The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-13
TIL. EMPEROR
AN EYE WITNESS TELLS OF THE
CHINESE DowAGER,s ACTION
IN PEkIN PALACE
WOMAN OF VIOLENT TEMPER
Eunuchs and Even Prince of LII
TrembIed ON One Occasion Lest
Her Anger Should Fall
On Them.

The following letter is from q member
OF the reform party In Picking. who got
his information from an eye witness, one
Of the empress dowager's eunuchs. 1t IS
translated literally as follows, by the
North China Daily News Of March 8,
which remarks that perfect reliance may
be placed on the statements:
TO begin with the beginning'-previou
to Jan 70 last Picking was filed with dis
quieting rumors, which gradually filtered
into the palace, Some declared that the
emperor had already been secretly de-
posed; others again stated that the en-
peror had been made away with by p5i-
son; but when the empress dowager heard
of them she simply smiled In that grim
way of hers, which to the terrorized eyes
of those around her meant that she had
decided on some course which, even If it
were paved with the blood of thousands
would not deter her from her subseIu mt
goal 1t is also significant of the woman
that none-except, perhaps, her favorite
eunuch, Ii Lien-Ying. and Prince Ching
of those who daily attended on her knew
exactly what the empress dowager actu-
ally Intended to do, although it was quite
clear that some sort OF coup was on the
tapis- But when the fateful Jan. "a. 1900
came, every one knew that, only few
hours before, the emperor had been fore
ed to sign his abdication, and DOM
spread over the capital like a pail. ac-
centuated as it was by chilly, lowering
skies.
Il was one of those who stood around
with ink slab and pen for the emperor
to use. while the empress dowager her
self held out the pen to him. Even then
his majesty hesitated to take it and sign
the ready prepared imperial decree of
abdication held out to him. but an i'm
perious stamp of the right foot and those
piercing. menacing eyes OF the empress
dowager frowning upon him seem to
enthral and fascinate the emperor, who
Immediately stretched forth trembling
hand, and the next moment, with a groau
and gesture of despair. it were. the
fatal decd was done. and the empress dow
ager triumphantly snatched the decree
from her nephew's hand.
Then a sudden change occurred which
those around her were too accustomed t.
see or be astonished at. The empire
dowager's face became instantly suffused
with smiles, her eyes became s9ft and
benevolent, and she was all kindness and
motherly solicitude for her imperial neph
ew! He, poor, fallen majesty! had sunk
EN- down in a chair after signing the fatal
paper. while a sudden deadly paleness
manifested itself in his countenance, and
a moment after he had dyed his robe with
his life blood. His majesty's excitement
had been too much for his weak health,
and ii seemed that he had burst one OF
his lesser blood vessels.
VERY kindly and gently the empress
dowager herself attended TO the Emperor.
and when he seemed to have somewhat
recovered himslf she supported him on
one side. waving away the eunuch who
had come forward to do so. and. with
surprising Solicitude for his health and
comfort. arranged the pillows and cush-
ions In his majestys sedan chair. which
was to carry him back to his usual pris-
on. the water-surrounded kiosk at the
Southern lake palace, which is very near
the empress dowager's own residence OF
Eho park She herself escorted the en-
peror to his place of retreat. called the
Ying-t'ai, and having seen him securely
confined within its high walls and the
drawbridge once more brought over. her
face resumed that hard look usual TO it
as she and her numerous retinue returned
to Picking. All the way from Picking to
his prison l heard the emperor weeping
at his hard fate. He was so utterly brok-
en- down and oppressed. Poor ma sty!
His meanest subject among his four hun
dred million people would have refused
to exchange places with him on that day.