The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-05-06
JAPANESE We're
WILD WITH DELIGHT
Enthusiasm Over Her Seventy
and Seven Heroes Knew
No Bounds.
ALL EXPECTED TO DIE
The Cherry Blossom of Ten Thousand
Deeds" VIII Live, Ne Are Assured,
for Centuries of Generations
to Come.

to Come.
Toxic letter: The Se~vcnty-Seven
Determined Death Body'-such is the
picturesque japanese designation OF
the handful Of volunteers Who took the
fire ships into Port Arthur in the first
attempt to block that harbor.
If H~obSon'S act at Santiago set Amer
lea aSlow with enthusiasm. that deed of
these seventy-seven men has caused
Japan TO so wild with delight. Togo's
victory on the night of February .
caused Nippon to break out into pro-
cessions, but it did not touch the deep
est chords of patriotism as has the ex-
plot of this little band.
The reason is plain. The fleet on the
night of the 9th went into action with
the Idea OF coming out of it more or
less alive; the seVenty-Seven men will
ingly went into the jaws of death,
knowing that the chances were against
their coming out of the hell of shot and
shell alive. They unhesitatingly laid
their lives at the emperor's feet-and
that is the sublimest height OF patriot
ism in Japan.
So the story of the "Scventy-Seyen
Determined Death Body" is being told
all over the islands today under the
title of The Cherry Blossom of Pen
Thousand Deeds" which, in plain Eng
fish, means that these volunteers in
their one act showed the samura valor
mat is usually contained in ten thou
sand Grave deeds.
Stuck to His Post.
One OF the heroic seventy-seven was
mehar Keno and the manner in
which he insisted on doing his duty at
the sacrifice of his life is representative
Of the spirit that actuated his fellows.
Keno was one of the volunteers
from the battleship Yashina, of which
he was second engineer. He was as
signed to the fire boat Busha Maru. and
put in charge of the engine room. AS
the five boats neare the harbor, head
ing SkilfullY for their positions, Il shot
pierced the Busha Maru three feet from
the engine room n disabled the en-
CINE, setting the boat clear off it's
course.
The officer in command, seeing the
hoplessness of trying to do anything
more, ordered the crew to escape in he
small boats. Keno at first refused to
desert his post; he still had an idea
mat he could somehow make his wreck
ed machinery work, and eventually
place the boat. Water flooded the en-
CINE room, and still Keno stood by
his machinery. Finally, with the water
above his waist and With tears in his
eyes. he regretfully responded to he
last call and came on deck. His COM
rades, with shells bursting all about
them, We're alongside in the boats
awaiting his appearance. Just then a
ten-inch shot. fell on the deck of the
drifting fire ship, burst. and Keno was
seen to fall.
A second later several of his COM
radeS had leaped to the deck, and Ken
30, mortally wounded in the abdomen.
was lowered into q boat, which. after
narrowly escaping sinking from the
shells that struck all around it. eventu-
ally reached the Yashima. There. an
hour later, Keno died.
Did Not Die in Vain.
But he did not die in vain. His par
entS IN Osaka gave Il great feast in his
honor; his portrait was dedicated at
the temple, ana the women of Osaka
where Keno ran the streets as a boy,
cutting off their hair in his honor, made
great ropes Of ii and sold them to the
temple, where such ropes are used in
ceremonies II in pulling timbers used
in building temples. The money de-
rived by this sacrifice has been turned
INTO the government war fund; and so
Keno, although he could not place his
ship, materially benefited his country
after all, for big prices were paid by the
priests for ropes of hair, II hundreds
OF Osaka WomepP are minus their
"croWning glory" today.
To the pluck of another of the seycn-
ty-seven a boatload of his comrades
owe their lives. This common sailor
was at the tiller, steering the escaping
BOAT out to sea after the crews failure
to place the fire ship, when a stray
cannon shot struck away the elbow of
the arm that was holding the tiller
jha mans other n1r,, 1,rl
been injured, the boat was drifting in
direct line of the Russian fire, when
he dropped down on his knees.
the tiller in his teeth, and. as if moth
ing had happened, steercd the boat
straight for his battleship. Then, when
ne saw ms comrades safe and sound on
deck, he tainted from loss of blood and
pain.
All Expected to Die.
Such We're two of the Individual deeds
and similar stories could be told of
every man who went in with the fire
ships, not one of whom expected to
come out alive. That is why their last
half hour before climbing up the sides
OF the fire ships was given up to writ
ing letters home; and this letter. writ
ten by sub-Lieutenant Torizaki Vas
uro, who was killed, is a type Of all
the others. 1t was written to his uncle
i'll Toxic.
we are to take fire ships into Port
Arthur to block the Russians. If is a
daring feat, but we are anxious to en-
gage in it. We will show the enemy
the keenness of the sanlurai sword. I
will never see you again in this world.
Give my best regards to the boys. Take
good care of Kiyoshi (his cousin. This
is my final letter to you. Good bye"
The volunteers themselves not alone
realized that they We're going into the
jaws Of death; the whole fleet knew it,
Captain YaShirO of the battleshib
OsaIla, just before the sev~enty-seven
were dispatched on their task. held a
farewell celebration FOR the five volun-
teers from his slip. He piped the crew
on deck. brought out the great silver
ceremonial cup (sakadZuki), given the
Osama by the crown prince, and filled
it with water. This use of water in
stead of sake is significant in Japan,
WheneVe a friend starts on a journey
from which he may not return he
drinks water out of the sakadzuki with
his friends. The crew, then, realized
the full significance of the captains
act. Then the captain spoke, address.
ing himself to the little band marked
out for death:
Ordering you men to bottle up Port
Arthur means sending out loved sons
to taste the gall of death. But if ]
had 100 sons 1 would send all of then
on this adventure. Or if 1 had just one
well beloved son l would appeal for hin
to be sent"
Then, turning ~squarely to the quintet
he continued:
IF you lose your left hand, worl
with the right. If you lose both hands
work with your feet. If both feet are
shot away, work with your head. Obey
all orders respectfully. Do not in any