<Begin Segment 24>

TM: Well, then first couple of months, nothing in the camp. Then about March or so they said hearings start, and California bunch, Washington bunch, Seattle bunch and some country bunch, all different. And so one day I went to the hearing. I was pretty early bunch, I think. Here was Williams. That's our lawyer in the Bellevue Vegetables Growers' lawyer, and he come. "Oh, so you come." "Yeah." And so he came. And interpreter, Japanese/English interpreter. There are two, one is Kashino, I think, Paul. He from Seattle. And from Spokane, there is a girl is Nishibue. I think Nishibue or I think that's what the name was.

TI: That's Suzuki's neighbor in Spokane.

TM: You know Nishibue?

TI: Nishibue was my mother-in-law's neighbor in Spokane.

TM: Oh, that's right. Anyway, she came. Well, so Williams said, "No, your hearing started." All those hearing board and they're the one is Kirkland Bank, branch boss was in hearing board, too. He didn't ask nothing. And head guy he ask me all about just this and that and why I do all those Japanese group like in Nihonjinkai and Seinenkai, everything else, and, "Why you do that kind of job and you claim you are American citizen?" Well, "Is nobody else to do, I have to do it." Well, and ask about the trip in Japan. Ask about the sumo and sumo is really faithful to Mikado, that's what they say, the emperor.

AI: The hearing board thought that...

TM: And what that means and... well, this hearing board said, heard sumo is every time they start fight, they have to anyway, bow to Mikado and then you guys gonna start. By God, no. I said, "No, nothing like that." Well, took long time to explain about the sumo. [Laughs] Then I come out the hearing, I think it was pretty good, not so bad. I heard other people, they thought it's pretty good, I guess. Then I don't know how many day, not too long, they called me. They were gonna release me. Oh, that's pretty good. That time about three people released the same time in West Coast. And before that there was a whole bunch of them, especially from California, was moved to the other, other place like in New Mexico or Oklahoma, all over. Anyway, they moved away. Well, so wait few more days and well, you can't go out. So Mr. Okuda, he is a representative from Spokane -- what that Spokane big newspaper?

TI: The Spokesman Review.

RT: The Spokesman Review.

TM: The Spokesman Review or something and he sponsored Mr. Okuda so he can go out and guard by him. And then myself and one pair from Tacoma, he went out. So then the guard took us to the post office and post office they gave me draft card or... yeah, I think that's draft card. Yeah. Anyway, I am 4-F. Yeah, I am 4-F or something. Well, anyway, then went to the, this guard took us to the station and bought a ticket and give us a tickets and that's what I went to Pinedale.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.