The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1914-05-09

In a few moments the prisoner
came in, dressed in the usual japanese
dress OF a person OF rank, accompa-
MED by the executioner. who was his
pupil and most intimate friend He
walked with a steady, firm step IN
front Of the altar, where he kneIt In
prayer He then arose and went to
the red cloth, where he knelt and
made the confession that he was the
officer that ordered his troops TO fire
upon the foreigners and also TO fire
upon them when they were trying to
escape and that he was sorry for
what he had done
He then dfsrobed himself TO his
waist and reached out for knife that
was near him, which he thrust into
his bowels and drawing it toward his
right side, and leaning forward at the
same time the executioner, with one
blow from his sword, severed his head
from his body. This occurred at
about 1880 p. N
The Japanese then bowed to the
floor. on which we all die the same
We were then asked if We were salts
fed with what we had witnessed, when
We replied in the Affirmative.
After the lapse OF a few moments
we were informed that all was over,
when we arose and took our departure
The whole scene was one of great sol
emnity and very impressive.
Very respectfully,
Your Obedient servant,
u BLAKELEY CREIGHTON.
Commander"
What War Really Means.
Let US hope we viii have peace
again soon. The jingoes are not found
among the veterans. War is worse
than Sherman said it was. This de-
scription, which I copy from the In
| dependent, is all too true:
No more thunder Of artillery, no
more blare Of trumpets, no more beat
of drums; only the low moan OF pain
and the rattle of death. In the
trampled ground some redly-glimmeF-
| ing pools. lakes Of blood; all the crops
| destroyed, only here and there q piece
OF land left untouched, and still Gov
cred with stubble; the smiling villages
of yesterday turned into ruins and
| rubbish. The treec burned and hacked
/ in the forests, the hedges torn with
| grapeshot. And on this battle-ground
dead and dying-lying without aid No
| blossoms of flowers are to be seen on
wayside or meadow; but sabers. bayo-
nets, knapsacks, cloaks. overturned
ammunition wagons, powder wagons
blown into the air, cannon with broken
carriages Near the cannon. whose
muzzles are black with smoke, the
ground is bloodiest. There the great
est number and the most mangled OF
dead and half-dead men are lying lit
orally torn to pieces with shot; and
the dead horses and the half-dead
which raise themselves on their feet
| such as they have left them-to sink
| again; then raise themselves up once
| more and fall down again, till they
| only raise their heads to shrek out
| their pain-laden death-cries. There is
| a hollow way quite filled with corpses
trodden into the mire. The poor crea-
| lures had taken refuge there, no doubt
to get cover, but battery had driven
over them, and they have been crushed
| by the horses hoofs and the wheels
Many Of them are still alive-a pulpy,
bleeding mass, but still alive"
It is impossible to depict it aceu-
rately. Flies were feeding on their
open wounds, which were covered with
them; their gaEe, flaming with fever.
| wandered about asking and seeking
for some help-for refreshment, for
water and bread! Coat, shirt, fesh
and blood formed in the case Of most
of them one repulsive mass. Worms
were beginning to generate in this
mass and to feed on them. horrible
odor filed every place. All these sol
diers were lying on the bare ground;
only few had got a little straw on
which they could repOse their miser
able bodies Some who had nothing
under them but clayey, swampy
ground had half-sunk into the mud 1t
formed-they had not the strength to
get out of it.
In Masloved, a place Of about fifty
houses, there were lying. eight days
after the battle, about zoo wounded
It was not so much their shrieks Of
agony as their abandonment without
any consolation which appealed to
heaven. In one single barn alone sixty
Of these poor wretches were crowded
Every one of their wounds had orig
nally been severe, but they had be
come hopeless in consequence of their
unassisted condition, and their want
Of nursing and feeding; almost an
were gangrenOus. Limbs crushed by
shot formed now mere heaps OF pa-
Uefying flesh, faces mere mass Of
cOagulated blood, covered with filth,
in which the mouth was represented
by a shapeless black opening. from
which fTightful groans kept yelling
out. The progress Of the putrefaction
separated whole mortified pieces from
these pitiable bodies The living were
lying close TO dead bodies which had
begun to fall into putrefaction. and
for which the worms were getting
| ready