Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-04-14
STORY OF THE CUE.
WHY THE CHlNAMAN WEARS HIS
HAIR IN A LONG BRAID.

Thereby Hangs an Ancient Tale OF
Ardent Love and Ruthless War.
The Way Manchuria Rose Through
China's Sacrifice to n Lovers Rage.
The cue that every Chinaman wears
is the badge of his servitude to the
Mantchoos, for they, in the conquest
of Peking and the replacement of the
dynasty of the Mings with their own
princeIy house, imposed their own ma
tional headdress on the people of all
China.
Bound up with this conquest Is one
of the finest and fiercest love stories
ever told. The story is related in ex-
Consul General Rounseville Wiidman's
book, "China's Open Door.
1t all happened in the years 1t43 and
1644. The Ming emperor, Chwang
Lich III. had two rebellions on his
hands then-not a very unusual condi-
ton in China. One of the rebel chiefs,
Ii, had proclaimed himself emperor
and was marching VIGOROUSLY on Pc
king. At his approach the emperor
went out and hanged himself ON tree
in his garden. Everything seemed
propitious for Lis triumph and his as
sumption of the imperial throne
But in the north there was power
which was greater than that of Ii 1t
was that of WI Sankwei, a mighty
Chinese general, who commanded the
fortress of Ningyuen and who had
long held at bay the Mantchoo tribes
in that quarter. WI Sankwei, with an
army of veterans, was on his way 10
the capital to fght for the lawful au-
thority when he received letter from
his father, WI, urging him to submit
to Ii.
1t is every Chinaman's duty to obey
his father at whatever cost, and WI
Sankwei would certainly have obeyed
in this case and kept Chinese dynasty
on the throne if a stronger love than
the filial had not dominated his heart.
Sankwei was on the point of rendering
his allegiance to Ii when he heard that
a beautiful slave girl, belonging to him,
TO whom he was wholly devoted, had
been seized and presented to one of
Lis officers Then his fury against the
victorious rebel chieftain rose ana
knew no bounds.
In his love for this girl, says the his
torian, Wu Sankwei forgot filial obedi-
ence, his own future. the safety OF his
family and every consideration Of pa
triotism. He was possessed only by a
,zPf OF
wrote one letter to his father, upbraid-
ing him for not protecting the girl, ana
another to Dorgun, the prince regent
of the Mantchoos, inviting him to join
him lSankweD in the subjugation OF
the empire.
The Mantchoos did not hesitate mo-
ment They pushed their army for
ward by forced marches to junction
with Sankwei. Ii, astonished at the
turn Of afTairs and determined to crush
The man Who dared dispute his title,
advaDced rapidly With 200,eDo picked
infantry and 5000 cavalry. In the
front line he marched Wu, the aged
father Of Sankwei, who, by all the de-
crees Of Confucius, Sankwei was bound
to obey, even to the sacrifice of his own
life and honor.
Thesfather not only ordered him, but
pleaded with him, to submit, but the
vision of the outraged girl steeled the
heart of his son, and he stood helpless
while the father was being murdered
before his eyes.
The battle that followed was one Of
the most fiercely contested as well as
one of the most noted In history. Sank
wei was outmarched and outnumbered,
but not eutgeperaied. lie fought with
like the very spirit of the
his trOv, -~1 during foe ba Z.
fearful storm that raso>- -
tie, but in spite Of his terrific chars.,
he would have been compelled to con-
fess defeat had not the Mantchoo adj
vance guard OF 10000 veteran cavalry
thrown themselves into the breach with
a rush that was irresistible.
The fight, which commenced as q
duel, ended In q slaughter. For four
teen miles Sankwei pursued the usurp-
er's diSorganiZed forces and butchercd
them by the hundreds. IL stayed in
Peking long enough to strip the palace
Of its treasures and mercilessly to ex-
ecute all the family Of WI and set fire
to the government buildings.
Sankwei, however, was close on his
heels. He left the empire to the Mant-
choos, the sacking Of the city to the
troops, and the bodies OF his family
unburied, but he swept on, tireless, re-
morseless, bent solely on revenge. His
mistress was dead, his father murder
ed, his family obiiterated, but Ii still
lived.
Battle succeeded battle Ii, deserted
by his followers, hunted like n mad
dog, with all doors shut TO him, and
even the necessities OF life becoming
impossible, was killed by the rustics
whom he was plundering for food, and
Sankwei arrived only to claim the
corpse of the rebel and murderer who
for few hours had dared to sit on the
sacred dragon throne.
Leaving Sankwel to avenge the
death OF his mistress, Dorgun entered
Peking In January, 1914. He proclaim
ed his youthful charge, his slx-year-old
nephew, emperor, and formally trans
ferred the Mantchoo capital from Muk-
den TO Peltlng. The young prince, who
adopted the title Of Shunchih, arrived
in October, and with his advent the
Mantchoo, or Using, dynasty. which
still bears sway In China, came into
being.
Thus the cue that every Chinaman
wears today may justly be claimed as
a badge OF mourning for the beautiful
slave girl Of General Wa sankwel,
who In his grief and anger sealed the
fate Of the Chinese nationality. But
for her the Mantchoo would have re-
mained 10 this day league OF scatter