The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-17
| self, hoping you will give me q chance

=
to hear It,"
Certainly" replied the doctor.
Light one Of those cigars and make
yourself comfortable, and we'n look it
over together"
The doctor took the well-filled legal
envelope which Mr.. Warner extracted
from his inside coat pocket. On the
outside was inscribed in Col. David
sons bold handwriting: History Of My
Japanese Sword" Taking a pair Of
scissors from his desk the doctor care
fully cut the end from the envelope and
drew forth bulky manuscript, also in
the colonel's familiar hand. Seating
himself by the desk. he spread 1t open
and read aloud the following account:
This sword came into my possession
while residing in Toxic during the win
ter of 1869. I formerly belonged to
an official Of rank under the Tycoon.
named ii Yama. By an ancient law
mitted to carry the sword in Japan. ii
Yama was a crafty old man who.
though a favorite with the Tycoon. was
so cruel that he was much hated by the
people. In those days, when q head
dropped into the basket every time the
high officials winked, cruelty in one in
II Yama's influential position was often
q good cause for hatred. Japan was at
that time under q sort Of feudal sys-
TEN. and was infested by organized
bands Of robbers, similar to the Italian
bandittl, who committed all kinds Of
outrages to persons and property.
by accident it was discovered that
ii Yama was in secret the chieftan Of
one Of these bands Of marauders, and
he was condemned to death. together
with six of his followers who We're
seized with him. In Japan, when a
man Of rank was condemned to die, he
might choose one Of two options.
Either to be killed by the public heads
man, in which case his family were
forever disgraced and his property con-
fiscated by the government, or If he
possessed the courage no might commit
hara-kiri.
This latter was an ancient custom,
introduced into Japan during the Ashi-
kaga dynasty, 1886 to 1868. The term
comes from hara, a stomach, and kiri,
to cut. 1t consisted in self-disem-
bOwelment with the hara-kiri knife. q
keen, narrow blade, fitting into its sep
arate little sheath made in the scab-
bard Of every sword. Hara-kiri was
only applied to the suicidal act. and
was regarded as an honorable expia-
dinary culprit, of the common people,
had no choice as to the manner of his
removal from the earth. Decapitation
followed as matter Of course. Under
the reign Of the present enlightened
emperor these barbarOus methods and
customs have been abolished. Execu-
tions in Japan are strictly private, but
through the influence of an Officiol of
rank was smuggled into upper room
Of the palace. and there, from behind
the shutter of a window overlooking
the court. ! secretly witnessed the
death Of I'll Yama and his associates.
When the hour came, the old robber
chieftain with his head erect STROBE
with dignified compOsure to the center
Of the court set aside for the execution
of criminals, followed by his trembling
fellow prisoners. When asked by whose
hand he would die he made no answer.
but calmly unfastened the belt that
held his sword and, laying it upon the
ground, drew from its sheath in the
scabbard the hara-kiri knife. Standing
erect with look of defiance on his face
he plunged the blade deep into his alb
domen and fell with an expiring groan
to the ground.
THE other six culprits who were to
die had no choice. With their hands
bound behind their backs they knelt on
the ground, their heads bent forward
and necks barred. while the headsman.
a big muscular Japanese. picked up TT
Yama's own sword and dispatched
them one after another. 1t Is remark
able what skill a Japanese headsman
attains in his grewsOme work. So ac-
curate is he that the head Is completely
severed from the trunk in one blow. To
fail in this SO that second stroke
would be necessary would result in the
loss of his position and possibly his own
life.
'rhe slaughter effectually broke up
that band Of robbers. Those who es-
capped detection and capture fled from
the country. Among them was TT
Yama's own son, who bore his fathers
name and was supposed to have en-
barked in O vessel bound for America.
one of the condemned men confessed
Just before his death that the band had
adopted peculiar device-the heads Of
five serpents rising from flames OF fire
in the face of the rising sun-as Its Sc
cret emblem. Each member Of the mys-
tic circle had sworn upon old tt Va
mas sword to kill at once anyone upon
whose person or property that symbol