The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-03-18
CAPT. WIITFIELD'S WAIF
ROMANCE OF A JAP LAD WHO Be
CAME IMPORTANT IN THE ORIENT.
The Whaling Skipper Rescued the Boy
Castaway From Impending Death or a
Tocle In the Pacitic-HrouSht Him
Home aud Eluca.el Him.

AO6 " ualIl~ SAiptcF NeHSoc't tho A'oJ
Castaway From Impending Death oI. a
1;ock In tho Pacitic-HrouSht Him
Home and Educated Him.
Marcellus P. Whitfield, OF Fair
haven, Mass, received handsomely
engraved invitation to be present at
the recent reception given on board
the new japanese cruiser Kasagi built
by the Cramps at Philadelphia. The
invitation was from the officers of tue
cruiser, and included Mr.. Whitfeld'<
whole family. Not knowing any one
upon the Kasagi, tie invitation was c
mystery until the next day, when al
explanation came in the form OF let
ter from keiZaburo Nakahama, Chic
Paymaster of the ship. The writer
stated that he was the third son oI
Manjiro Nakahema, Of Toxic, Japan.
who had been t'ken care of and edu
Gated by Mr.. Whitliell's father, master
of the ship John Howlend, iu 1S41.
"Under this circumstance" he says.
81 have been commissioned to find
your address by my father, as J have
been sent in official service, and to re-
port all about the Captains family
1t seems that Captain William Ii.
Whitfield, master of ship John How
land, Of Fairhaven, while cruising in
the Japan Sea in 1910 or 1871 sighted
O bare rock in the midst OF the sea aud
found five nearly starved Japanese
sailors cliuging to it fer dear life.
They had been there something like
seventy days, and all the food they
had been able to get was such birds as
they could kuock down with clubs and
stones. The Captain rescued them
and carried them to Honolulu. The
youngest of them, a boy about fifteen
years old, begged to be allowed to re-
main aboard the ship, and the Captain
finally consented. He was q bright
boy, learned the language rapidly an |
soon became quite faSorite on board.
By the time the ship reached Fair
haven Captain Whitfield was consid-
erably attached, to the boy, and deter
mined to give: Kim such an education
as'the town afforded. And in that
decision Captain Whitfield conferred a
fer greater benefaction on Japan and
the whole OF civilization: Shan he
imagined. -
The boy was Nakahama Maniiro,
though he had received the American
nickname j..John Num-" ah ''John
Mungero.'' he was pug into the
towl [, ools. where he Bas an apt
parS lesrn;;rA. tass53-1sfszsiaars zsiiiaars s,auY .=oi
the Yankee lads. His res
.ssse period of about six
before he left the town he hs =
q uatul allied American citizen. There
was always some prejudice against
him, for he was looked upon as COL
ored lad, and the color line was sharp.
ly drawn in those days. When he
sought to attend church with Captain
Whitfield, for instance, he was refused
permission till he went to the Unitar-
ian, and there he was taken in wit:
something like equality, though not
till committee had been appointed
to look into the question Of his color
and standing.
In 1916 or 1877 he made q voyage
whaling in the Ozark Franklin, and be-
came somewhat of q navigator. Then
came the gold ie-er in Califo mia,
and the young Jap-Amerlcan sailed
for San Francisco. But lie remained
in tie mines only few months. Be-
ing so far on his way to the land of
his birth led him to long for one more
look Mt the old life, and once more to
visit his parents. But the law OF
Japan at that time placed death
penalty on any native who had left his
country and returned after visiting
foreign lands. Still he determined
to brave the consequences aud boldly
set sail, stopping at Honolulu, where
be was joined by four of his country
men, two of them of the same parry
with him when rescued by Capital
Whitfield.
Nakahama's accomplishments caused
him to be made Samuri, or wearer
or two swords. He translated Bow
ditch's Navigator" logaritthius and
all, into his native language, and was
of immediate service to his country IS
On Interpreter in treaty making. He
developed the navy, and was the first
native japanese to navigate ship out
of sight OF land in accordance with
the laws OF navigation. He was stead
lily advanced by royal order, and dur
ing the Franco -Prussian war WAS one
of the seven commissioners sent by
the A1ikado to observe war move
ments in Europe. He ct this time
bore the rank of Post Captain IN the
navy, an Office high in the Admiralty.
at the close of these hostilitiesy III
1870, Nakahama took the opportu atty
to visit America, aud he lost no time
in calling on his old friends in New
Bedford and FairhaveD. Ee was
warmly received, ana one can imagine
the feelings OF Captain Whitfield rs
he graspel the hand Of the Japanese
statesman whom he Lad saved, Il poor
sailor boy, from a slre death IN tAe
Pacific
Since his visit to this couitrT o"sA'
:,. ;>oc l>ca., bno-fI f..rr.. Nakn;.n.,i..