THE. CODE OF HAKA-KIE1
A WAY OF SATISFYING HONOR
AMONG JAPANESE .MOBILITY.
Men' Who Deliberately Commit 8alclde
or Get Their Friend to Kill Them A
Sample Case The New Code of Laws
Against, It. but It Is Still Practiced.'
it la generally understood that hara
kiri, or bara-wo-kiri, is the solemn prac
tice of suicide among Japanese noble
men a practice most deeply rooted in
their ideas or honor and faithfulness
The hara-kiri was first practiced on
the battlefield. If the defeated did not
wish to fall alive into the hands of the
enemy they thrust their swqrds into
their mouths or their breasts or cut
their own throats. Later the hara-kiri
becjime an institution of honor. Who
ever l&ieY his cause to be lost either ex
ecuted himself with his sword or allowed
his companions to do it for him. It
often happened that when a feudal lord
had performed his self execution his vas
sals followed his example to show their
loyalty beyond the grave.
HIS MKMOKY UNSTAINED.
My mother, who was a Japanese of
rank, often related to me a case of hara-
kiri which took place not so many years
ago in her own family , The nobleman,
occupying a government office, had killed
.his bitterest enemy and was sentenced to
the hara-kiri. lfhe had not belonged to
the caste of warriors they would either
have beheaded him or sentenced tiim to
be nailed to the cross, which would have
brought dishonor on his family, besides
resulting in pecuniary disadvantages.
The hara-kiri, however, attached no dis
honor to him or his memory. The con
demned man was committed to the sur
veillance of a nobleman in whose man
sion the solemn self execution was to
take place. Day and hour were ap-'
pointed, and the witnesses elected by
the government arrived. .Thecondemned
man had begged three of bis friends to
render him the last service and they con
sented. .
Subordinates called on the prisoner to
tell him or the arrival of the witnesses.
They brought him robes of1 hemp on a
tray., tie donned them quickly and hur
ried to the reception room of the palace,
where the sentence of death was read to
him. The prisoner listened to it without
moving a feature. Then he retired once
more to his chamber to change bis dress
for the last time. Attired in white
robes, he was led by a solemn procession
to the room where the self execution was
to take place. A large cotton cloth was
spread on the mats. Over this a scarlet
quilt was laid to prevent the blood from
oozing through the mats. It was al
ready dark and a candelabrum, giving a
faint light, was placed in each corner.
Behind two white screens a pail, a wash
basin, a censor, a tray and a short sword
lay hidden. According to prevailing
rules, the persons present stepped into
' the semidark room and took their places.
Then the duties of the three assistants
of the prisoner began. The first brought
him the sword on a short legged table,
the hilt being wrapped in paper. The
prisoner received the weapon with rever
ence, lifting it with both hands to his
forehead to express his esteem. Then he
laid it back on the table and bowed to
ail present. Be let his upper garments
fall down to the belt, and . stuffed them
firmly under his kuees to prevent him
from falling backward, which is looked
on as a disgrace. Then, while w.ith a
firm hand he seized the sword, and with
a quick movement cut up his stomach,
the second assistant, who stood on his
left sule, with one fierce blow severed
the head from the trunk. After render
ing his friend this terrible service he re
tired behind the screens, drew some
white paper from his belt' and wiped
the weapon. Tha third assistant then
grasped the bead by the tuft or hair and
presented it to the principal government
witness to show that justice had been
fully satisfied. This was followed by
deep silence. All present retired quietly.
On the floor lay the. body of the noble
man. Four servants appeared and car
ried away the body and cleaned the
room
The memory of the nobleman remained
unstained. He had remained loyal to his
rank in death.
NOT FOB THE 8HOGUN.
In 1869 a private secretary to the privy
council proposed the abolition of the
hara-kiri. Two-thirds of the deputies
were against the proposition, and in the
speeches held on that occasion they
praised tb institution as indispensable
to preserve the honor of the aristocracy,
and as a spur to morality and religion.
The man who advanced the proposition
was, as was expected, murdered not long
afterward.
Of course all Japanese do not share
the opinion of those deputies. - In the
last" change of government when 1 the
shogun, completely defeated, had no
other alternative than to flee to Yeddo,
. one of his councilors advised him to
' nave recourse, to the hari-kiri as the
last means of saving bis honor and that
of his family. The shogun ridiculed
' the advice and left the room in a rage.
The faithful councilor retired to an
other part of . the palace and disem
bowled himself in proof of bis earnest
ness. The shogun is still living and en
joys a fat income.
- So much about the essential charac
teristics of the hari-kiri. The changes
which this old national custom has un
dergone cause the particulars concern
ing it to be somewhat contradictory. By
the introduction of a new code of laws,
the hari-kiri has been abolished and only
noblemen, who still believe in the tra
ditional code of honor of their ancestors,
may select it as a mode of death. O.
Sadakicbi Hartmann in New York Sun.
What They Did. '
. Papa Have the men been here today
my boy?
Johnnie Oh, yes. ' The painters came
and painted, the tinners tinned and the
carpenters - '
Papa Well? . : -
Johnnie They carped. Pittsburg
Bulletin.
Blade Him Ridiculous.
( A good story of General Sheridan was
told me the other day by a Mexican
gentleman, an intimate friend -of. the
great northern soldier in bis lifetime.
One day, calling on the commander of
the army at his office in Washington, he
found him at bis. desk, his feet incased
in slippers and his shoes democratically
placed on top of the desk. . While the
general was apparently absorbed in some
writing, the Mexican 'gentleman, who
thought some servant had left the war
rior's shoes in the wrong place, took his
cane and gently deposited the shoes on
the floor. ' - . .
. The next day the Mexican gentleman
called again on Sheridan and found him
at his desk, shoes on top as before. The
polite resident of the tropics began once
more removing the shoes to the floor
when all at once Sheridan roared out:
"Don't you do that again, sir! Yon
make me ridiculous, sirf"
"1 beg your pardon, general, but how
have I made you ridiculous?"
"Why, sir." said Sheridan, still an
noyed, "yesterday, sir. i went out to
walk after you had called on me. 1 was
Hearing the White House when 1 noticed
a gentleman .. looking at me intently.
Soon he addressed me, saying, 'Excuse
me, general, but aren't you afraid of
catching cold? 'Why, sir, no, not that
I know of; what's the matter, sir?
'Well.' said the gentleman, it is very
damp and you are going about in your
slippers!' 1 tell you, sir." said Sheridan,
addressing his Mexican friend, "you
made ma ridiculous. It is my habit, sir,
to put my shoes on my desk where I can
not fail to see them, bo I may not forget
to put them on, and, confound it, sir,
you come around here with your notions
of propriety and send me around town
in my slippers, sir!" Boston Herald.
Butterflies That Bathe.
It is commonly thought that a butter
fly dreads the water as a fine lady dreads
rain, but evidently this is not true in
Australia. The case of an Australian
butterfly deliberately entering the water
to take a bath is recorded by M. G.
Lyell. Jr. . He 6aw'it alight close to the
water, into which it backed until the
whole of the body and the lower part of
the hind legs were submerged, the two
fore legs alone retaining their hold on
the dry land. After remaining in this
position for something like half a min
ute it flew away a, .mrently refreshed.
Mr. Lyell sav: "During the morning
I noticed a number, doing the same
thing. In one instance no less than four
were to be seen within a space of not
more than thre yards, and, to make
sure that 1 was not deceived, I captured
several as they rose from the water, and
found in each case the body and lower
edge of the hind wings quite wet. While
in the water the fluttering of the wings,
so noticeable at other times, was sus
pended, and so intent were the but
terflies in the. enjoyment Of the cold
bath that they could hardly move, even
when actually touched by the net.
"Apparently the heat of the weather
drove them down to the water, as imme
diately upon emerging they flew up
again to the hillside. Butterflies are
often seen apparently sucking in the
moisture around the edgo of the pools;
our, tney nave never before been seen
actually to enter the water." Victoria
Naturalist.
Burled in Laces. "
Lace headdresses, or what wer rmllort
heads of lace, were very fashionable in
England in the reisms of Alarv ami
Anne, and the ladies of the court some
times paid very large sums for a fine
head of French or Flemish lni- hnt h
extravagance in this fragile article of
luxury was never carried to the same
ruinous extent as in Franca. It
however, profusely worn during whatr
may oe cauea ine lace epoch, ana was
even coveted as an article of adornment
after death.
Mrs. Oldfield. the celehratol n.rf Togo
left instructions that she should be laid
in her coffin arraved in a verv fine head
dress of Brussels lace, in a shroud of
Holland linen with lace tucker and ruf
fles and a pair of kid gloves. Yards of
the costliest point .d'Angleterre and
Mechlin laces were wrarmed around t.h
corpse of the beautiful Aurora von
Konigsmarck before she was laid in her
grave at Quedlinbnrcr. and tnanv of t.ViA
mnmmies found in the catacombs of
the Capuchin convent at Palermo are
swathed in the same costly funeral
roDes. rjhambers Journal. .
An Abnormal Appetite.
A native of Wittenbra on
sion, after eating a sheep and a sucking
pig. ate bv wav of .dessert ca-rtv nonnda
of prunes without taking out the stones!
ua anotner occasion this same individ
ual devoured trwo hnshela or oksnnoa
several earthen vessels, chips from a fur
nace, pieces or glass, some beetles, a
shepherd's bagpipe, rats, birds with their
feathers on, and a number of caterpil
lars, finishing up by swallowing a pew
ter inkstand, with its nens. nanpr knifn
and sand box. We are informed that
when these luxuries were tiartaken of ha
was generally under the influence of
oranay, Dut that be . app;ared tqrelish
his singular food, and was a man of ex
traordinarv strength. Hh died in hia
eighty-first year. London Tit-Bits.
The Two Meridians.'
The Geographical congress held in
Switzerland recommended the universal
adoption of the metric system and also
ine vreenwicn meridian tor the reckon
ing of longitude and time. It is doubt
ful if this will be done, however, hv all
nations, for. although a standard in
both cases would be beneficial to the
world at lar. France naturally desires
Paris time, and Encland - won Id nerov
surrender her prime meridian and adopt
a revolution in her . system of measure
ments unless the new measure was ex
amined and based upon intrinsic merit.
-flew itoifllmes.
A Kind Toons; Man.
"What 1 like about Charlie.- said
Ethel, is his kindness to animals. Why,
lost week when he took me to the me
nagerie be gave a whole peanut to one
of the elephants. "New York Epoch.
NO WELCOME THERE.
Why Don't People Arrange to Hna at
Special Courting Ko'om?
: Have you ever been in a house where
there ia A couple courting? It is most
trying. You think you will go and sit
in the drawing room, and you march off.
there. . As yon open the door yon hear a
noise, as if somebody had suddenly re
ollected something, and when you get in
Emily Ts over by the window, full of in
terest in the opposite side of the road,
nd your friend, John Edward, is at the
other end of the room, with, his whole
soul held in thrall by photographs of
other people's relatives. J : .
"Oh," you saypausing at the door, fl
didn't know anybody was here.- ;
"Oh. didn't yon?' says Emily coldly,
in a tone which implies that she does not
believe you. '
You hang about for a bit; then you
say: '
"It's very dark. Whv don't vou licht
the gas?" . .
John Edward says; 'Oh. 1 hadn't
noticed it." and. Emilv snva that
does not like the gas lit in the afternoon.
x on ten tnem one or two items of
news and give them your views and
opinions on any current question; but it
does not appear to interest them. All
they remark on any subject is, "Oh!"
Is itT "Did he?" "Yes,." and "You
don't say so." And after ten minutes of
such a style of conversation rnn edn-e nn
to the door and slip out. and are sur
prised to find that the door immediately
closes behind you and shuts itself with
out you having touched it.
Half an hour later you think you will
trv a cigar on the rjiazza. nmnnlvr-w
in the place is occupied by Emily, and
John Edward, if the language of clothes
can be relied on, has evidently been sit
ting on the floor.' They do not speak,
out give you a iook mat says all that can
be said in a civilized (vmmnm'tw .rA
you back out promptly and shut the door
i i. : i . . ...
ueuwu you- ' , 1 '
Toil ara afraid tn nnk-n vnnr nnea inf
any room in the house now so -after
walking up and down stairs for awhile
VOU go and sit in vonr own hedT-oom
This- becomes uninteresting, . however.
alter a tune, and so you put on your hat
and stroll out into the garden. You
walk down the path, and as you pass by
tue summer house yon glance in, and
there are those two vonns lovers hnddiod
" o " -
together in one corner of it, and they see
you ana are evidently under the idea
that for some Wicked nnrnnsh of vrmi
own you are following them about.
nay aon ttney have a special room
for this Sort Of thin? and malm neonla
keep to it?' you mutter, and you rush
back to the hall, get your umbrella and
go out. Albany .Argus.
Webster's Income.
The legal profession of the present day
will be surprised to learn that Mr. Web
ster, the greatest American lawyer of
nis time, made but $ 15,000 a year by his
practice. But the fees of counsel be
tween 1840 and 1S30 were not what they
nave oeen since.
In 1848 I accompanied a client to Mr.
Webster's office in Boston and asked
him , to name a retaining fee in an im
portant patent case. He said he thought
a couple of hundred dollars would do. .
When the case was tried his fee was only
$1,000. On another occasion I paid him
a retaining fee of $3,000 for the proprie
tors of the Goodyear india rubber pat
ent. : ', .
j His fee for atsiing the great equity
cause of Goodyear versus Day in the cir
cuit court of the United States for the
district of New Jersey, by which he es
tablished the validity of the Goodyear
patent, was $5,000. This was in the
spring of 1852, and was the last case he
ever argued. .
His professional income from 1818 to
1823. during which period be was out of
congress, aVeraged, 1 think, $20,000 a
year. Cor. New York Sun.
The Monogram Must Go.
A momentary fancy prevailing among
fashionables shows an entire discarding
of the long cherished monogram. No
longer do artistically entwined initials
decorate cardcases, porteinonnaies, etc
Form 'dictates that whether for change
purse, memorandum book or satchel, an
antique silver coin shall be sunk in the
leather on the upper corner of the arti
cle. The crest of - the owner is boldly
engraved on the bit of metal, while let
tered like a motto the name runs around
it in quaint characters. Smart folks,
scrupulously observant of fashion's va
garies," alflo confine their selections' of
note paper to mauve gray and very soft
blue... the colors being invariably em
bossed with silver. Shaded colors are a
novelty,' but conservative and possibly
the best style women still hold to ivory
toned paper and silver lettering as pref
erable to fancy shades. St. Louis Globe
Democrat. ,
. How Some Indians Paint.
. All our North American Indians paint,
and the patterns vary with the individu
al, with the family and with the occa
sion. -. From notes made upon Sacs and
Foxes painted for the dance we will give
but one or two cases. One man's face
was- painted . black, except around the
eye: and month, which were scarlet.
Upon bis forehead was a neat checkered
pattern of yellow on the black back
ground. Another's face was divided by
a vertical line in two parts one of
which was a bright yellow, the other an
equally bright green. Popular Science
Monthly.-. v
Prolonging the Tomato Season.
The fact that the tomato will ripen
fairly after plucking enables the south
ern grower to market bis crop hi the far
porta, it aisu allows us here to prolong
the season of the natives. Well grown,
but green fruit, picked before frost into
shallow baskets or boxes, and ks pt in a
a dark, dry room, ripens gradually for
the table and may thus be eatenoften
until November or later. Bos to a Tran
cript ." . ": ' ' . ', v
The fragrant kernels of Prunus ma
baleb strung as necklaces are much val
ued by the woman of Sind and, other
parts of India
Silk Dye. : ' '
A favorite method with silk manufac
turers of imparting a pale straw color to
pieces of silk is to steep them in a very
weak solution of hydrochloric (muriatic)
acid.. This cannot be practiced, with
success by the housewife, as the process
is a somewhat delicate one. New' York
Recorder. . - .
: The big Cinereous owl ofthe far north
is the biggest of all ; our owl tribe. In
contrast is the little Pigmy owl of the
west which is hardly larger than a big
sparrow. So small is it that it is a mar
vel that it ever dares to stick: its talons
into , a . mouse, for fear of being run
away with. : -
omen,
Tie ccsi::s!i: aGIctiousof women ore sick-head-acijer
i:!Circt:o:i a:nl i:crro;:3 Iroublos. They
arise larL-cl;.- from stomach disorders. As Joy'g
Vcseta'ulj farsnparilla is the only bowel rcgu-i-repr-ratioa,
you cau tea v. by it is mora
effective tlmn any other Samaparilla In those
troubles.- It is dally relieving liuiidreiis. The
actio; is mild, direct aud effective. We have
cores oi letter.! from grateful women. -. .
Wo refer to a few: . - "
Nervous debility, Jlrs. J. Barron, 142 7th St., S. F.
Nervous debility, Mrs. rrcd. Loy, E27 Ellis St., 8.F.
General dejility, Mrs. Eclden, 61b Mason SL, 8.F,
Nervons debility, Mrs. J. Lampherc, 735 Turk St,
Nervous debility, Miss R. ' fiosenblum, 232 17th
bt.t 11. . . " - ' ,
Stomnch troubles, Mrs. K. L. Wheaton, 701 Post
St., c. F,
Siek headaches, Mrs. M. B. Price, 16 Prospect
Place, 8. F. ...
'Sick headaches, Mrs. M. Fowler, 827 Ellis St-,8.F.
Indigestion, Mrs. C. D. Stuart, 1221 Mission St,
o. r . ' ' .
Constipation, Mrs. C. Melvln, 126 Kearny St,S.F.
Vegetable
Sarsaparilla
Most modern, most effective, largest bottle.
Same price, S1.C0 or 6 for 15.00.
For Sale by SNIPES & KINERSLY.
' THE DALLES, OREGON. -
: Cleveland, Wash., )
June 19th, 1S91.)
S. B. ' Medicine Co.,'
Gentlemen Your kind favor received,
and in reply would say that I am more
than pleased with the terms offered me
on the last shipment of your medicines.
There is nothing like them ever intro
ducedin this country, especially for La
grippe and kindred complaints. I have
had no complaints so far, and everyone
ia ready with a word of praise for their
virtues. - Yours, etc.,
M. F. Hacklet.
Da. E. C. West's Nebvk anb Brain Treai
hknt, a guaranteed specific for Hysteria, Dizzi
ness, Convulsions, Fits, Nervous Neuralgia,
Headache, Nervous Prostration caused by the use
of alcohol or tobacco, Wakefulness, Mental De
pression, Softening oi the Brain, resulting in in
sanity aud leading to misery, decay and death.
Premature Old Age, Barrenness, Loss of Power
In either sex. Invnlnnturv I jwn uml Qmrmai.
orrhcea caused by over exertion of the brain, selt
abuse or over indulgence. Each box contains
one month'B treatment. 11.00 a box, or six boxes
for 15.00, sent by mail prepaid on receipt of price.
WE GUARANTEE SIX BOXES .
To cure any case. With each order received t
us for six boxes, accompanied by $5.00, we wit
send the purchaser our written guarantee to re
fund the money if the treatment does not effec
a cure. Guarantees issued only by -
KLAKELETiHOrCHTOS,
Prescription Xruffgifit,
175 Second St. The Dalles. Or.
A Revelation.
Few people know that the
bright bluish-green color of
the ordinary teas exposed In
the windows Is not the nat
ural color. Unpleasant as the
fact may be, it is nevertheless
artificial; mineral coloring
matter being used for this
purpose. The effect Is two
fold. It not only makes the
-tea a bright, shiny green, hut also permits the
aaa of " off-color " and worthless teas, which, ;
once under the green cloak,, are readily
' worked off as a good quality of tea.
An eminent authority writes on this sub-
Jeot: "The manipulation of poor teas, to give
- them a'flner appearance, is carried on exten
sively. 'Green teas, being In this country
especially popular, are produced to meet the
demand by coloring cheaper black kinds by
glazing or facing with Prussian blue, tumeric,
gypsum, and Indigo. Thit method if o gen
eral that very little genuine uneolored green tea
it offered Jot tale.".
It was the knowledge of this condition nf
affairs that prompted the placing of Beech's
Tea before the public. "It Is absolutely pure
and without color. . Did you ever see any
genuine uneolored Japan tea? Ask your
. grocer to open a package of Beech's, and yon
: will see 1 and probably for the very first
time. -; It will be found in color to be just be-
- t ween the artificial green tea that you have
been accustomed to and the black teas.
It draws a delightful canary color, and Is so
; fragrant that It will be a revelation to tea
drinkers. Its purity makes it also more,
economical than the artificial teas, for lem
of it is required per cup. Sold only in pound
packages bearing this trade-mark: . .
Tiire'AsWdhood-
If your grocer does not have it, he will gel
1 for 70a.. Price 0o pet pound. For sals a(
Joy's
Health is Wealth !
BEECJgLTEA
slle 33-utler's,
THE DAI LE8, ORFGON.
TflE DAIiliES CHROHICliE
3j
is here and has come to stay. It hopes
to win its; way to public favor by ener
gy, industry and merit; and to this end
we ask that you give it a fair trial, and
if satisfied: with its course a generous
support. V -
ine
will be to advertise the resources of the city, and
adjacent country, to assist in developing our
industries, m extending and opening up new channels
for our trade, in securing an open river and in
helping THE DALLES to take her proper position
as tne v : v.. .
Its Objects
will be to advertise the resources of the
city, and adjacent country, to assist in
developing our industries, in extending
and opening up new channels for our
trade, in securing an open river, and in
helping THE DALLES to take her prop
er position as the
Leading City of Eastern Oregon.
four pages of siy columns each, will be issued every
evening, except Sunday, and will be delivered in the
city, or sent by mail for the moderate sum of fiftv
cents a month.
JUST, FAIR AND IMPARTIAL
WeJ will endeavcr to give all the local news, and
we ask that vour criticism of out. nTr an
be formed from the contents of the paper, and not
x yjuj. etoxi. assrjitions oi outside parties.
THE WEEKLY,
sent to any address for.$1.50 per year. It will
contain .from' four to six eight column pages, and we
shall endeavor to make it tha Rnnai of h0t
sk your Postmaster for
THE CHRONICLE PUB. GO.
Office, N. W. Cor. Washington and Second. Sts
RUCTION SHLE I
Dry 1 Goods and Clothing at Your Own Price.
The entire stock of N. Harris consisting of General Dry
Goods' Clothing, Boots and Shoes, Hats, Caps, and
Gents' Furnishing Goods will be sold at
Auction to the highest bidder for
cash in hand.
Sales held every night commencing at 7 o'eloek.
J. B. CROSSEN, Auctioneer.
feu QDlumbia otel,
THE. DALLES, OREGON.
Best Dollar a Day House on the Coast!
First-rClass Meals, 25 Cents.
First Class Hotel in Every Respect. -
None but the Best of White Hejp Employed.
T. T. Nicholas, Prop.
(Washington Jtl) DclllCS, WasM"St)
' ' - :
SITUATED AT THE
Destined to be the Best
Manufacturing Center in
the Inland Empire.
For Further Information Call at the Off lee of
Interstate Investment Go.,
uaiiy
a copy, or address.
HEAD OP NAVIGATION.
. - Best Selling Property of
the Season in the Northwest.
A
0.
U!!S.
72 wASHiNronr., pjulino
1 1 '