The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-07
MADE 4 DEMON.s sKELEToN.
A japanese swiadIers Clever FIsa for
Making Money.


A recent copy of the Japan Weekly Mod con-
tanned the following;
"A most ingenious swindler recently met with
well-merited punishment at the hands OF the
Kuma-moto police authorities. after having for
moro than three months done a roaring business
by imposing on the credulity OF the Kyushu peo-
pie. He exhibited what he was pleased to call
the skeleton of . demon, and has been convicted
OF most daring duplicity and sent up for a long
term to place where flesh and blood demons
are of not infrequent occurrence. His name is
MichiRami Kataro. his native village Bngo
his real profession that of q paper hanger.
Being dissatisfied with the profits de-
rived from honest trade. he conceived the
idea OF manufacturing the skeleton of a demon
OF tho good old-fashioned Shutendojl type, be-
lieving with justice that no would make q for
tune by exhibiting so rare and noteworthy an
object His professional skill stood him In good
stead In carrying out this plan, the ingenuity
displayed being well worth better scheme.
in manufacturing tho huge skull he used
the cranial bones OF horses and oxen. These
he Joined together most deity by covering them
on the inner side with skin taken from the
stomach Of an OK. Horse teeth inserted the
wrong way were placed In the demons mouth.
giving the skull a most tenacious expression.
Two horns remained to be soldered on. in strict
accordance with the received traditions OF de-
mons in japan, and here again the horns of an
OF were put in reqnisiti9n.
In order 10 make the horns look old and
well worn he first boiled them in nitric acid and
then polished them with tnbusA or securing
ribs, and sundry other bones were made out t' OF
those OF horses and oxen. To disguise their
ance, he besmeared them with mixture oflms
ana powdered gall-nut; and SO particular was
even caused iittle hair TO grow on the .SuiI bS
covering II with a strip OF catskin.
After completing his exhibit the next
US genulneness. To this effect he composed a
written document taking great care 10 give IL,
frayed and aged look, after which, by touching
II with honey here and there, he caused IL 90 be
several days in a box wherin he had previously
placed some book worms These thorough
SSnE ne Of 't 6 Gst
and earned substantial sum by ex-
hhi6iting his handiwork in Mihara aud
hXed price for inspecting the skeleton, he left ii
70 the choice Of patrons 10 pay for the sight or
room In some temple wherever he went, TO his
great gEatlncation this plan worked like =
have hoped for under ordinary clrcumstances.
His route lay through lwakuni ShimOnOseki
oyer TO hya5ihq, ana H. many towns he succeeded
" But Bate was lying in wait for him at Ku-
mam9to. The fraud Was detected, and the
and the man-were impounded and imprisoned.
Yet II was by no means easy to unmask the fell
low. Letters were forwarded To the district
once in Bingo vi here he was registered. and the
answer ELECTED the fact that he was travelling
under an alias Another letter was DESPATCHED
70 the local authorities Of certain district In
the island OF 0kt, where the Snowman declared
he had unearthed his great find.
The reply Was in this instanCe fatal TO dis |
honesty, the "hole story being declared as
Arrant untTuth. Confronted with these incon-
troyertible proofs, the man could no longer keep
up the deception, and finally made a clean |
breast Of ID. giving a minute description OF the |
manner In which he lad made the skeletOR-tO |
the delight Of the clever kumAmOto pOlicS"