The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-07-30
DEATH BRINGS END
TO CAREER OF THE
JAPANESE EMPEROR
Crown Prince Automatically
Becomes Ruler of Isles
of Nippon II
LOSS OF GREAT MAN
MOURNED BY NATION'
Thousands Fill Palace Parks!
Offering Prayers Before n
Life of Mutsuhito Be- i
comes Extinct n

121st emperor of Japan, and prob-4
ably the greatest man the Isles Oh
Nippon have produced, died at forty<3
three minutes past midnight THU
morning. The ailment which killed.
him was acute nephritis, and whenq
the end came he had been unconsciou1d
for tw enty-four hours. n
Yoshihito. crown price Of JaTan/
automatically became emperor sIn-A
medlately on his fathers death, and
was at once proclaimed through the
streets as ruling anikado, but Will not
be crowned for several months. on
not until the period Of mourning IN
passed, the length OF which will bed
decreed by the elder statesmen
Though the Emperor Mutsihfto'1
Illness first became serious on Jufyfy
18th, he has been suffering from q
complication of diseases Affecting thed3
digestive organs for several years. H0l
has been able to eat but Nttloa4
during much Of this time, and whems
the acute stage of the disease waSd
reached, he could not muster thod
strength to combat 1t successfully
About ten days ago, however. It waa3
announced that court physicians hadl
little hope of his recovery. and since1
that time every effort that advanced
medical science could suggest WASH
used In the attempt to prolong hiaa
life.
All Japan was intensely interested
in the rulers condition. and for the
past two days, since 1t was announc-l
ed that oxygen, a. salt solution, and
other artificial methods were being
used to prolong his life. business In
| this city has been almost at stands
| still Members Of the cabinet have rel
4vnA34 xpaf -
ace, while for forty-eight hours the
| empress has kept her vigil at the side
of her dying husband
Princes Summoned.
The imperial princes We're summons
ed to the mikado's room in the palace
Sunday night, when the royal pal
tents pulse had reached 1870. andi
was extremely weak and irregular. Its
was then evident that the end was
near. A throng of ten thousand faith
| full subjects had gathered outside th6j
palace gates and then by order Of the3
empress, these gates were thrownt
open. the thousands swarmed fnl
| across the lawns praying on bended1
knees beneath the trees. yet maintains
| ing perfect silence as bulletin after
| bulletin appeared from the PHYSICIANS
| at the bedside of the dying ruler. j
Society Life stilied.
| American Ambassador Charles Page
| Bryan and practically all the other
diplomats stationed in Toxic. called ats
! frequent intervals all day Sunday. Ine
society life or the capital was at a
standstill, and Japanese officials byM
scores from all parts of the countrysj
called at the palace to learn first hand3
of the condition of the beloved mikado-s
The stricken ruler made remarks
able flght against death, which hovere0
over him several days. Although ho'l
had been unconscious since dawn, he,d
made GONE occasional feeble move-1a
ments with hand or tongue, whenever
his lips were moistened while his
rapid, though feeble. breathing shows
ed that he was making a supremo1
struggle.
The dead emperor, who has beenfi
called the Peter the Great" OF Japan.
would have been sixty years Old N0-S
vember 3rd next n
While he has been ruler of the coun-i
| try for the past forty-three years, hin
work has been quietly and unostentA-i
tiouslv done through his cabinet menu
berg and his heads of departments. sos
that he has rarely appeared In thoi
| light of house affairs. He lived lie
| of comparative seclusion. yet was De-
loved by all classes of his subjects. ar
attested by the enormous tnron4A
which thronged the streets OF Toxic
mourning his death. One attempt was
made on his life. in 1911. Twelve OF
the anarchists concerned In the plot
were executed and others Imprisoned
| for long terms. The emperors dynAsty
In perhaps the Oldest on earth. having
been in existence 1850 years.
The young man who becomes em-s
peror is himself Just recovering from
| a severe Illness and this added to
| grief over his fathers death, has AL
most Frustrated him.
| Official announcement OF the death
of Mutsuhto and the accession OF To-
shihito has been sent to all the COVE
ernments OF the world
| Father Of Modern Japan.
| His imperial majesty. Mutsuhitos
was the one hundred and twenty -nrSt
emperor OF Japan. He was born a
Kyoto on the 3rd of November, 1854
and was the second son of the EnA-
peror Komei. In 1850. seven years BE-
fore his fathers death, he was de-
clared heir apparent. He ascende6
the throne as boy of fifteen, and on
that occasion gave his solemn prom
| ise to grant some form of representnes
tive government. HE fulfilled th4os
| promise In the most liberal manner
| and thus gave to his country its new
| birth He Is acclaimed by the entire
world as the father OF modern Japan
Under the reign or the late mfkhdoi
Japan underwent almost miraculouo}
changes. From the Very irst he dis
played intuitive genius In fashtonin4
| the political affairs Of his people ana
| In forging out the destiny of his enn-I
pire.
So deeply did he impress his cwn5
! countrymen that they have. almOg&
| with enc accord. proclaimed him tn
| greatest man Of his generation. ana
some OF them 50 30 far a. 70 sAy -
| all time. No. .s s S
| Rapid proprsss Mede. W
Although Mutsuhito did mot ~ dFr
fContinued On Thar1 1nnoN S}S'