Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-09
PRETTY LITTLE JAPANESE
SIGHS FOR FREEDOM
SHIZU TAKAGI LONGS FOR HER
HOME
Jury Have Difficulty in Obtaining
Facts in Case Where Girl Is Ac-
cused of Robbing Her Countryman
of $3.50

ooh, for one more glance of fair
Japan, just one more look at the fields
and flowers and my native Satsuma,
with the butterflies and cherry bios
SONS and the great red sun high
above mel"
Such was the sigh of pretty little
Shizu Takagi, a Japanese slave girl
who is on trial in department one of the
superior court on charge of having
robbed one of her countrymen Of $3.50.
The little maid was very sad yester-
day as she was being led back to her
cell by Bailiff Harrington, and as she
passed from the sunlight into the dark
entrance of the county Jail all the
misery of her condition burst forth in
her sigh for a glance of her own
country.
The tribulations of the girl are dou-
bly, severe and it is expected that the
iurymen will be lenient with her when
the decision is given.
Shizu has been in America scarcely
a year. She was born and reared in
the province of Satsuma, and as a
sacrifice to save her father from fall
ure in business she sold herself to the
master of the kindrome and became a
Geisha girl.
Japanese Defend Girl
Scarcely more than year ago she
bought her liberty and came to Amer
lea, where she intended, according to
her statements, to try and make an
honest living in the boarding house
business.
She had been here little more than
six months when she met an orange
picker named Y. Merito, whom she
alleges told her that he intended to
fix her if she didn't pay him 500
which he had advanced for railroad
expenses.
The couple first went to Barstow,
where Merito was employed at the
Sunrise restaurant. Then they came
to Los Angeles, and while here the
girl was alleged to have taken $3.50
| from Merito.
When the case was called for trial
l yesterday there were 200 Japanese in
! the court room and several Los Angeles
clubs had formed together to assist in
| defending the girl.
Attorney Donnell appeared for the
district attorneys office, while Attor-
ney Frank Allander represented the
| girl
The first five witnesses to the stand
yesterday were those produced by the
prosecution. Merito, the complaining
witness, was first and he positively
denied having been in Barstow at E
certain time alleged by the defense.
Wedding May Follow Liberty
He stated that at that time he wa.
in Fresno, and that he had never seer
the Sunrise restaurant at Barstow."
The other four witnesses testified
that Merito had given the girl $3.50 t
take care of.
Then came the surprise of the day
when the defense produced a number o
witnesses who testified that Merito ant
the girl had been at Barstow on DC
tober 20. These assertions, in direc
contradiction of the defense, were mad
by several white men from Barstow
among them the Wells Fargo agent.
Norton, the agent, stated that h
delivered box containing three boxe
Of white face powder, two sticks o
rouge, three hair brushes and sundr,
, other toilet articles to Merito at tn
Sunrise restaurant and that the arti
Giles We're supposed to be used by tn
girl
The case viii be continued TODAY
but 1t has assumed such eomplicate,
details that the jury will have a har,
time trying to fathom the actual fact
in the case.
T. Koshimo, proprietor Of the res
Itaurant. Is conducting the defense 10