The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-22
a BAD MAN OF. JAPAN.
lie Makes a Skeleton eff "a Demon and
Fools People with Ii.
Japan Mail.

Japan Mail.
most ingenious swindler recently met
with well-merited punishment at the hands
OF the kumamoto police authorities. after
having for more than three months done
a roaring business by imposing on the
tied what he pleased to call 1.-THE skel-
eton of Demon, and in connection with
this has been convicted of most daring
to place where flesh-and-blood demons
are of not infrequent occurrence. This Jap
anese Barnum is one Michigami Kotaro,
native OF a village in Bingo, his real pro-
fession being that of paper hanger Chvo-
guya). Being dissatisfied with the profits
derived from honest trade he conceived the
idea of manufacturing the skeleton of
demon of the good old-tashioned Shuten-
doJi type, believing with justice that he
wousl make a fortune by exhibiting SO
rare and noteworthy an object. His pro-
fcSsional skill stood him in good stead in
carrying out this plan, the ingenuity dis
In manufacturing the huge skull he used
the cranial bones of horses and oxen.
These he Joined together most deftly by
covering them on the inner side with
OK Horse teeth inserted the wrong way
were placed in the demons" mouth. Civ
ing the skull a most ferociouS expression
Two horns remained TO be soldered on, in
strict accordance with the received tradi-
tons of demons in Japan, and here again
the horns Of an OK were put into rsqusi-
ton. In order to make the horns look old
and well worn he first boiled them in nitric
acid and then polished them with tokusa,
q pant
containing much silica. The spine, ribs
and sundry other bones were made out of
those Of horses and oxen. To disguise their
original color and give them an ancient
appearance he b-smeared them with a mix
ture OF lime and powdered gall-nut; and
so particular was he with the tout ensem-
BILE of his bantling that he even caused a
little hair to grow on the skull by covering
ii with strip of cats skin. After COM
plotting his exhibit the next thought was
to obtain document guaranteeing it's gen
uineness. To this effect he composed a
written document, taking great care to
give it. with the aid of sundry chemicals.
the requisite frayed and aged look. after
which, by touching Ii with honey here and
there, he caus 81 il TO be gna wed by worms,
keeping II Tor TINS purpose Tor several days
in box wherein pc had previously placed
some book worms. These thorough prepara-
tions being complete. he So, out on a swind-
ling tour in February of this year. and
earned a substantial sum by exhibiting his
handiwork in Mihara and Hiroshima. Be
lieving. it safer not to charge any fixed
II 10 the choice Of patrons to pay for
int sis always 9F h G ana laT Tsh a
in some temple wherever he went. To
his great qualification. this plan worked
like a charm. the receipts being far larger
than he could have hoped for under ordi-
nary circumstances. His route lay through
Iwakuni and Shimonoseki over to kyushu.
and in many towns he succeeded in COM
pletely hoodwinking the people. But fate
was lying in wait for him at Kumamoto.
The fraud was detected, and the swindling
three-the skeleton the document and the
man-were impounded and imprisoned. Yet
IL was by no means easy TO unmask the
fellow Letters were forwarded to the dis
trict office in Bingo, where he was regis
tered. and the answer ELECTED the fact that
he travelling under an alias. Another
letter was then dispatched TO the local au-
thorities of a certain district in the island
of Oki, where the Snowman declared he had
unearthed the great find. The reply was i'm
this instance fatal TO dishonesty, the whole
story being declared as arrant untruth.
Confronted with these lncontrovertible
proofs. the man could no longer keep up
the deception and finally made a clean
breast of il. giving minute description Of
the manner in which he had made the skel-
eton-to the immense delight of the clever
KumamotO police.