The Daily Alaska empire., 1948-12-22
FORMER JAP WAR LORDS
 PAY PENALTY
Go io SeaffoId in Early Morning Hours--Bodies
 10 Be Cremated
By FRANK L. WHITE

l TOKYO. CThursoay) -LR-Hide- Xxi Tojo and six other Japanese warlords died on the gallows short i ly after midnight for Japan's crimes against humanity.
 The former Premier, grim and wearing the jungle green uniform ! of the U. s. soldiers who crush i ed his empire, was dropped through the trap at one and a half min utes after midnight. Nine minutes later he was pro- nounced dead. The seven were hanged in two groups Tcjo was in the first group.
 Twenty minutes before the time set for the first hangings the first four to go were escorted by guards from their individual cells of the Sugamo Prison to a private chapel on the first floor of the oellblock. There were Tojo Gen. Kenji Doi- hara, the Manchurian plotter, Gen. Iwane Matsui, who commanded at the rape of Nanking. and It. Gen. Akira Muto, who fought in the Philippines.
 Buddhist Rites
 Following final Buddhist rites in the improvized chapel they were escorted to the gallows.
 The officer of the day led the way to the death house followed by the prison chaplain and a Beadhist priest r On the walk each condemned man was flanked by two U. s. sol i dier guards.
 How They Went They proceeded in this order: Doihara, Matsui, Tojo and Muto. Two prison officers brought up the rear
 As the procession entered the ceath house the Buddhist priest stepped aside and the remainder of the party entered.
 Each man was individually iden- tified as he entered the execution chamber
 Their entrance to this chamber was in front of the witnesses. in- vited by General Macarthur, who had arrived beforehand.
 Following the identification. the condemned walked up the 13 steps to the gallows platform and turn ed to face the witnesses.
 After each of the condemned had taken his place on the gallows platform, which was equipped with four traps. black hoods were placed over their heads and the ropes were adjusted.
 An announcement from the Army Public Information office said
 Between 000l and 0035, all sey- en condemned by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East were hanged"
 Secrecy Prevails Utmost secrecy surrourded the execution at the prison on strict | orders from General Macarthur. i In addition to wartime Premier l Tojo, the other six hanged were: l Gen. Kenjo Doihara, the Man. churian plotter, Koki Hirota, former Premier. i Gen. Seishiro Itagaki. former ] War Minister.
 Gen. Heitaro Kamura, chief of the Japanese Armies in Manchuria. Gen. Iwane Matsui, who com manded at the rape of Ranking. i Pt, Gen Akira Muto, Chief of Staff in the Philippines. !! The trief announcement gave no other details
 Details Later The Army promised, however. that details of the last minutes of the seven warlords would be made | public as soon as witnesses could be interviewed at the prison. Newspapermen were not allowed to attend,
 1Aic ocsCh WCit COlvlCtcu OI plotting and waging aggressive war in the Pacific and the Far East. An ll-nation allied tribunal sat in judgment on them for 2A years. Bodies To Be Cremated Headquarters has announced that bodies of the former Cabinet mem- bers and military leaders will be i cremated. To prevent enshrinement cl the war criminals. their famil- ies will be denied their ashes.
 U. s. Eighth Army was in charge of the executions. General Mac Arthur refused clemency to any of the 25 Class "A's war crimes