Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-18


and his men choteki (traitors) in the eyes of he
nation. N'0' u '"e
Mori came to an instant decision Even AZ The
eo91 OF the utter failure Of the storming of the
Epalace; such false position must be avoided
committing the ASSAULT of the western oato 70 a
young officer and bidding his picked samurai fol
low nun, he seized the horse an attendant held
Ior INN, and galloped around the angle of the
| palace wall w
when he came within sight Of the central
s s.. OF inc eastern wall, Mor saw that Toro
weary1ng OF the slowness of his pioneers had
ordered his artillery to batter down the doors
One small voley had been fired when the Prince
I,olng 1ercely at the men serving the guns. beat
then down with the fiat Of his sword
| you must not fire."
Sheepishly the gunners picked themselves up.
as che horses dragged the pieces to one side.
Morl dlsmounting. strobe up to Toro now
standing abashed before the very gate he was
to storm.
''You are superseded" roared the enraoed
Nor. Il give the command to-"
with quick, almost approximately nervous
movement. the gates were thrust aside from
within The black muzzles Of cannon threatened
inc now disorganized division Of the Irregulars
After me-" cried Mort
flying leap carried him across the line ~
cannon. Out from their mouths belched their
| lire. The invaders were swept aside Mori.
striking terrible blows about him, ordered his
men to advance, when the Shotgun cannon were
withdrawn, and body of horsemen. with saw.
age cries, rushed from within the palace, driving
before them and scattering the survivors Of
| Toro's division.
horse felled Mort and tossed him aside. As
ne struck the ground gigantic samurai seized
MS motionless form, threw it across his shoulder
and carried IL into the group Of palaces.
Ihe body of chosen samura who had followed
Mori more slowly because on foot, now came
up and made disheartening stand. A terri
BILE cry arose that carried dismay disoreaniza-
ton, and defeat to all divisions of the Irrepulars
"The Shining Prince is taken! Mort is killed."
was shouted by witless member of Toro's
division
Taken up by others, the report came to the
officers in whose charge the various divisions had
been placed. Although Ogur made every effort
to carry cohesion throughout the force. the shout
had done its work Mort the Shining Prince,
their 1nvlncibe leader, was dead, thought the
rank and file. All was lost. With such q spirit
to combat, the officers could do nothing
A superstitious fear that the gods had deserted
them entirely for their sacrilegious act of at
lacking the palace of their representatives on
EARTH the divine Mikado, added terror to the
| Irregulars.
Some little advantage was gained here and
there by charges into the gardens of the palace
but the great force of Aidzu easily repelled them
Then pouring out into the Streets the army of
chastisement, under the young Prince of Nfito,
cut asunder the already divided and leaderless
the Imperial Enclosure the centre of battle rolled
The cavalry of Mort, dashing about compactly,
made charges that were intended to rally the
men of Choshui, but fruitlessly They alone, of
all the bodies of the Mori army, hung together.
The Shotgun troop, having seized the cannon
of Toros division, turned them upon the Impe-
rialiste. Fresh troops, ordered to the palace
some days before by Aidzu, now arriving over
whelmed by sheer swamping effect the artillery
of NIori, once their fire drawn. Most of
r.. - H.
shogunates
As the flood of fighting men surged through
the city of Kioto in diverse, disintegrating direc
tions, fire ngulfed large portions Of the city. A
gale sprang up from the west, tanning the work
of incendiarism and Houses, squares
streets yashish5is of the visiting daimios, whole
districts were destroyed. while the balSufu fol-
lowers cannonaded and beat to pieces the public
store.houses, lest some Choshu men should find
hiding there. The lowy Eta in their peaceful
villages were driven out and their houses con.
sumed before the breath of angry war. An I'M
peraI city fell almost to ashes and ruin in day
and night
But scattered and isolated as they were, the
valorous men Of Choshui they recovered
themselves from the disaster of the palace, made
a last, Wild determined resistance.
A party under Toro. now insane with grief
occupied house after house and building after
building as with their rifles they brought down
the enemy during a slow retreat when they fred
every edifice they were forced to abandon.
Darkness drew no kindly curtain over the
red heated stage of action. The light Of vast
confagrations gave sufficient illumination for
sword to meet sword in shock broken only by
death. The houseless, homeless residents Of
the city, non-combatants, fleeing to the hills for
their lives deepened the tragedy Of the scene.
In the confusion of this isolated series Of bat.
Ties Oguri had come upon the cavalry division.
Vaulting into an empty saddle, he took com.
mand Dfused as the avenging wave of the
Young Mito had now become it could be broken
through in some single spot, 0guri believed. The
balsufu men thought only of attack, not of be.
ing attacked
Through quarter Of the town as yet un.
touched by the fury of either party, Oguri led
the cavalry back towards the palace. Coming
But with his meeting Toro he had CHANGED upon
a fighting zone. Through the cleared space on
which still smouldered the ruins Of buildings
fired by Toro, Oguri directed a charge against
the infantry opposed to him. and passed on In
/ this way, Oguri gained gradually passage 10.
wards the palace. Whenever he came to re.
gion of houses from which he attacked Toro
and his followers, become pioneers and sappers,
| leveled and set fire to them, clearing the way
| for a new charge of Oguris horse.
| Slowly, still undiscovered by the main body
| of the enemy, they reached the palace.
| Gray, dismal, haggard dawned the day,
though fearing to look with sun eyes upon the
| horror wrought by dark night. From the burn.
| ING city great mists of smouldering debris hast
ened to veil, as though in sympathy, the eyes Of
the lord Of day.
| To He Continued Next sunday