The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-12-03
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The rauuarkahle career of Ward. the
American soldier VINO preceded GoZoona
In command of the foreign legion In
China. was related to & New York
Tribune reporter recently BIZ friend
of the soldier, who knew him from boy.
hood. He said: ssWard was . most re-
markable mana greater man. in my
opinion than Gordon. though the hero
OF Khartoum commands my deep adj,
miration. Ward was born In Salem,
Mass, and when he was Q boy went TO
sea with his father. who was q ship
master. When the Crimean war broke
out young Ward enlisted in the French
army. and became 3 sub-lieutenant.
Unfortunately he became involved in
quarrel with his captain. and. resign
n . bis Commission, he challenged that
officer to duel. Tho challenge was
accepted, and Ward killed the captain.
Years after, when fortune smiled on
him, Ward sent large sum Of money
to Paris to be invested for the support
of the widow and child of his former
captain. Wards next venture was 9
commercial one TO Vera Cruz It
proved unsuccessful. and he was then
sent by me TO the west coast Of Mexico
to buy lot of brass cannon which had
been condemned. He embarked on this
enterprise In vessel which took Down
to Central America . lot Of Walkers
fiiibusters. The adventurous charac-
ter Oa Walkers enterprise appealed to
Wards fancy, but he saw In it so much
to condemn and so much that was re-
pugnant to him in the character of
large part of those who made up the
flibustering party that he did not join
the expedition.
- Nha
west coast of Mexico Ward went to
San Francisco and got berth as an
officer of Q ship going TO China be
received his discharge in China and
entered there the service of the empe-
TOR. He rose rapidly in favor and rank,
and organized theForeign legion to fight
for tho emperor against the Tapping
rebels. He married Chinese lady OF
| high rank, and was made q mandarin
| of their most exalted order. In order
| to marry a woman of the rank which
| he did he was told that he must re-
| nounce Christianity. He declined to
| do this, and the matter was finally set
| tied by his marrying her by proxy. He
| became a citizen Of China and subject
| Of the emperor. Once he was seized
by the English and French admirals
| and kept for some time prisoner. He
was told that il he would claim Ameri-
can citizenship he would be liberated.
This he refused to do, saying:
| 81 was born in America, and love
| nv native land, bat have sworn ale
glance to the emperor and am a Chi
| nese.'
HE was finally released. and con.
tinued his most successful and brillian;
military career. He ordered three
gunboats built in America. which were
to go up the Pekin river and the cana
and fly the mandarin flag before the
gates of Pekin. l was building the
boats for him when he was killed. de
was the most powerful man in China.
and had he lived l believe he had the
genius and the daring to have made
himself absolute master Of the Chinese
empire. When our civil war broke ou
he wrote to me: My heart is with my
native land in her struggle agains
rebellion. Were l free would return
at once to offer my life and my sworC
to my country. But my work is here.
He was killed while exposing hinsel
in a reconnaissance before some cit,
which he was besieging. He was on,
of the bravest, most temperate, up
right, and honorable of men; of bound
less ambition and dazzling genius. ID
was young, man only Sc or 81 at tn
time OF his death. Though he never re
ceived liberal education he was on
of the best-inforned men 1 ever saw
constant student, u good hnguisi
,, and a great reader OF books of al
kinds"