The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-11
THE SOSHI OF JAPAN
ARE ANARCHISTS, BLACKMAILERs
AND POLITICAL STRIKERS.
Professional Bullies Who Can BE
Politicians Employ Them.

copyrighted, 1894. by Frank G. carpenter.)
The war with China is taking away
from Japan. for a time. a class of men
who have materially disturbed the gov
eminent. I refer to the Soshi. These
are like no other men on the face Of the
globe. They are a kind of a cross be-
tween an Anarchist and political striker.
n though they exist in nearly every
part Of the empire I have never seen
them described in letters of travel.
They are a peculiar feature of the mod
ern Japan. and are the product of the
old feudal system married to the mod
ern civilization. Japan, you know, was
twenty-five years ago much like Europe
during the middle ages. The Daimios or
mobiles Of the country owned the greater
part of the land, and each had a number
of soldiers or Samurai about him. These
Samurai were all soldiers. and the Dali
milo was expected to support them.
When the revolution came and the Dali
MICS gave up their estates these men
were out of a job. They took up with
different branches of trade. A large
hatAiOC "ShL nv th
were employed in the new government,
and to-day the class is practically wiped
out. Springing from ii, however, are
these bands of Soshi. who are young
men. many of whom are ready to sell
themselves and their swords to the
highest bidder. Every politician has a
number of them connected with him.
and every political meeting is filled with
them. They carry sword-canes, and
during elections the papers are full of
the attacks of one and Of Soshi upo
another and Of statements as to how
one prominerS man, accompanied by his
Soshi, was, met by another statesman
with his Soshi, n how the two fought
the matter out on the street.
During my stay in japan one of the
members of Parliament was waylaid by
the Soshi of his opponent and well
pounded; and another man, also a men,
Der of Parliament, was attacked about
9 o'clock in the morning while on his
way in a jinriksha to the House Of
Representatives by ten of these Soshi.
One of them threw a bottle of red ink
and s%ulphuric acid at him and ii struck
him on the shoulder. but fortunately did
no damage. He luckily happened to
have two of his own Soshi with him,
dtil LhCSC ll0h a oANCA III eOeA -
the opposite party who threw the bottle
and caught him and handed him over to
the police. This incident occurred on
the 23d of last May, and from my notes
which / took at the time / see that on
May 10 the japanese papers record how
twenty Soshi attacked the office of a
political newspaper and stoned the edi-
tors. The most of the officials of Japan
have some Of these Soshi with them
when they go about over the country.
In some cases they ride on the outside
of their carriages, and in others they
follow along on foot.
PROFESSIONAL THUGS.
These SosLi are numbered by thou
sands, and it is surprising how well they
are organized. Outside of those who are
attached to the politicians there are
bands or societies of them who work to-
gether for their mutual benefit, and who
are. in fact. bands of thugs assassins,
blackmailers and strikers. Some OF
them give their services for their food
and clothes, and for two or three dollars
a day they will do anything. If they
are arrested you are expected to pay
them for the time they stay in prison
to send a few luxuries now and
then to the Jail. They are not at all
IOnQ OF ~IOTe1gneIS, ana they 10TH q
large part of the anti-foreign elemen OF
the country. i heard Of one instance OF
a foreigner who had some trouble with
a girl. There was a question Of $40 be-
tween them. n the girl had friends
among the Soshi. The cad OF one OF
the bands called upon the man n told
him he must pay. He refused Then
they said they would inform his en-
ployers of certain practices which he
had been carrying on, and would mix
them with lies about others. They
threatened to assault him, and he final.
ly concluded that the cheapest way to
get out of the matter was to pay the
bill. The strangest thing about it was
that when he handed over the money
they CAV him a receipt guaranteeing
that he would not be troubled by any
other Soshi in the country or by them.
The action of the government as re-
CARDS these people has shown that they
were evidently afraid of them. and il
has been the wonder of foreigners thai
they have hot been put down. They
have carried on their work openly, and
a sign board was recently stuck up in
one of the main business parts of Toxic
which read: "Soshi provided here
Terms moderate for the day or month
Among the men, in fact, who havt
shown much nerve in the matter ar
our American minister and the Rev
Clay MacCauley, the head of a school il
1Ohlo anu u CHAtdkioii niiiiiotCi VI SIed
prominence In Japan. For some reason
or other the Soshi became incensed a
DR.. MacCauley, and they warned bin
that he must give up his school. The,
told hin that he would be mobbed If h,
did not, and they made all preparation,
to carry out their threat. DIR. Mac
| Cauley went to the American minister
Mr.. Dun. and told him the situation
Mr.. Dun, who. by the way, is one of tn,
best men who has ever represented Il.
at the court of Japan, was very indig
nant, and he at once went to the Foreign
Office and told the Secretary of Stat,
that the government was responsible fol
keeping the Soshi in order, and that h,
proposed to drive, with DR.. MacCauley
in the legation carriage down to tn,
| school on the day fixed for the mob, ant
If they were insulted or attacked in an,
way the American government would
hold the Japanese government RESPONSE
BILE for 1t. The japanese officials a
once took the matter in hand and tn,
Soshi were put down upon this occasion
The streets leading to the school wer,
tina DIR. MacCauley and the American
minister passed through unframed AM
unmolested by even a look.
| Mr.. DUN SURPRISED THEM.
The American minister is by no mean,
a coward, and it would not be safe for
Soshi to attack him.. He stands fully ST,
feet in his stockings. and he weighs
about two hundred pounds. He hal
lived in Japan for years. having beer
sent there in the first place through tn,
;nAuence IF ex-Senator Allan r. Thur