The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1905-10-05
Why q Japanese
Boy Went to War

While acting as newspaper cor
respondent with the Japanese army In
Manchuria l met a young officer &C.
cupying a very important position on
the staff of one of the generals who
loo.sed better fitted for the schoolroom
than for war. | 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 l entered our mill
harry school, which l have been told
was modelled on your school at West
Point. The boys l found there were
all very young, because all the older
ones had been prematurely graduated
and sent up here, the vacancies being
filed by youngsters like myself. Tho
officers on duty, too, were very young.
Coming from the country and not of
the samurai, or, military. class, I knew
nothing about the army regulations,
scarcely realizing the difference be-
tween an officer and a cadet. Indeed,
at the school there was not much diff
ference, some of the instructors hay
Ing been made cadet officers after q
years study and put In as drill mas
tiers. One of them, Lieutenant Ishi-
mura, a beardless boy. put on a great
many airs and took special pleasure
In doing so toward me. l was very
patient under his structures. but at
last they became unbearable, and /
rebelled. He kept up a perpetual
sneer at my marching In the drill
squad, and, noticing, or affecting to
notice, that l carried my belly forward
instead of my chest he struck me In
the former, causing me great pain.
the unjust treatment l knocked him
down.
My act "a mutiny, and mutiny is
punishable with death, but Ishimura
had no right to punch me as he had
done and was puzzled to know what
to do in the matter. After ~consuita-
ton with several Of his brother officers
he decided TO teach me a lesson by
means of q bluff. That night l 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 mutiny. They played
their parts so well that I was complete
ly deceived. When at the conclusion I
WIS convicted and sentenced to be
shot, l had no doubt that the court
was bona ide and the sentence would
really be carried out. The only thing
about 1t that surprised me was that /
was to be taken at once to a wood nea
the academy and executed. / begged
for time to write a letter to my par
ents, giving my reasons for the disgrace
| bad brought on the family and bid
dir:s them farewell. No attention was
paid TO my request, and, having been
PLACED in the center Of half a dozen
Gao cts, | was marched out of the bar
RAGS. Every now and again some N
of The boys who were evidently thrown
out as scouts would fall back to re-
port something ahead. Then n would
hale and wait. | did not know at the
tine what they We're doing, but learned
1t all afterward. The wood was
preached without serious interruption
and l was placed ut the center of an
opening In the trees. The cadets were
drawn up as a firing squad, and I was
asked If | had anything to say before
being executed.
"Only." l replied, that Lieutenant
Ish,mura Is n coward or he would give
me an opportunity to fight him on
equal grounds before / die"
There was a consultation in whispers,
and | was told that Ishimura would
meet me. We were given swords and
set 10 work. Ishimura had considered
me easy to disarm, which would end
the contest, but while he was trying
only TO disarm me / was trying to kill
him before being shot. Ny situation
gave me an unnatural strength and
rapi lily of movement. Making a des-
perate lunge, I pierced bis sword arm.
reno erlng it for the time being use
less.
Tie youngsters, who were in the
wrong from the beginning, were
thrown by this into deeper water. Aft
er q hurried consultation l was placed
again before the firing party and told
that my second offense of wounding
uu OliCeE was NOISc lldn Lle uTSl di4Q
I was to be hot at once. I was SO
pleased at the punishment 1 had given
my tormentor that | felt comforted-
Taking q cigarette from my pocket I
lighted 1t and smoked while the firing
parry were loading their guns. When
they raised them and aimed at me I
puffed away. thinking that l was TAX
ing my last smoke. The order to fire
was given. there was a fash In my
face and-I stood unframed. The guns
had been loaded with blank cartridges.
Gentlemen" said the s~uperintend-
ent of the academy. stepping from be-
hind a tree, this farce has gone far
enough. Lieutenant Ishlmura. go to
your quarters under arrest. AS to
YOU" addressing me, at Is not expect
ed that you should 50 soon understand
subordlnatlon, and you have shown