REMARKABLE CAREER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20982, 19 September 1931, Page 2 (Supplement)

REMARKABLE CAREER.

WOMAN COMMUNIST. GOES INSANE IN PRISON. SUGGESTED TORTURES DENIED. From beyond the gloomy grey walls of the Ichigaya prison of Tokio, says the correspondent of a Shanghai newspaper, there has trickled forth a story that Taka-ko Nakamuto, daughter of a retired lieutenant-general, recently incarcerated for being a Communist, has becomo insane. The papers unanimously declaro the woman's insanity to have been brought on bv police and prison tortures, though the authorities deny this. Taka-ko Nakainoto, who. has been compared to Marie Lesser better known as "Madame Blonde," head of the German Secret Service during the latter part of tho war. and who as "1-14 A-G" \vas one of the most dreaded figures in the history of espionage, led a life almost as exciting, comparatively, as did tho beautiful German spy. Like Madame Winatiski, Taka-ko Nakamoto was a genius. It was in her home that tho arch-communist Seigen Tanaka, leader of the present Communist plot, was finally arrested. Like Madame Blonde, tho Japanese "Red Flower " lived a free life, and, like the. German woman, she is at present in a mental hospital, hopelessly deranged in mind.

Madame Nakamoto, taught at tlio Tamae primary school in Shimonoseki from December, 1921, "until April, 1925, after her graduation from the prefectural girls' high school at Yamagijchi. In 1925 she became a cafo waitress. During her cafe life she began contributing to proletarian magazines, and her genius soon won literary fame for her among the left-wing writers. Thus she was able to quit her life as a waitress and become a regular contributor to several first-class magazines. In July last year, Madame Nakamoto rented a house in Chitosemura, a suburb of Tokio, under the assumed name of Tatsu Nomura, to provide a hidinjf place for Seigen Tanaka, the leader of the Japan- Communist Party, and continued to act as a "sympathiser" for the communist party. When she. was arrested last yeaij tho police physicians thought it necessary to operate on her as she fell dangerously ill while being subjected to a rigorous examination. While in prison she became insane. In the June number of Fujin Koron, Madame Toshiko Yasutomi —a well-known woman writer—published a pen sketch of her friend Madame Nakamoto. In this sketch the writer says: —"After all she was not a mediocre girl. She had many distinct characteristics, and had a very strong will-power. But at tho same time she sometimes gave way to her emotion. She was often moved to tears. While debating, she used to shed tears when expressing her indignation against the ruling classes. She was ridiculously innocent sometimes. We often did not know whether or not she knew what she was doing. "Once Madame Nakamoto bought a wig for ten yen at Asakusa. We did not know what she was going to do with it.

She wore the wig and continued working at it for mute than four hours until she succeeded in dressing it in a funny fashion. She had bobbed hair at that time and she wanted to conceal this with the wig. Wo could not bear the thought of her going out iri such a funny wig, but fortunately her wig proved to be too tight for her and she soon gave it up."