The daily Alaskan., 1905-10-14
Why 0 Japanese
 Boy Went to War
[OrIglnaLl

respondent WlLl lNe LNl'NllNN' "i ny a" Manchuriu l met young officer oc- cupying a very important position on the staff of one of the generals who looked better fitted for the schoolroom than for war. I asked him how one so young happened to come to the front and attain such high rank in the serv- ice and he told me the following story:
 Six months ago I entered our mill tary school. which I have been t5ld was modelled on your school at West Point The boys I found there were all very young because all thr oiIcr ones had been prcmuturcly graduated and sent up hcrc the vacancies being filled by youngsters like myself The officers on duty, too, were very young.
 Coming from the country and not ot the samurai, or, military, class, l knew nothing about the army regulations. scarcely realizing the difference be tween an officer and d cadet. Indeed, at the school there was not much diff ference, some of tho instructors hay Ing been made Ca1cr officers after a years study and put W as drill mas ters. One of them, Lieutenant lshi- mura, q bcardlcSs boy. pu, uu d great many airs and took special pleasure In doing so toward ue. l was very patient under h.s suicturcs. but at last they became uubcdr1b.c, and l rebelled. He kept up a pogTctua. sheer at my marching in the drill squad, and, noticing. OF affecting to notice, that 1 carried my hrl.y forward instead of my chest, h. struck me in tue former, causing me great pain. Under the Impulse Of resentment ar the unjust treatment l knocked him down.
 My act was mutiny. and mutiuy is punishable with death, but Ishimura had no right 10 punch mc as he had done and was puzzled to know what to do In the matter. After cuusulta- ton with several of his brother officers he decided ts teach me a lesson by means of a ulutI That night 1 was taken out of bed and marched silently to a room where sat about a table several cadet officers who proceeded to try me for wu,iuy. They played their parts SD well that was complete ly deceived. When at inc conclusion l was convicted anl sentenced to be shot, l had no douh, tla. the court was bona tide and the s.G,uu.n would really be carried out Tho only thing about it that surprised me wus that ] was to be taken at once Jo a wool near the academy uu1 uN,.ureI. l begged for time to write letter tD any par ents, giving my reasons c." the disgrace I had brought on the family and l..- ding them farewell No attention wIS paid to my request anal, having been placed in tine center of half a dozen cadets, I was marched out of the bar racks. Every now and again some one of the boys who were evidently thrown out as scouts would fall back tO rc- port something ahead. Then one would halt and wait I did not know at the time what they were doing, but learned it all aftcrward. The wood was reached without serious interruption and was placed at the center of an opening In the trees. The cadets were drawn up as a firing squad, and I was asked if I had anything to say before being executed.
 "Only," I replied, that Lieutenant Ishimura is a coward or he would give me an opportunity to fight him on equal grounds before I die"
 There was a consultation in whispers, and was told that Ishimura would meet me We were given swords and set to work. Ishimura had considered me easy to disarm, which would end the contest. but while he was trying only to disGrm me l was trying to kill him before being shot. My situation gave me an unnatural strength and rapldlty of movement. Making des- perate lunge, I pierced his sword arm, rendering it for the time being use l less.
 The youngsters. who were in the wrong from the beginning, were thrown by this into deeper water. Aft CT a hurried consultation was placed again before the firing party and told that my second offensc of wOundmg an officer was worse than the first and I was to be shot at once. 1 was so pleased at the punishment I had given my tormentor that I felt comfOrted. Taking a cigarette from my pocket l lighted 1t and smoked while the firing party were loading their guns. When they raised them and aimed at me I pufTed away, thinking that l was talk ing my last smoke The order to fire was given, there was a flash In my i face and-I stood uuharmcd. The guns had been loaded with blank cartridges.
 "Gentlemen," said the superintend- ent of the academy, stepping from be- hind a tree, this farce has gone far enough. Lieutenant Ishimura. go to your quarters under arrest. As to you," addressing me, Tt Is not expect ed that you should so soon understand subordinatlon. and you have shown natural qualities of a soldier that