HAPPY JAPAN.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLI, Issue 174, 25 July 1907, Page 3

HAPPY JAPAN.

That the land of the Mikado is full of . surprise and charm readers of the -many books upon Japan sent through the press recently will freely admit. But it also has its serious drawbacks, . and this is strikingly shown by Mr J. Ingram Bryan, who contributes to bt. . James's Budget an amusing article on the ways of the Japanese criminal and his natural enemy—the police. Mr Bryan declares that the Japanese pickpockets and thieves have some remark- " able characteristics that render them much more interesting degenerates than their ordinary equivalents in . other lands. Quite recently a Tokio gentleman, having occasion to visit Yokohama, found,, upon arriving at the station, that his purse was gone and that he would be unable to pay ioi hlT+ir+pt Turning from the window of the booking office to the motley crow^thatsurfounded him he noticed a suspicious looking individual standing near, eyeing him uneasily. "You know me, you rascal," he roared. Return that money you have stolen from me, and begone.'' The fellow did not seem at all surprised at being thus addressed, though for a moment he looked somewhat - doubtful; then he beckoned the angry victim to one side, shoved a 10: yen bill into his hand, bowed profusely, and - disappeared. Satisfied that he had recovered even more money than he had lost, the traveller proceeded on his trip to Yokohama. In the evening, upon returning to his home in.Tokio, he found his wife wondering how her husband had been getting on all day -without his purse, which he had torgotten to take ■ from the dressmg- - table where he left it while changing his clothes. It then dawned upon the mystified traveller that he had not only accurately divined the character of the man he had accosted at the station, but had succeeded in having himself taken for the head of the Pickpocket Association by this member ol the fraternity, who evidently thoughtit the better part of valor to share with " his superior the proceeds of. the last Japanese professionals of this class have not only their peculiar codes or communal honor^ but a strange regard - for public opinion, as well as a unique way of resenting what they regard as the pompousness of those who esteem -themselves above reproach. The other ■day two passengers, one of whom was a brilliant Toldo lawyer, were on .their way south by the Tokaido route, when they fell into a lively discussion upon the subject of pickpockets. The law,yer expressed alarm at the steadily increasing number of these parasites of society, and lamented the laxity of the - police in not rounding up more of them for punishment. He loudly insisted, .however, that most of the losses by travellers while on the train were due to the fault of the losers themselves, who were not careful enough, and more often than riot put. unnecessary temptation in the way of the weak. "I have travelled extensively myself," he ■concluded, "and have never been robTjed of a cent.; no pickpocket has any •chance with a careful man."

The next morning the express man brought an unexpected parcel to the louse of the lawyer, which -was found to enclose intact the bag and its con-tents,1-together-with ,a "polite note to the effect that the writer was unable

-fco bear the lawyer's uncalled-for remarks overheard on the train, had taken the liberty of teaching indiscreet talkers a much-needed lesson, and that lie hoped- this timely hint from a, Tokaido pickpocket had not caused him overmuch inconvenience.

The house thief is as frequent and

as- problematical a contingency in i Japan .gs th& pickpocket, and much imore to be dVeaded, for he is always armed and will brook no interference.

The number of. people slain from year to year by robbers is appalling; yet the. matter seems everywhere to be regarded with equanimity. These house plunderers have eccentricities of a kind no less remarkable than the pocket hunters. Two of-these characters who broke into a Tokio residence lately i.av,e made themselves famous throughout the empire for the prowess they •displayed and th& amusement they pro r vided. First they awed the family and servants into submission in the usual manner with drawn swords. By a curious coincidence, just at that moment two other burglars arrived upon the scene with a like intent. The first intruders, taking-theni for neighbours T?ho had come to the assistance of the family, forthwithwith set upon them with the weapons, and were, not a-little surprised to find those thus suddenly jrat upon the defensive so well, prepared to resist, while the still terrified family beheld the extraordinary turn -of events with mingled feelings of astonishment and interest. The double duel waxed so fierce and noisy that the whole neighbourhood Was soon aroused, .and turned out to witness the contest,

.•some considering it a trifle more diverting than the usual cock fight of the previous evening, while others complained that the gladiators did not ;show a smuch game. The arena now * became so crowded that space was at,a ipremium, whereupon the combatants ' took-alarm and fled, leaving the garden sprinkled with blood, and the ;police and other late comers disappointed at having missed, so lively an . *

A missionary lady who lives by hersself in a small native house in Tpkio was some time ago visited by a friend oi hers from England. The hostess ;slept downstairs, while the only uprstairs room was assigned to the guest. 'The latter, however, proved extremely restless at nights, frequently coming to the head of the stairway, waking up ler hostess, and inquiring if all were well, as she fancied she heard thieves •about. The missionary bore this annoyance for a few nights, after which she quietly remonstrated with her visitor, and made her promise that in future she would leave the thieves to the of the hostess.. The very next night, the lady of the louse was disturbed about 2 a.m. by ail unusual conversation proceeding from the servants' quarters, and was making lip her mind to get out of bed and send the belated talkers to their rest, when the paper partition began to slide back, revealing two gentlemen lighting their v.ay into the room with a bulls-eye lantern. They walked over to the bedside and peremptorily demanded all the- money that was in the House, cautioning the lady to create jio alarm, upon pain of death. The missionary replied that she was not in a costume to receive callers, and would be unable

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Ito comply with their request until she had more completely arranged her toilet. The gentleman upon whom it did not devolve' to hold the lantern very considerately offered to serve as lady's maid, agreeing to get anything she needed if she would but honourably condescend to acquaint him with its whereabouts and indicate the article desired. Turning to a pile of clothes which he noticed on a chair near the bed, he proceeded to exhibit various garments one by one to the laay's gaze, suggesting that she kindly make a suggestion. This so pained and shocked the anxious lady that she almost forgot the seriousness of the situation. The man finally held up the dressinggown, for which all the while she had been asking, and the infinitesimal number of buttons that ran down the front of it occupied the lady a length of time sufficient to allow a consider- ' ation of the best way to entertain her callers. As soon as her feet had reached the floor, the gentlemen gallantly assumed places at either side of her ,and conducted her to the foot of the stairs, from which place the lady, who promised to take no further interest in thieves, could be seen standing ghostlike at the top of the steps, with a lamp in one hand and.pitcher of water in the other, peering nervously down among the' dim shadows looming up from below. "Get out quickly on the roof of the verandah and shout for the police," commanded-the prisoner under escort. At this one of the gentlemen ventured Ito clap his hand over her mouth to shut off further alarm, or, perhaps, to check what to a Japanese would doubtless appear a want of dignity, not to say a distortion of beauty. Whereupon the humiliated lady soundly boxed his ears, cutting her finger against the sword which he held out in selfdefence. By this time the lady on the roof was making such a complaint that the"thieves became frightened and fled, relinquishing their fair charge, but taking a gold .watch that lay temptingly on a dressing table. Some minutes afterwards the,neighbours and the police began to stroll in to see what was going on. When asked why they had not hurried to respond sooner, they lighted their pipes, sat down on the floor, and replied complacently that they would have come when they first heard the uproar, but had thought it was the foreign lady singing her morning hymn, and that it was only her vehement persistence in it after it ought to have been done that aroused a suspicion in their minds sufficient to compel them to intrude upon her. privacy. All of which is I positive proof of the old contention that the Japanese have no ear for music. Meanwhile an ominous silence in the servants" quarters induced a policeman to look in. They were all there, but bound and gagged., : , The methods which the representatives of Japanese law adopt in dealing with these1 gentlemen of the _ get-rich-quick variety are as eccentric as. the criminals themselves. A watchman goes up -and down the r street all through the night, clapping two short pieces of wood together to let his presence be known, the noise being intended to frighten away the thieves, but, needless to say, really protecting them. The police have a marvellous way of managing pick-pockets tliat quite baffles' comprehension, provided the culprits, keep put of sight. If a citizen has the misfortune to be relieved of a gold watch or a sum of money, let the loss be reported to the police, and Some time later the stolen property turns up in a manner so mysterious as to puzzle anyone not initiated into the method of wheels within wheels of the Japanese police system. It may be that the magicinfluence of the Japanese policeman in persuading thieves to deliver up their plunder is to some extent due to the probable consequences if the offender is caught; for the process through which a defier of the law has to go is severe, often amounting to torture. A few weeks ago, in the province of Tokushima, a man who refused to confess was sus-

pended from the ceiling and beaten by the officers. This failing of the desired result, the man was laid upon his back on the floor and hot water poured into his nostrils. As he still persisted in his obduracy, hot sake was substituted for water, the unhappy wretch screaming with agony, to the apparent amusement of the officials standing by. The man was then put into prison, and next day permitted to depart with a fine. One cannot wonder that there is a spirit of relentless vendetta between the defender and defier of law in Japan, and ultimately the police always suffer most. . " ~.