The Oregon daily journal., July 07, 1907, Page 36, Image 36

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fTlHERE is no peace at unhappy Port
I Arthur. While in other parts of
the world Russians and Japanese
meet on friendly terms, dating a new era
of good will from the Treaty of Ports
mouth, warfare still rages on the hills and
about the forts that for so many dread
ful months ran red' with the blood of the
fallen.
k It is not a warfare of living things that
is waged there now, but of specters; not
real, but ghostly forms night after night
charge the rocky slopes; the weird, thrilling
cries that rise above the storm are the cries
of the dead.
, Sentinels tremble as they pace their,
- beats about the battle-scarred ramparts; in
xdSitdnts living near the forts close their
houses in terror as the night draws nigh.
They declare that the spirits of the dead
return and, nigh: after night, re-enact the
awful scenes that made Port Arthur one of
the most horrible charnel houses of history.
The following article is by a Japanese
whose friends in Port Arthur have written
him concerning the ghostly doings in the
haunted town. , . .
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INCE tha fait of Port Arthur there hare
been many, mysteries about that now
historic city. People often see strange
phenomena in both the forts and the
town itself, and these terrify the inhabitants.
Upon the steep slopes of 203-Meter Hill,
where horrible slaughter occurred and tens of
thousands of dead covered practically .the whole
ridge, their blood running like rivers, the in
habitants say they still hear terrible war cries on
dark, gloomy night.
( The cries well up in Tolume like the roar of
great breakers, and they sound as if maddened
troops were repeatedly trying the deadly bayonet
charges. The Chinese inhabitants tremble when
it begins to rain at Port Arthur, because the
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strange cries are sure to be heard on a rainy
JMght
At Fort Eieleushan, where once f.ur tons of
dynamite was exploded under the fort and hun
dreds of Russians, mingled with debris, were
hurled into the air. there ia still haarA
ally that same roar of explosion, followed bv th it i nrAa ),ntfi kI t?.;
- ". "u8ian. xneir snneks stead Of1 seeking safety, he rushed to
of agony sound so vmdly that on m;r j,,t,i, : .n j -uin. j tV
Mita, -who wafi captain of one of the "Third
Blockading Squadron," and was captured by the
Russians after a desperate struggle.
"The report was that amid the rain of shells
from: the Russian forts he successfully dashed
his vessel into the entrance, and, ater sinking
craft, in-
the shore
tinued for a long time, until finally the nightly
appearance became known to the whole garrison.
After much discussion 'it was decided that the
ghosts were those of Captain Masuo Asahi, sec
ond son of Lieutenant General Asahl, and his
sweetheart, Haruko. " vr "'C "'. :-: " ""
Lieutenant General Asahi. who commanded
the attacking force of the Japanese left wing,
had . two : sons, Lieutenant Take and Captain
Masuo. ' Both were fighting in .their father's
army. The elder was killed at the battle of Ta
kushan, and the younger, Captain Maauo, was
cut off in the night of, the great assault on the
rEast Kicquan by his9wii- angered father, because
of hw alleged' cowardioe,4."'-'?;-':-' ' :
Captain Masuo and young MaruKO, tne beau-
soldier. Looking around he was startled to see
two ghastly, figures slowly , moving Howard him.
The war-scarred veteran, who had fought hun
dreds of battles and had. passed through the
vallpv of dftftth mflnv times, was f riffhtened.!
One of the. spectral gures was .that .of , tiful daughter of - an?, adniiral,; were betrothed JVben he reached the outer wall he met a de
young, army officer,' he wore a white .uniform, 4 sweethearts from their chUdhood; When little tachment of hiowfiarmyy just retiring from
she became almost frantio with fear tor the
young captaitti and when the news of the com
ing grand assault on East Kicquan reached her,
she Btole away from her home. After encounter
ing many, hardships, diaguised as military
: nurse, she went to Port Dalny."
The general assault on the formidable East
Kicquan, which had long been contemplated, had
now begun. ,
" Reserve after, reserve were sent out. but
each time they were almost annihilated. Look-.
ing at this situation General Asahi became furi
ous, u His anger reached .its climax. Paying no
attention to1 his followers'; requests, he dashed
out .from his quarters like a tiger,, and rushed
ma horse to. the very: center of the battle.
their mutilated bodies were still 'lying on the
ivjies.
A i i C 1
. xon Dongsu, wnere one of the bloodiest
battle 'Was t fought, members of the garrison
often 'ee hundreds of fire-balls shoot out from
the foot of -the, precipice, where piles of white
bones ftill lie unburied.
yJJiLJfJs-" nui present
iimflarmysteries, andeven in the center of the
town there have . been two tales of ghosts t&ca
recently.M3:.-
One was that of the famous Ochiyo, the bold
70ung Japanese woman spy, who was captured
at the residence of Admiral Alexieff, and thrown
into the tiger's den where she met an awful
death. Her ghost has been seen several times in
the old chamber of the admiral, where now a
Japanese ollicer of high rank sleeps.? - ;
- The other specter is that of Commander
. and from his riirht shoulder to the' left chest was Haruko" was returning; in a jinrikisha from the & the ; inner works driven: by the enemy's deadly
in a small. boat, and challenged the Russians to a gapmg -sword wound, from VwhicL the Wood Imperial his son,
' 1 T 1 1 r . I IX z i . - nitiFAMI mliTlfl. h. . hi. v h A A n ' 'I'hA n -n J
jeaCIC muJlkarjL .tt(jaucuij .iuiuvajmi aauuk. vim 4uv , -niuuucu lu uiyiywau. : amq nucu lamer
fight hand to hand was pouring Eis haggard face was half; covered
" When he was 'finally. overcome he tried twice ' with blood. ; " ' r ";'v-
to strangle himself. His- life in prison was' a "
misery. When he heard that the third attem
to block the channel had been 'Unsuccessful
The other .figure was that of a young ;woman.
pt 'who wore: a: white dress, upon which '.several.'., they'went i
ha '' VMwidat.aitia'wf' n'nntml-'' Up.t Inner hftir.waa . .When..
pony's back, .always met, her at the palace
looked at him.
ground and with.the; exchange of sweet smiles ? ; -Stop, you-cowardl . Stop, -.villain I" Leap-
together :to their homes. ; . 5 . ing-with a roar- irom his horse he -rushed upon
Masuo was .graduated from the Im:- his Bonl and. with one stroke of his . sword, mt "
became frantic. Despite-the entreaties of his ! hanging .'over; her 1 shoulders; .'. sheiwas -:lening ,'perial .Milijtary: College-and' became -a captain, V the young soldier almost in two; Saying nothing
wisbmg 1 Jieavily on her companions, arm, and-was weep- : Miss Haruko .-had jus? nnisnea ner .eourse in tne more he turned his horse and rushed on
comrades, he would not eat, evidently
ior death. , .,. ,-, ,
At last he ( succumbed
starvation. After his death
saw his apparition, and even
the darkness. -
It- was only a'few months
cmuy night, W sentinel wee"
trance in the irreat East Kicauan fortress.
ing
Imperial Seminary; and' their happy wedding day-nhe Inner worksr
on toward
10 exnausuon ana f jNeitner mrure paid any ; attention -to 'tne was quite near wuen vuo wor usai. , 4.u m,cBpiuu vesi pocicei a ouncn of
his. comrades of ten ; netrified sentinel. ' They moved slowly'toward '!out Jf yVi-'-'.f i , , hair, together with his.brother's picture, and a.
hekrd his curse in the entrance, then suddenly stopped in the 'cen- s ?J ,Ma8tio;was ordered Jo rt Arthur with his Jetter were found.-. Th.e lettertwas from Dalny,
' ter of-the ffate. and Imelt. with clasoed hands 4 f ather's army.? Af ter : his departure llaruko and written very briefly thus:.
ago, when," one ' and tbbwed headr as if in most earnest appeal." ' . gradaaUr witKwe4iW:lU. iSpoiLAjfteli. i ' Mv ions, aninst our uwtrneUons and mnth.
Btandina at an en-v: ' Whos there I'r at last, like Bernardo, in, l She had been .taught -that .she was asamu- arvwiu i-hava com kr to-die '.with you. Foraiv-
Hamlet, theisoldier cried out with ; trembling -,- rai's daughter from her childhood, but she could
Mv full anoloariea when In heaven.
HARUKO,' Dalny.
-Neither human vnimt nnr annnd of fnntatTt waa " vniA . - Than tha fimiro. Aiaa-n-noaraA . - J . , nnt.viav liffl'a -tracediea unmoved: - '. Pre tendinar
heard, everything was stiU, save an occasional i1 tThe next night, as Horatio-did, the other' ' smiles 61 the presence oi ethers, she wept in her ; -'Before tl fact was known to the general, ,1
rustle of the pine trees at tie foot of the slope. sentinel saw exactly the same thing; and'agai 'ohamber and-prayed for her lovers-When 1 she Haruko had committed suicide by-moans of the
v Duddeniy a . strange xear. crept : over ; the 5.' the next night itul another saw it, and 10 it con- : heard of the death ol her aweetaeart a Brother v eword.
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