, 1923-10-31
Wife OF AMERICAN AMBASSADOR WRITES VIVID
ACCOUNT OF EARTHQUAKE IN Japan TO COUSIN
in POWELL; A khERICAS QUICK AID HAS WON
FRIENDSHIP OF The LITTLE BROWN PEOPLE

of ~smouldering ruins. Every house
in the compound was RACED to the
ground, and only the tall brick Chin
ney was standing. In the background
the chief servant was standing guard
over our trunks, like the chauffeur
with the car had moved from place
to place as the wind veered. This is
a sample of the japanese character.
That day headquarters were estab-
lished in the Imperial hotel, one of
the few large building to escape,
and that night we slept in the court
yard, on a mattress thrown on the
ground. However, we were quite
comfortable, as the weather was
rather warm and pleasant.
From nov on comes the pictur-
esque and unique side of our exper-
fences. We moved into an old his
toric japanese farm house that was
than 800 years old Colder than
our own country and owned by a
prominent Japanese friend of ours
who kept it up more as an heirloom
of the japanese past than for living
purposes. 1t consisted of one huge
room, divided off by screens, which
offered the only privacy to be had.
Even the walls of the house were the
little paper sliding screens which you
have see in pictures. Some of our
servants had followed us, and here
we lived for one week in true Japanese
style, sleeping on the floor on Japan
Sc fontons and surrounded only by
Japanese going to bed with the dark
ness, because there was no light (can-
dies were very scarce) and getting up
with the dawn exchanging antilles with
the Japanese, which could not have
been accomplished in years under or
binary circumstances.
"One night at ten o'clock when we
were nearly asleep, there arrived the
master of ceremonies from the place
with quite a retinue, carrying Japan
ese lanterns on forked sticks and sacks
on their backs, this turned out to be
food-potatoes, cabbage, three ducks
and wine, sent us by the Emperor and
Empress, as an expression of SYM
pathy. Another time came a whole
lamb wrapped in white cloths and laid
in a basket with willow boughs. i am
not a butcher but | superintendent the
cutting up of the lamb myself and
distributed it among our Americans,
keeping one of the legs for ourselves
and sending another leg to our Japan
csc host with a little note begging him
to accept it. This is his reply:
"'My Dear Mrs. Woods: / have
just come back and found the young
lamb which was sent you by the EN-
peror and Empress. / do not know
how to express our thanks for such
a touching testimony of your SYM
pathy and goodness. 1t will give us
fresh strength and courage to bear
the strain. Your truly, T. Don.'
"In addition to all the other things
there was some rioting and more
feared, so night and day the Japan
csc had US surrounded by a guard of
soldiers. One of these brought me
Il beautiful beetle one day and asked
me to put it in my bureau drawer
and it would bring me many kimonas.
Yesterday we came on board the
flagship Huron and r occupying the
captains quarters for the moment.
l cannot tell you the thrill it gave me
as we stepped on the boat, every mar
saluting, and then the Star Spangled
Banner played by the navy band. OF
course it is in name only, but Cyrus