Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-09-04
WAR TO THE KNIFE.
Some Inside History of the Chi
nese Uprising.
DOWAGER EMPRESS HAD HER Will
Her Decision Said to Have Had the Ap.
proyai of Many of the Dignitaries OF
the Kinedom-she Thought the Box.
ers Were InyulnerabIe.

San Francisco. Sept "a refugee
from Picking whose name Is not given
furnished the North China Daily News
received by the Dorie yesterday. an
account of the events in Picking, which
shows that the war of the Boxers on
foreigners was approved by the EN-.
press dowageP The writer says:
ION June 10. the empress doWage1
suddenly issued a decree suInIHonine
all the Manchn princes, dukes. tetables
and high officials of the six boards
and nine ministers to be prescott at Il
grand council TO be held ut once IN
the palace. The suspicious part OF this
was that when all had gathered at the
palace those who were Maneha were
first called by the empress dowagef
to secret audience while those OF
Chinese descent were left in the wait.
ing ROOM After the Manchus had
ended their secret council and Ind
come back to the waiting room they
were again called back, this time with
those Of Chinese descent, into the EN-.
press dowager's council room. When
all had Frustrated themselves before
the empress dowager and emperor they
waited for her TO speak
'She said. The foreign powers have
browbeaten and prosecuted us in such
a manner that we cannot endure this
any longer We must. therefore, com
bine to fight all foreigners to the last,
to save our faces in the eyes of the
world. All our Manchu princes. dukes
and mobiles, ministers high and low
are unanimous in this determination
for war to the knife, and | approve of
their patriotic choice. |, therefore,
give all of you this announcement and
expect all to do their duty to theiI
country"
The writer then goes on to say that
Hsu Ching Cheng, Chinese ex-minister
to Russia, Marquis Using, son of the
late minister to Great Britain. and 9th.
er Chinese mobiles, tried to influence
the empress dowager to reverse her
decision, or at least to make dis.
tinction between nations. uot making
war upon friendly nations. The en-.
press dowager declared that in this
war China would have the Boxers. who
We're invulnerable to bullet and sword,
on her side, and could not be conquer.
ed. The emperor. who had maintained
a fearful silence. finally impl0red the
empress to reconsider her decision. but
she turned her back upon him. Con.
tinuing the writer says.
-Four Of the friendly Chinese minis.
tiers visited United States Minister
Conger at the risk of their lives ex.
planned the situation to him, and asked
if an armstice could not be arranged.
The murder of the German minister
opened the eyes of the imperial court,
They saw that things were now in
danger of going beyond recall.
'fhe most prominent and active Of
the Manchu party presented them
selves at the palace ON the goth of
June, the day after the murder of the
German minister, and got the empress
doWager to issue a decree to Yung Lu,
as generalissimo of the grand army Of
the north, commanding him to bring
in his army to Peking, and formally at
tack the legations. destroy them and
then, leaving Picking for Tien Tsin. to
destroy the foreigners there and so on
until all were driven into the sea-
Just as the empress dowager WIS
about to sign the decree, says the writ
er the emperor again besought her
not to plunge the nation into war. but
she treated him with contempt and he
left he council chamber weeping.