. with drawn swords, but were dis
concerted to find the young Samurai
leap upon them, his long sword in one
hand. ana il the other the Ai-Kuchi,
the dirk. to guard and dispatch Two
f.E No lx-o Il
slashed the arm from another, and from
another the leg, so that the survivors,
being terrified. made way for him, and
then calmly wiping his latana with
white paper before Sheathing it, he
came where Little Wild indigo waite
trembling for him IN the bamboCS. Re-
assuring her. he conducted her to
Mikawa to her fathers house. where
they overwhelmed him with thanks, and
would have kept him as a son of the eS-
tablishment. but that he said Samurai
must live by his sword, and so lie would
90 to take service with some lord. He
promised, however, 10 the weeping girl
that he would soon return; and Teceiv-
ing as a friendly present 200 ounces Of
silver, he started forth again on his
WanderingS.
He had been absent about a year. ex-
he fell into the society of wardsman
of JeddO, named Chobei, who helped
him to lead. am sorry to say, the usual
reckless life of his time and age. In
those days letters were seldom written.
news was scant. and he neither heard
nor. it seems, tried very much to hear
from Ko-Murasaki. But one night at
dinner talk arose at Chobei'S house of a
very beautiful Sfeisha, who was newly
come to the 1oshiwara and whose
dancing and singing made the sign of
the Three Sea Coasts and saw there
sitting among the immortal Sisterhood
his o-Muraski. the Little Wild
indigo" of Mikawa- In deep distress
she told that overwhelming calamity
had fallen upon her household: that her
parents became poverty stricken and III
danger of starvation: that not hearing
from him or seeing him or meeting him,
she had been Obliged to submit TO the
fate of many and many a Japanese
maiden and sell herself. for the sake of
her father and mother. to the Master of
ToShiwara-
But now said she. that / have
seen you again, you, who are so strong
and brave. will help ME: do not desert
me again" The beauty of the girl filed
his heart once more, and he gave up
everything to visit her daily. But at
Yoshiwara money must be spent. and
being a ReHIH. without any means.
Gompaefi seon came TO the bottom, OF
his wits and his purse. and was driven
at last to crime by his love and pow
erty combined. For Ko-Murasaki's
sake-though she herself DID not know
1.-THE betook himself to robbery and
murder. His heart grew bIlcker and
blacker by these concealed wick
ednesseS. Just as he had amassed,
however. gold enough by his reLberies
TO buy kC-MuTasakFs liberty. the au-
thOrities. VINO were aware of his deeds.
laid hands upon him. He WAS proved