The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-09

Inc biggest prison in Japan, and one of
the biggest in the world, is the great Toxic
penitent iary. IL is situated in the heart of
the city, in the middle OF Sumida River. on
an island of about twenty acres. 1t is
within stones throw almost of the busiest
part OF the great Japanese capital. Near
by Is Asakusa, with its gorgeous temples.
its hundreds of peep shows, and its ever
varying panorama of Japanese pleasures.
Not far off is the famed Yoshiwara. with
lis $500 frail but fair japanese maideps.
and just below il is Skull, where the mis-
siOnairies and the foreigners live. This
prison is separated from all this hum of
life only by the wide waters of the deep
Sumida River, and the only human voices
that these prisoners hear are those of their
officials. They dare not use their own and
year in and year out they stand, Tantalus
like, in the very midst of all that the Jap
anese loves, with the waves of pleasure al
most tapping their lips, but unable 10
drink of the waters.
1t is not an easy thing for visitor to
get access to Japanese prison. AS for
the criminal. be finds the way just as open
in Japan as in America; but the visitor
must have the best credentials, and only
the feWest of travellers have ever gone
through this great penitentiary. l had
letters, however, from the Secret Service
Bureau of the Treasury Department to
the Chief of Police of Toxic, and these,
with the assistance of the American Min
ister. opened everything connected with
the police and prisons of the japanese en-
pire to me.
DR.. Whitney. the Interpreter of our lega-
ton, went with me, and we called upon
the Inspector Byrnes Of Japan. His name
Is NJ. SonOttu, aud he has charge of the
5000 policemen of the Japanese capital
and close connection with the detective
service of the empire. The Emperor of
Japan knows almost as we'll as the Car
where every one of his subjects sleeps of
= night, and all suspected persons are
carefully watched. Both foreigners and
natives are required to have pass
ports, and during the present .trou BILE
with China | venture record is kept of
every foreigner who comes to Japan and
all of his doings. The passport which l
had for my journey mentioned every place
where | stopped, and was told that all of
my dOlngs were known and recorded. |
was taken into some of the rooms of the
police stations and shown cards upon
which were the names of the foreigners
then In Japan, and it was almost impossl-
bic for native to escape the Argus eyes
Of the police. Toxic has its -ogues gal
lerv, and l looked for some time over the
murderers' book and took away souvenir
of half dozen specimens. | would say,
however, that crime is by no means more
common in Japan than it is in America.
and that the police would only give me the
photographs OF prisoners who had been
executed. The police organization is eX-
cellent and il is modelled somewhat after
France. The officers all dress in European
clothes, and they tie their prisoners win
ropes and drive or drag them to jail.
Well, the Chief of Police telephoned to
the prison and made an appointment for
US for the next day.. We rode in jinriki-
shas to the wharves opposite the island.
and we were carried yer this prisoners
StyX in one of the prison boats by a red
gUwned japanese in yellow straw hat,
which fitted down over his face like a cor
nucopia, and were landed on the green
shores of a beautiful island. AS we got
out of the boats a soldier dressed in white
duck met US and passed Us on to the re-
ctption-hOuse of the pTisGn. The chief of
the peHlteDtiary took US In hand, and his
-trlvate secretary. man with face like
3 withered apple and eyes like snake,
went with US. This man had roll OF
paper and a pencil in his hand. and he
usually stood just behind me. Once or
twice l turned quickly and [ noted that
every word l said was taken down in
Japanese as soon as my interpreter had
translated my questions. He probably
took down the answers Of he superintem-
dent, and, as l shall send this letter to the
penitentiary, hey will probably be able to
tell whether my statements are correct.
The peuiten tiary contains 300 prisoners,
VINO are engaged in all sorts of labor, and
who form a complete exhibition of indus
trial japan. The buildings are long, one
story structures, more like stables and
factories than Prisons. They cover many
acres, and they are made of wood. with
roofs of Japanese TILES. They have no
windows, but tile upper part of the walls
are made OF heavy lattice or wooden bars,
and there is no lack of ventilation. From
the ground TO your shoulder The walls are
boarded, and above these are laiticed open
ings about four feet wide, and higher still
are more boards between the lattice aud
the roof. Some of the buildings are shops
and others are dOrmitores, bathrooms,
kitchens, and a few contained cells for
punishment. The workshops are about
200 feet long by 100 feet wide. Many OF
them are f1oOred, but in some the work
men stand upon the ground.
We first en- tered the kitchen, where the
cooks were dishing out the food for the
prisoners. 1t consisted of rice and barley.
mixed together and forming sort of dry
musb. There were also little dishes of
picked turn ips and a stew of horse meat
and potatoes. The food was served out in
wooden measures. each prisoner getting
about a piut of mush, a tablespoonful of
pickles and a measure of soup or stew. 1
tried everything. while the superintendent
and The prisoners looked on and watched
me. The mush was not bad aud ate
mouthful without trouble. The pickles
nibbled at successfully and then tried
section Of the horse-meat stew. With the
indiscretion of ignorance 1 picked up with
my chop-stIcks a piece Of horse meat as
big as your thumb and put it into my
mouth. The moment it touched my tongue
knew 1 had made mistake. 1t was not