Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-07
OYAMA THE YOUTH.
Japanese Commander as . SchooIboy
in This Country.

rochester, NOV. Ut ltlu Marshall
Oyama, who is in command of the
japanese armies in Manchuria, was
once pupil i'm the Temple Hill School
at Geneseo, n. Y, and there are a.
number of old residents in Geneseo and
Rochester who remember the famous
Japanese warrior as young man.
Oyama came to Geneseo with Keku-
jero Saiga, who later became a count
and lost his life in the Chino-Japanese
War
Walter G. Patterson, one of Geneseo's
leading residents, remembers Oyama,
and relates many amusing experiences
OF the young Japanese, whom he de-
scribes as an understood boy of fifteen.
heavy set, but bright eyed and keen
witted.
II am perhaps the first man who saw
Oyama under fire" said Mr.. Patterson,
the other day. "Eight miles from the
school is ConesuS Lake. On Saturday
mornings crowds of students who liv-
ed in the third hall started afoot for
| the lake. Midway was peach Or
| chard belonging to Temp Campbell
which was a favorite place with us
boys. On the morning I refer to-
while climbing Il fence. Oyama WAS
the last over. Suddenly Mr.. Camp
| bell appeared with a shotgun. He took
| aim at Oyama and fired Il charge of
rock salt into his body. Oyama stood
| the pain StOically as one of the for
| tunes of war to be encountered when
raiding peach orchards. Oy;ima ard
Saiga readily caught onto all the
schoolboy tricks, from tying IL COW to
| the school bell rope to locking teach
erS in wardrObes.
1.-THE first instance | recall after the
two boys were enrolled was a put up
| job on them by other students. AS
| usual. however, the Japs came out
victorious, while we We're discounted.
Oyama and Saiga could speak little
English at that time. On Saturday the
boys wanted to get permission to go
off grounds and go into the country
after Shellbarks. 1t was against the
rules of the academy for the students
to leave the corporate limits of the
town. and to do so we had to work
the teachers. Oyama and SaigV, were
anxious to accompany us. The rest or
us thought we saw our chance to have
a little fun without doing any one amy
harm, so we told Oyama that II. d.
Gregory in full meant 'Hunkee Doree'
Gregory. and that ]. j. Jones was
Jumping Jack Jones. and that both
We're titles of great respect. akin to
'your honor and your reverence We
then told Oyama to go to the prlncl-
pals and address them as Mister Hun
ke Doree' and Mister Jumping Jack.
This they did. The result was that
the professors tumbled to the trick and
nrrarged IA nutting holiday for Oyama
and Saga, while the rest of us were
kept in bounds all day.
II never saw Oyama more enthu-
siastic than one night when all the
seniors who roomed on the third floor
of the dormitory building put up
lob on 'Hunkee Doree.' who was very
strict. and had ordered that there be
no loud noise after 9 p. m. The boys
provided themselves with fish horns
as a preliminary. The stairs leading
to the third hall entered at the door
suuarely out of the sidewalk from the
floor below and were consequently easy
to barricade. After nine O'CLOCK
Ovama and the rest of the seniors
n,oved q portable wardrobe against
this opening from the lower floor win
the door of the wardrobe open. All
this was in the dark. so that an! one
coming upstairs would walk SquarelH
into the wardrobe. When everything
was in readiness the boys raised
rumpus and blew the horns ana the
professor came rushing up and right
into the wardrobe. which was prompt
ly swung around and the door 1asteii-
ed.
"The professor finally kicked MS
way out. but not before oyama haa
haw-hawed and got off lot OF pigeon
English announcing his keen deilsnt
with the result that he was brought
before the faculty next day, when ne
solemnly declared that he had h'oNeo
the wardrobe into it's place as trap
all by himself He refused absolutely
to implcate any Of tie rest or us. Inc
wardrobe weighed about three nun,
dred pounds. and Oyama alone could
not have budged it,