Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-02-21

.sThere is still ono thing left for us to do; we can appeal to our Lords master, the Shogun. know 1t is . capital of fense for a commoner to approach his Majesty, yet, for the sake of my suffer ing brethren, I shall sacrifice myself that their wrongs may be made known and happily lighted. On the morrow, therefore, do you all, exc pt six men, return to Soma and tell our poor friends to have stout hearts, for there is yet hope for them" s,
 Sogoro had from the first been recog- nized as the leading spirit of the enter prise, and his mpanions now made haste to follow ut his suggestions. The intrepid farmer and his six asso- ciates drew up new memorial, setting forth their grievances in plain, straightforward manner and earnestly appealing for redress. Shortly after, while the Shogun, Iyemitsu, was on his way to Uyeno to worship at the tcmbs of his an estors, Sogoro contrived to break through the troop of armed re- tainers that were escorting his Majesty, and thrust the pet 'tion into the hands of the Shogun. The daring farmer was seized and rr~ied of to prison. Iyemitsu was just r'l'er and gave the peasants memorial his caleful attention. The result of it all was that Kotsuke-no- Suke was ordered to reduce his tenants taxes to proper amount, and to return to them the money he had wrongfully deprived them of
 The Lord of Soma was very angry man, but though he might rage and VOW vengeance upon the heads of his ten ants, he had to obey the orders of his thief. And ttus relief came at last to the long-srfiering peasants.
 But, alas for poor Sogorol The ire voc"ble law of the nation pronounced his offense deserving of death, and he was turned over to his legal Lord for ex- ecution. In feudal Japan the nobility held the power of lite and death ove, their peasant-vassals, and now the cruel Kotsuke-no-Suke, thirsting for venge- ance, determined to destroy the whole family of Sogoro. In vain his tenants his Samurai, his councillors, and ever the Princes of the surrounding countr, besought the lord of Soma to be merci full; the bloody tyrant was memorable Sogoro and his wife were condemned t, be crucified, and their three sons, aget seven, ten and thirteen respectively were ordered to be beheaded in the pres | cnce of their parents.
 On the day of the execution all tn, | inhabitants of the one hundred an. | thirty-six villages of Soma assembled t. | bid Sogoro and his wife farewell and | encourage them with their presence an, l their prayers. There was not one there | even to the executioners themselves that did not call down the blessings Heaven upon the martyrs, while curses deep and bitter, were hurled agains | the hated Kotsuke-no-Suke. After tn, | parents were made fast to the crosses the threc boys were led forth and be headed in their sight. Friends receive I the bodies and bore them away to pre- pare them for burial. O Man, Sogoro wife, turning to her husband, said in | cheerful voice:
 "Remember, my husband, that iron the first you had made up your mind t. this fate. What though our bodies b. disgracefully exposed on these crosses we have the promises of the gods befor us; therefore, mourn not. Let us fl: our minds upon death; we are drawin, near to Paradise, and shall soon be witt the saints. Let us cheerfully lay dow our lives for the good of our people," | "Well said, wife," responded Sogoro gayly. ''I am happy because I have at tained my hearts desire. Our petitio. was successful; had five hundred lives and could I five hundred times assum, this shape of mine, l would die fiv, hundred times to redress the wrongs o. our people,"
 Then the executioner taking his spea, thrust it int the side of o Man and int. the side of her husband, and both diet there in the sight of the sorrowlns | peasants. And dkotsuke-no-Suke's chiel councillor, when all was over, came ana knelt down before the dead body of tho farmer and said:
 "Although you were but a peasant, you saved your brethren. You bruised your bones and crushed your heart lol
 their sakes. Honors shall yet be paid
 to your spirit, and you shall be canon. ized as a saint; you shall become a
 tutelar deity among the people of Soma. ,
 And so it came to pass. The farmers of Soma made the grave of Sogoro a place of prayer, and finally came to look upon him as divine. Finally a
 temple arose in his honor, and he was
 at length duly canonized as Buddhist
 saint.-W. c. Kitchin, Ph. D., in N. Y.
 Ledger.