I found an article in a century old Beta magazine and it led me to do more research. Captain Ing, the missionary who helped the men get to Indiana Asbury (as DePauw was called in those days) is buried about 50 miles from where I live.
In 1877, four young Japanese men arrived in Greencastle, Indiana. They became students at the alma mater of their teacher, an American missionary. They, too, like their mentor, became fraternity men. Two joined Delta Kappa Epsilon and the other two became Beta Theta Pis.
Read more at:
http://wp.me/p20I1i-hR