Now that H. M. Coroner has completed his investigation into the death of Mr. R. M. Tinkler, and has returned his verdict, it is possible now to make that comment on the whole affair which was not permissible once the inquiry had been open. The whole incident can be divided into two parts, the first, that portion which led up to the bayonetting of the deceased man, and the second, that very much longer period during which Tinkler was denied the attention of foreign medical aid, and merely given some assistance of which, perhaps, the least said the better. The Japanese were given the chance to place their case before the Coroner's court, and neglected, for reasons best known to themselves, to take advantage of it, but as what they have had to say about the matter has been sufficiently broadcast, it is quite probable that they had nothing more to add to what they have already said. They might also have been reluctant to submit to the questioning, which would have been inevitable had they attended the inquest to give evidence. It has to be admitted that on the facts the deceased did not behave with all that circumspection which is so imperatively necessary in times such as these. He fired his pistol, pointed it at the Japanese, and they very properly disarmed him. The unarmed man continued to struggle.
Instead of overpowering him, and taking him into custody for the purpose of handing him over to his own consular authorities,— he could have been punished for what he is alleged to have done,—he was set upon by armed men, some of whom thrust their bayonets into his abdomen causing a num-[ber of wounds which ultimately proved fatal. It has to be emphasized that it was an unarmed man who was thus treated. It is so easy to bayonet a man who has only his bare hands with which to defend himself.
There is no evidence that fellow members of the staff made it more difficult for the Japanese by seeking to reinforce his resistance: indeed there is everything to show that they disapproved of what Tinkler was doing, and sought to restrain him, and there is consequently not the slightest justification to be put forward for the bayonetting of this man. It was unnecessary, brutal and callous.
But if those adjectives are to be applied to the original cause of Tinkler's death, what is to be said of the incompetence and negligence which denied him any slight chance of recovery, which might have been his had swift, and efficient assistance been given him? The Japanese surgeon who administered some sort of first aid does not, until late in the day, appear to have realized the onsness of his patient's condition, spoke lightly of the matter and suggested that the next morning he would probably be able to take porridge. Applications for permission to obtain foreign medical assistance for Tinkler were refused, and it is not until late in the day.—and it must be remembered that he was stabbed before 9 a.m.—that the gravity of his condition is realized, and not until some thirteen hours after the wounds were inflicted that he- is brought across the Whangpoo to receive that treatment which had it been administered as soon after the event as it could have been, might, as the textbooks point out, have saved his life. Let there be no mistake about it,— bad as the original assault upon Tinkler was, the light in which it was ultimately to be regarded might have been considerably modified had the Japanese allowed him immediately to obtain that treatment which was so imperatively necessary. The man was doubly murdered, first, when he was assaulted with bayonets, and, second, when he was denied that assistance which might have kept him in the land of the living. It is important to note, as having a possible bearing upon the second aspect of the case,, that it was not until the Japanese had made sure that their version of what occurred had been issued to the world that Tinkler was transported across the Whangpoo. Their story had twenty-four hours start, but as was remarked in this column in connection with the matter, one story is good until another is told. It has now been told and the true facts stand out in all their hideousness.
It is not necessary to indulge in all the severe condemnation for which this most deplorable incident calls. Indeed it were better if that condemnation came from an authority which the Japanese themselves must respect—the Emperor Meiji. It has been used before in connection with a case involving another Briton, which happily did not end so unfortunately, but it deserves to be reproduced again as the best possible comment upon the case of Mr. Tinkler 1 The soldier and the sailor should consider Loyalty their essential duty. Therefore, neither be led astray by current opinions nor meddle in politics, but with single heart fulfil your essential duty of loyalty, and bear in mind that duty 4s weightier than a mountain, while death is lighter than a feather.
2. The soldier and the sailor should be strict in observing Propriety. If you, soldiers and sailors, neglect to observe propriety, treating your superiors with disrespect and your inferiors with harshness, and thus cause harmonious ce-operations to be lost, you will not only be a blight upon the forces but also unpardonable offenders against the State.
3. The soldiers and the sailors should esteem Valour. But there is true valour and false. To be excited by mere impetuosity to violent action cannot be called true valour. Never to despise an inferior enemy or fear a superior, but to do one's duty as soldier or sailor, that is true valour. Those who thus appreciate true valour should in their daily intercourse set gentleness first and aim to win the love and esteem of others. If you affect valour, and act with violence, the world will in the end detest you and look upon you as wild beasts. Of this you should take heed.
4. The soldier and the sailor should highly value Faithfulness and Righteousness. Faithfulness implies the keeping of one's word, and righteousness the fulfilment of one's duty. If then you wish to be faithful and righteous in anything, you must carefully consider at the outset whether you can accomplish it or not.
5. The soldier and the sailor should make Simplicity their aim. If you do not make simplicity your aim, you will become effeminate and frivolous and acquire fondness for luxurious and extravagant ways; you will finally grow selfish and sordid and sink to the last degree of baseness, so that neither loyalty nor valour will avail to save you from the contempt of the world.
These five articles should not be disregarded even for a moment by soldiers and sailors. Now for putting them into practice, the all-important is Sincerity. If only the heart be sincere, anything can be accomplished. Moreover, these five articles are the Grand Way of Heaven and Earth and the universal law of humanity, easy to observe and to practice. If you, soldiers and sailors, in obedience to Our instruction, will observe and practice these principles and fulfil your duty of grateful service to the country, it will be a source of joy, not to Ourself alone, but to all people of Japan.
Need more be said? It is believed not. One of Japan's greatest Emperors fifty-six years ago penned those lines, and the men who caused Mr. Tinkler's death, whether by actual brutality, or by subsequent negligence and incompetence, stand condemned by them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.