The Bottineau courant., 1904-06-24

eted Victoria cross of Great Britain.
There are seven classes Of the order,
and each grade dignifies some more
valorous act Of the recipient. Its be-
stowal generally raises the decorated to
the peerage, If he be not already there,
and sometimes carries with it SUBJ
stantial bounty in the shape of pen
sion. This pension. however, seems to
have gone, with one exception, only to
the princes Of the imperial family that
have been decorated; suggesting there
by the delicate tact SO common among
the higher classes of the Japanese.
Three OF the officers who participated
In the hrst successful torpedo boat :at-
tack upon the Russian feet in Port
Arthur won the distinguished service
order Of the Golden Kite, and well
they deserved II, for the undertaking
demanded all Of the desperate courage
of q forlorn hope. To one OF those
men, the engineer officer whose fright
ful wounds proved fatal a few hours
afterward, the news Of the emperor's
gift was speeded by wireless te-
Biography just as he breathed his last
aboard the japanese hospital ship,
homeward bound.
The origin Of the order is decidedly
picturesque. In the memorable naval
engagement. now commonly known as
the battle Of the Yalu, between China
and Japan in 1894, when from noon to
set of sun ON that fateful 17th Of Sep
tember the Dragon waged Q. losing
light with the Rising Sun. was born the
Inspiration OF the order Of the Golden
Kite. At the close Of day, as the Taxa
chino, battle stained and begrimed,
rested after that awful struggle, some
thing flashed seaward from the sky,
and after a moments lowering q
large bird Of the hawk family was
seen to perch upon the Takachiho's sig
nal staff. The bird proved to be kite.
The commanding officer, Captain No
mura-Tei, ordered one Of the crew to
catch the bird. which, contrary to ex-
pectation, proved an easy task. for the
hawk, unmoyed by the mans approach.
seemed, only too willing to be made a
captive. The crew, with true sailorly
superstition. welcomed the bird with
enthusiasm and the belief that 1t was
a heaven sent messenger and gave It
every care. Z ~
d, When the feet returned to Taidong-
gang, Commander Saito Minaru was
sent by the emperor to congratulate
the feet upon its signal victory. On
hearing from Captain Nomura-Tei Of
the Takachiho about the kite he took
the bird back with him to the imperial
military headquarters, where he had
the honor Of presenting the hawk to
his majesty. The mikado promptly
named the bird Takachiho, after the
vessel upon which It had alighted. and
had 1t placed with some little ceremony
In the imperial gardens at Tokyo.
To the lover OF omens the coincidence
of the bird aiighting upon the particu-
lar ship It did for Takachiho/ is espe-
cially significant In the legendary his
tory Of Japan--was deemed unusually
propitiOus. Takachiho is the name OF
the place where the divine ancestor
drst set his foot on descending to
Japan, and the kite. seemingly coming
straight from the skies and alighting
upon the namesake ship of that an
ciently hallowed spot, seemed fraught
with the happiest augury and appeared
as messenger Of praise to the battle
stained warriors Of the mikado's feet.
On the strength OF the old legend and
the coming Of the bird the mikado es-
Av l. ~