The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1904-12-24
WORK o 4 b d CIR SS.


HOW JAPANESE I, n, FUNDED ARE.
s 5z5s q 5s:s CARED FOR
Splendid Service Being Rendered to
the. Mikado BY the Nurses OF the
Famous &: Order injured 81 Soldiers
Rapidly Attain to =convalescenee. u
The Red Cross Society of Japan is
national organization, hence all its
hospitals are in use to-day for con-
Valescent soldiers from Sasebo and
Hiroshima. g. ~ -s..,.:. n f.. Up l.. II
Last week visited the NRed Cross
hospital in the Kopmachi district with
a committee from Imon Fujin Kwai
Ladies' Aid Society consisting of
the Warehouses Oyama, Warehouses
Nateshima, Baroness Matsudaira, Bar
oness Senge and Nine. Chinda. It
was one Of the most interesting and
instructive experiences of the sum-
mer. "a. ~:
First we were ushered into the in
dividual rooms of. the officers, with
whom the Japanese ladies. exchanged
few remarks. With but few excep-
tons these men were wounded at
Nanshan. They said little of the
bloody day, as if they would put it
from them.
We paused at the door of each
ward, bowed to the inmates, and then
listened eagerly to all the surgeon
general could tell. A row of low iron
bedsteads, each with mattress, sheets
and scarlet blankets extended along
each side of the room, and on these
patients sat in Japanese fashion, on
their heels, and bowed low as the
party approached. They wore un-
bleached muslin kimonos with red
cross on the left arm and sat with
doWncast eyes in manner peculiar
to the Japanese when in the presence
OF elders or superiors.
The descriptive list of each patient,
with the outline of a mans figure,
showing where he was wounded, the
entrance and exit of bullet, etc., lay
on the bunk, and when it was a case
OF special interest, from a professional
standpoint, the surgeon-general dis.
cussed it with the attending surgeon,
and in several instances the patient
was told to open his kimono and show
the wound. 1t seemed impossible that
those small scars could have been
made in so deadly way. And the
freaks of those Russian bullets battle
description.
Pausing before one splendidly built
sturdy fellow the surgeon showed us
four wounds through back, breast,
arm and wrist. He had been a. scout
on the Yalu.
In the cold gray dawn of a March
morning he was making his way back
to kuroki's headquarters from the en-.
emy's lines, with two comrades who
had. shared the perilous mission.
They had reached a narrow stream,
when, suddenly, shots from, behind
showed they were seen by the enemy.
One of the brave fellows fell dead
In the stream. It is not the business
Of scouts to- fight, but to report oh.
servations, SO the two others dashed
across to the opposite bank, when a
shot struck number two and he fell.
The uninjured scout flung him
across his back and plunged into the
bushes, hoping to escape, but was
pursued and shot four times. With
superhuman strength he staggered
along, his bleeding companion all the
while beseeching to be left behind.
But the brave fellow knew that the
Japanese camp was very near, and
pressed on. At last he was forced
to drop his burden, remembering the
vital news he had to impart, and with
one last effort reached Kuroki's lines.
More dead than alive he poured out
his story and then lapsed into uncon-
seriousness. For time his life hung
in the balance, but youth and strength
prevailed, and there he sat before us,
sturdy young soldier, ready to re-
turn to his emperors service, despite
four bullet wounds.
Another curious case was that of a
young fellow, badly cut about the
head and ears.
"See what those ungrateful Coreans
did! They threw stones at this man
and nearly killed hin!" was the
Warehouses Oyama's remark to me
as the surgeon-general told his story.
Thus for two hours we passed from
one ward to the other, impressed
more and more by the hearty condi.
ton of the wounded. Unlike the sick,
they have no long period of conva.
| lescence Once their wounds heal
they are we'll men, and it has been
| demonstrated that no other soldiers
recover so quickly from wounds as
the Japanese, their physical condition
being attributed to the nature of the
| Japanese ration.