Soon after the earthquake of September 1, the Police of Tokio and other cities entered upon a general round-up of Anarchists, Socialists and people holding similar views—not to mention Koreans and Chinese—all of whom were held to be dangerous to the country, though how, it is hard to imagine. Several were thrown into jails in such localities as the fires did not reach; some are reported to have been murdered or executed: others, when told that they were being sought for, promptly surrendered hoping that thus their lives would be more secure and that blame for further mishaps would not be laid at their doors. Among those whom the Police failed to locate were Mr. and Mrs. Ohsugi, despite a search by police and gendarmes that lasted for several days. On the evening of September 16, however, a Police spy reported that the two Socialists,. with their nephew, had been seen in a suburb of Tokio. Captain Amakasu, accompanied by two gendarmes, went to the spot and took the trio into custody just as Mrs. Ohsugi was buying the boy some pears which, in those days, was a necessity rather than a luxury. All then got into a commandeered motorcar which drove to the Gendarmerie headquarters. At the time of their arrest, Mr. and Mrs. Ohsugi were in foreign clothes their little nephew being in conventional Japanese garb.
About 8.30 p.m. the same cvening Ohsugi was separated from the rest and taken into another room on the pretext of being examined. While Sergeant-Major Mori, who was along with Captain Amakasu, went through the farce of examining the man, Captain Amakasu, according to his own confession in court, entered the room through another door behind Ohsugi, grasped the latter's throat. with his right hand from behind j and pulled him to the floor by putting his leg against the broad of his back. Ohsugi fell face downwards. Putting his right foot against the man's back, the Gendarmerie Captain squeezed the life out of the victim he had trapped and had attacked from behind. The agony of the unfortunate man lasted about ten minutes, according to depositions made at the court martial. He did not utter a scream or a moan, much less call for aid or ask for mercy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.