Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1872-03-02

'Nf'y "N' PSS"isua' - III AoOeCu
on his military mission purely as mer-
camille bargain.
The situation was quickly explained,
and the kmpetor acquainted with the
form in which gratitude would prove most
agreeable to the Yankee /" barbarian"
FROM Massachusetts. A regular contract
was drawn up and signed, by which Gen.
eral Ward was to receive so much for every
battle won, every city captured, every
skirmish i'll which the enemy were routed
The whole matter was graduated with
business-like accuracy in all its details.
In addition to this, an immense sum was
paid for the services already rendered, aud
the highest honors that could be bestowed
on subject given him. An American
gentleman connected with the banking
house at Hongkong, where Ward made
his deposits. Informed the writer that he
had seen $500, 900 in silver tales brought
in by train of coolies at one time, to be
credited to Wards account.
| For seven years General Ward was ac-
tually master Of the mighty empire of
China. Out of the unpromising material
of the Chinese character, he made dis
ciplined and effective army, and by con-
slant action in the field he inspired them
with such confidence in themselves and
him that they obeyed him with the most
implicit daring and devotion. Ward did
not give himselfup to the luxury of another
Capha, nor allow his life to rest ip inglo.
rious ease. He pursued the rebels with
incessant vigor over the almost unbound.
less field of campaign, and had finally
contracted their limits to the same narrow
bounds whence they started The whole
empire had been reconquered to its old
allegiance, with the exception of one or
two minor strongholds in which the des-
pairing Taepings prepared themselves to
make final stand.
In the meantime the victorious Ameri-
ycap had married the favorte daughter Of
the Emperor, an honor which never before
in Chinese annals had been bestowed on a
foreigner. He had introduced nany radi.
cal reforms in the oivl and military ad-
ministrations of the country. His influence
tended to open the eyes of the Chinese
Government to the value Of the civilization
which they had so long obstinately reject
ed, and undoubtedly prepared the way for
Burlingame's mission in after times. Gen.
eral Ward, during these years, bad acc uired
enormous wealth. At the time Of his
death his property in money was estimated
at from sl5,000,000 to sS0,00O,O00. No
height of power was left for him to scale
except the Imperial seat itself, climax
which his daring and reckless ambition
might have reached had not death cut
short his dazzling career.
The end came in 1862. His heroic en-
ergies were obliged to yield to an iuviuci.
BILE champion.
He was reconnoitering the outposts of
an Insignificant mud fort, when the fatal
bullet came. A rebel marksman, recog
nizing General Ward by his brilliant uni.
form, rammed a silver button into his
matchbox. Ward had always encouraged
the idea that he was guarded by magic
ammulet, and many Tapping soldier had
charged his gun with such costly missiles
in the hope to kilt fearful sorcerer, who
had done their cause such incalculable
evil. General Ward fell without even q
gasp, and the heroic adventurer, aged only
thirty.three years, who moment before
had held the Chinese Empire by the throat,
lay cold in the arms of death. His troops,
maddened by the loss of their beloved
commander, assaulted the fort with ire.
sistible fury, and put every man, woman
and child to the sword.
Such is an outline Of life which in
many respects is without parallel either
in history or romance. And yet so
absorbed was the American mind at the
time in its own Titanic Struggle, that his
career and death we're dismissed in the
newspapers with few hasty paragraphs
that did not commence to suggest the vast
importance of the theme. Had Ward
lived, it is difficult to calculate what the
consequences might not have been. 1t
does not require an alarming stretch of the
imagination to believe that General Ward
mig ght have founded new dynasty over
that mighty Empire, whose antiquity is so
vast that it possessed the mariners COM
pass, the knowledge Of guupowder, and
the art of printing before blind Homer
sung his sublime strains on the shores Of
the Egean, or even the verdic hymns
were chanted in the rock.hcwp temples Of
Hindostau.
To the practical American mind it will
be interesting to know what became Of
Wards enormous wealth. AS the son.in-
law of the Emperor, the latter by the Chi
nese law, was the heir; so it flowed back
to the source from whence it came.
In closing this meagre summary Of a
most extraordinary life striking thought
presents ITSELF 1t is a strange dispensa-
ton that the descendant of Massachusetts,
Puritan should have been the instrument
in quenching rebellion in China which
promised to rebuild the ancient civilization
Of that people on the most liberal Chris.
tian foundations. Such is one Of the enig.
mas in the philosophy of history. The
facts themselves are worthy to rank in
romantic importance with anything in tho
annals of the past.