Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-09-26
BOXERS AND THEIR ALLIES.
The Dominating Impulse Of the Leaders Of
tho Organization.


among the mountains, whore they
communicate their art to disciples
and pretend to be possessed of spirits
who gave them magical powers.
They were condemded by imperia!
decree in the reign Of Kia Ching,
about 1910. Lately they have bccn
encouraged by the magistrates, who
took them to be patriots because they
maintain that the Manchu dynasty
is to be supported and the foreigners
expelled from the country. They
were, therefore, not prohibited by
the local authorities.
In 1890 they disturbed Shantung
province and massacred alarge num-
Der of native Christians. They also
burned many churches. This was
III the time of tho former Governor,
Yu lIsion, now in Shansi. He is
stated to have given direct cncour-
agemcnt to the Boxers and to have
been supported in this policy by
kang vi, one of the Manchu prime
ministers and a member of the Cabi-
net. But Kang vi alone could not
exercise commanding influence.
lie has been aided by lIsu Tung, a
Chinese banncrman and one of the
grand secretaries Chung vi, a
Duke, with the title Cheng-cn, and
the father of the Empress of the
Emperor Tung Chih Tuan Wang,
the father Of the heir apparent, and
the president of the board of ccre-
monies, Chi IIsiu.
The four Cabinet members are in
league with Kang vi in the support
of the Boxers; they look on the
Boxers as a triumphant party, who
are carrying to a successful issue of
their enterprises, and the extreme
difficulty of the situation to which
foreign residents have been reduced
is, in their view, an eloquent tcsti-
mony to the supernatural aid the
Boxers have received. They well
come this highly popular movement
as showing how much the nation
loves the Manchus. Jung Iu and
Prince Ching are wiser and would
resist the Boxers by force and com
pei them to dcsist from their mad
career of assassination and inccndiar-
:sm. Their views is the same as
tnlt Of the three viccroys. The
Nanchu princes are surrendered by
Boxers; half there rctaincrs belong
to the association, and half of the
palace servants are members Of the
same Boxer brotherhood.
Yet there is no true loyalty in the
Boxer leaders. They kill military
officers as willingly as they do Chris
tians. They arc said to have mur-
dercd IIsu Tung, the aged Cabinet
minister, who has been helping them
by speaking in their favor to the EN-
press Dowagcr. They have de-
stroycd Government buildings, and
among them the custom department
in Pckin, which supplies c5,00O,0O0
each year to the revenue. They are
then in all respects rebels, and will,
if not checked, proceed to found q
new dynasty on the ruins Of the
Manchu power. Their leader, Ii
Mai-fu, it may be presumed, has
dreams of this kind. The man is
probably in Pekin at present, bend
ing all his energy to accomplish the
destruction of every foreigner in the
city. lie hopes that the false glory
of so great a crime will give him a
title in the eyes of the millions who
believe i'll his magical powers to
mount the throne Of China.
There is no man in Chinese his
tory with whom he can be co omparcd
Chang llsicn-C Chung in the year lGli
gained possession OF Szcchuan. lie
massacrcd 32,3l0 under graduates,
5000 cunuchs, 1000 Of his own
troops, 1000 Buddhist priests, G0O,-
600 inhabitants of Chcngtu, $50 OF
his own concubincs, 100000 wives OF
his troops and everyone else in the
province. When he had done this
he proclaimed himself Emperor of
Chcngtu. Has not the Boxer leader
a secret admiration for Chcng- Ilsien-
Chung? In his indiscriminatno
murder and inccndiary deeds can he
have any object before him but his
own glorilication Tugg- Fu-hsiang
the general who ostcntatiously favor.
the Boxers and probably admitted
III fu to pckin, is Iiansu man
and h-lai-fu ls n native Of Shcnsi
the adjoining province. Tung I'u
hsiapg is still in the imperial service
and not a r,ocl against the Empress
li-Lai-fu must then for the prcscn
profess allegiance to the Manchus
For the time being he surrounds
himself with mystery. Ills follower
do not say where he is.