The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-17
TOLD OF EARL Ii.



Washington Star.
Whatever else Ii Hung Chang may
have been-and there were a million stories
about him, one of which. you'll recall, was
that he wasn't a Chinaman at all, but a
Swede who had landed in China as a young
cabin boy from a merchant ship-he was
decidedly the most monumental walking
interrogation point that L ever came
across, and I've met some mighty inquisi-
tive men, said a New York newspaper
man who is now stationed in Washington.
with four other newspaper men L inter
viewed Ii in his apartments when he ar
rived in New York five years ago. He re-
ceived us with his encourage about him,
and he permitted his interpreter to do the
talking. although Ii spoke good English.
The information that we went after and
that We didn't get out of the Celestial
statesman would have filled a large book,
but the points relative to the public and
private history of five unpretentious news
! paper reporters that Ii picked up in the
progress of that queer seance were sure
a-plenty. l observed that one of Lis suite
was writing rapidly on tablets during the
progress of the talk. and when l inquired
afterward of the interpreter what the man
was writing the interpreter blandly in
formed me that he had taken notes of the
GHllTe interview III chinese SnOTLnd0Q, so
that the records of the five of US are prob
ably now on file in the archives of the
hOwery kingdom.
I'VE were under instructions from our
editors to get, if possible, a talk out of Ii
relative to the Chinese foreign policy, with
particular reference to Russia; but we
might just as well have asked such ques-
tons of the Sphinx. 1 was elected spokes-
man by the other reporters, and | had
my little list of questions neatly tabulated
in my mind when we were presented to
hin zoo TnH1NFf1Nrn1 ~ - WNN
one of the queries, when Ii interrupted me
with a wave of his hand. and then he nod
ded amiably TO all of us in turn. Then he
turned to his Interpreter and said some
thing TO him in Chinese.
He wishes 10 know said the inter-
prefer. addressing US. how old each of
II asked the other four in turn how old
they were, and when they told me 1 told
the interpreter, giving also my own age,
and the Interpreter conveyed the informa-
ton to that scribe fellow with
the tablets and the Chinese system of
shorthand went ahead writing at a great
rate.
From then on the Interpreter simply
served as a medium through which Ii
Hung Chang asked questions.
How are YOU paid, daily or weekly?'
the Chinese boss wanted TO know.
How much do you get a week? the in
terpreter then asked, and, as 1 couldn't
speak for the other four fellows. and as 1
did not consider the question material, any
how, l replied:
One thousand dollars a week EACH
You should ave seen the interpreters
and Lis eyes open when l sprung that
ferOcious falsehoOd. L don't imagine that
they believed nett couldn't nave been
possible that they debut both Ii and the
interpreter appeared to look upon us with
considerable more respect from that mo-
ment on. Maybe 1t was because they knew
that was ~lying-the Chinese diplomats. L
understand, think a great deal of a first
rate, tip-tOp, rip-rOaring liar.
VIVA do you do with the money! was
the question the interpreter hurled at me
then, at Lis dictatiOn.
"All of us grinned then, Of course. as it
was up to us to do. But 1 didn't want to
be too gay and thus spoil at least the
chance OF at length getting an Interview
from the famous Chinaman, and so L made
the best reply L could to the question. Told
the Interpreter that such little items as
food and drink and raiment and an occa-
sional smoke and ride on the cars managed
to consume most of our money that we
weren't laying aside for the purchase of
steam yachts. race horses and Fffth-ave-
nue. residences.
"'Are you married?' Ii wanted to know
then.
1T happened that we all were. and 1 re-
piled to that effect.
".Are you good to your wives?' was the
next one.
1.-The best ever replied 1. not fippantly,
but more for the purpose of lodging the
question.
"'Have you children?' came along then.
81 had to ask two of the others whether
Nhtg Tau any yObll6 OICS VI HOl, anu llGn
l made the fitting reply.
He says that you have not enough chill
dren, said the interpreter when 1 had re-
piled.
well, we all had to hang our heads and
look sorry, of course, but in view of the
fact that | told the interpreter that one of
the crowd had eight children, the criticism
appeared a bit unreasonable.
Are your wives pretty and domestic?'
the interpreter inquired then, after his lit
tie talk with Ii Hung Chang
81 don't remember inst how Il auoJaJ
that one.
do all of your families live together? ~
Ii wanted to know then through the in
terpreter. replied NO and then he
wanted TO know why not. When said
that our wives had never even met, and
tina. the five of us only happened to be
together accidentally, Ii wanted to know
If We didn't like each other, and if our
wives wouldn't like each other If they met:
if there was anything unsatisfactory in
the conduct of any of us or our wives that
caused us to desire to hold aloof from
each other. 1 had to hum and haw out of
all this the best way | could. and all the
time two of the newspaper men behind me
were kicking me on the leg from the rear
to urge me to hop in and get that talk out
of Ii about the Chinese foreign policy. L
was sparring around for an opening. when
the interpreter came at me again, after a
whispered conference with his master.
He wants TO know said the interpre-
ter, IF your friend to the left of YOU does
not drink to excess-he says that he looks
as If he did
Now, the good, kindly fellow on my left.
one of the best newspaper men that ever
worked in New York, had a very iorid
c-ountenance. but he scarcely ever touched
a drop of drink. He went pretty red over
this jolt, but he spoke up 10 me in an I'M
dertcne.
Tell hin that 1 just eat whisky said
he to me. but l didn't say anything of the
sort. / replied that the man on my left
was a total abstainer.
And that's the way that interview went
for fully half an hour. There never was
a minute when l had a chance to slip in a
query pertinent to our mission in seeing
Ii Hung Chang. Every time that I start
ed a question along the ways the inter-
prefer would gaze blandly at me and ask
me another question. or L had to reply TO il
some old way or be looked upon as a boor.
After I'd been under the gun in this man.
ner for half an hour Ii made a nice little
smiling bow TO each of us in turn again.
executed a sweeping gesture with his right
hand and We were Immediately surrounded
by the bunch of richly arrayed, stoIid-look-
ing Chink attendants and gently ushered
into the hall. That's how we didn't in
terview Ii Hung Chang. 1t was a put-up
Job on his part. OF course sd he w--r~f
il all along the line while in this country"