The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1912-09-14
JAPANESE


personally received General sso-...r,
DroposAl 10 surr<ndsr Port Arthur
The Counties Nogi vac . daughter
on fuchi Sedayukf. Q Bamusra of
kagoshima chan
General Count Maresuke MOI IN.
preme military councillor OF the en-.
pfre. and his wife. the Countess Noef.
commftf9d suicide tonight. In accord
snce WIN the ancient japanese eus-
TOM - nnai tribute TO their depart.
cd emperor and friend. Mutsuhito.
The death By their own hands of TIE
famous general and his wife We a.
dramatic ~ Il was sad. The general
cut his throat with q short sword and
ne countess committed Hari Kari
10 . eamusrsi Custom.
Following the Samuerai custom. the
couple had carefully prepared their
plans for killing themselves and
timed them so that they would coin
ctdent with the departure from Toxic
or the dead emperor. General Nogi
and tho countess had attended the fu-
neral services Of Mutsuhito at the
palace here today. and IL was expected
that they would proceed TO Aoyama to-
night with the cortege. Instead, how.
mony at the palace they withdrew to
their modest home in Akaisaka. A
suburb of Toxic, and there began their
final preparations for death.
First the general wrote a letter TO
his new emperor. Yoshohito. which
later was found beside his body. Then
he drAped In mourning n portrait on
the wall OF the late emperor and after
wards he and his wife dressed them
selves In full Japanese costume and
drank q farewell cup of sac from cups
which had been presented to the gen
eral by Mutsuhito.
Signal to Die.
Darkness had fallen and General
Nogt and the countess sat and waited
the signal they had agreed upon To
announce their leave taking. This
was the booming OF a single gun In
the palace grounds at Toxic which was
TO let the people know that the body of
the emperor was starting on the fu-
neral car for it's last resting place.
"A the boom OF the gun resounded
through the clear still night, General
Nogt arose and grasping In his hand
throat, while the countess stabbed
herself through the body. A student
who resided in the Nogi home heapd
the fall OF the bodies and rushed In to
the room. Lying upon the floor were
the hero of Port Arthur and his wife,
both still alive and breathing, but their
spasmodic gasps showed plainly that
death was near. The student hurried
for aid. but when he returned with IL
both the general and the countess
were dead.
Profound Sensation.
The tragedy created a profound SEN
sation. and expressions OF sorrow
were heard on every hand. Especially
grief stricken was Prince Arthur Of
Connaught. the special envoy OF Great
Britain TO the funeral OF Mutsuhito.
Prince Arthur was to have gone with
General Nogi tomorrow to the former
capital OF the Shogunate, Kamakura-
Those who knew General Nog well
declare that his calmness in killing
tonight was the kind OF stoi-
cism he always had displayed. no mat
ter what crisis faced him. They IN
stanced the famous charge OF the jap
anese up 203 Metre Hill during the
Russo-Japanese war. when. as COM
mander OF the Japanese third army.
Nogi saw the Russians NOW down his
forces in hundreds. among them two
of his own sons. and quietly and fear
lessly continued the battle, taking the
hill and eventually being handed the
OF General Storsel at Port
Arthur.