The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-04-02
JAPAN.

of Abatement.
The smallpox epidemic which has been
raging in Japan for some time past has
decreased considerably of late. According
TO an examination made by the authorities,
the total number Of cases In the country
was 1874, of which 1910 proved fatal In
Toxic there are still on an average 40 or 80
cases daily, and the total number Of cases
there from January to the 2Sth of Febru-
airy was 3101, 11S6 recovering and GA PROV
ing fatal. The disease is abating at Yoko-
hama, says the Gazette of March -. the
number of patients In the hospital being
reported as only 100. besides five or six
patients being privately treated. The fresh
cases average now about three day. The
total number OF cases reported from the
commencement of the outbreak up to the
present time In kanagawaken is 22l9, with
Gas deaths. Great difficulty is being expe-
rleneed now In obtaining vaccine, and the
price OF calves has doubled itself owing to
the greatness of the demand.
Slaughter OF the Innoceuts.
native japanese paper. the Choya. says
that man and his wife, aged 58 and 4S
years respectively, residing at Atago- machi,
Ichome. Toxic. have been engaged in a most
revolving and systematic series of murders.
1t appears that the couple had adopted. at
various periods, six children, for the sake
Of obtaining tho money that was given with
each Of the children, whom they had killed
one after another. They were on the point
OF putting all end to their seventh victim
when they were arrested by the police and
sent to the Saibansho. The man is said 10
nave previously been ShiDtO priest.
Four Murdered People Cremated.
In q recent Issue. says the Japan Mail.
we translated from the vernacular press a
brief note that a house had been burned in
Hachioj, in the province of BushiG, and its
inmates-a man, bis wife and their two
servants-had persisted In the flames. We
now read that the event excited much sus-
picion. and steps being taken by the police
to examine the charred bodies, marks were
found upon them which showed that muir
der bad been committed, and that the burn
Ing OF the house had been intended to con-
ceal the crime. 1t appears that the master
of the house, Ito Jihei, was money-lender
OF The most usurious description. In the
course OF very few years he had amassed
a large fortune by lending money at high
rates and employing all the resources OF the
law, with merciless severity, to secure re-
payment These proceedings had made him
an object of general deteStatoD, and there
can be little doubt that his death was COM
passed by some of the victims Of his meth
DDS. 1t is stated that the man. his wife and
the two servants were tied up and killed,
after which the house was fired.
After thu Election Riots.
The election districts are gradually be-
coming quieter. Disturbances at Yakumo
still continue and 10 more gendarmes have
proceeded there. Ia most of the neighbour
ing districts order had been restored. The
official record Of the killed and wounded
during election time gives the following
totals: Killed %, severely wounded 40.
slightly wounded 1C6. One result of the
election excitement has been a renewal of
the rigid censorship of the press. Forty
papers have been suspended, IS for having
proved detrimental to the peace Of the
country, and two for publishing matter
offensive 10 morality. Among those sus-
pended are the principal leading papers of
the various districts, no place having es-
capped the prying OF the censors.
The Crime OF a Debtor.
Three persons were murdered in Toxic
on February 20 under the following circum-
stances: A rice merchant named Miyam-
OTTO, 40 years of age, of Ushigome-ku, did
business with rice-b broker named Kanai,
aged % Some time ago Miyamoto bor-
rowed $3.50 from this young man, and the
repayment of the debt was due some few
weeks ago. Not receiving the money, Kanai
sued his debtor, who pleaded a further delay
young man would not listen to and sold the
account at auction. Miyamoto then WIS.,
tied the home of the broker, who was alb
sent. He was asked to remain all night.
which he did. The next morning, drawing
small sword which lie carried, he rushed
into the room of his enemy's mother and
dealt her a severe blow. the wife making her
escape. Miyamoto then hurried to Kanaps
office. where he had spent the night, ana.
finding him in bed, stabbed him In the abdo-
masters
room rushed in and was also stabbed by the
murderer. Miyam0to rushed out of the
place In order to give himself up to the po-
lice, but was arrested before he had gone
many yards. The man kanai died on the
spot, and the clerk died after few hours
pain. The mother cannot recover.
Japanese Notes.
Mainichi has received information report
ing the wreck near Kobe Of the sailing ves-
sci Willie Reed. This vessel sailed from
Philadelphia on September for Biogo
with a cargo of $500 cases Of kerosene.
We have no information from our Kobe
correspondent on the matter.
Some sixteen torpedo boats from French
material are now under construction in the
Onohama shlp-building yard, aud the trial
| trip of the first which has lately been CON-
| pleted, proved eminently successful. The
remaining fifteen VIII, it Is expected, be
completed within the present year.
| 1t Is stated that Geo Japanese have been
converted to Christianity at Nagoya since
| the great earthquake.
The Alliance, which ran aground in 70
| kohama harbOr on February &c, was got O. II
| and continued her voyage the next day.
Admiral Harmony had to go up to Yo ko-
! hama In mail steamer 10 relieve Admiral
| Belknap of the command of the station, be-
| cause his own flagship, the Alliance, could
| not steam up against the northeast monsoon.
| On February q 126 houses were burned in
| Toxic.
For the first time In the history of the
| trade, one firm has shipped from Yokohama
| upward off II, 600 bales of silk.
CHINA.
| The Torture of a Man Accused of Being
] A Rebel.
| The torturing OF Chen Chi-huai continues
] hecansa lie will not confess that he is a rebel