The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-04-25
YUAN SHIH-KAI, THE SACACIOUS,
The Most Remarkable Character
In China To-Day.
II
BY A. G. EAMES.

I them in the remote places of North
China. stopping at nothing until they
| felt the hot breath of the foreign rides
| In the settlements along the Pei-bo.
| The Big Knife Society sanctificd its
namesake emblem in Il thousand viii
lagos by imbuing 1t in the blood of
foreign devils''-or Of their second
ary devils" converts or servants OF
the forelgners) when no foreigners
were available. With the reports of
the Shan-si and Pao-ting massacres
telegraphic orders reached Yuan Shih-
kai from the throne, "Exterminate all
foreigners"
Governor Yuan called the foreign res.
idents in his capital together, and, pur.
suing the same general plan as he had
when sent to kill Yung Lu, informed
them that he was under orders to kill
them, but added that he had no inten.
tion of complying, telling them, as he
had told Yung Lu, that it would be
necessary for them to take active meas.
ures at once for their own salvation.
Not a foreigner was killed or foreign
house looted or destroyed in Shan.
tung Province, and early in the autumn
of 1900 the foreign residents were able
to return to their stations. and found
that, through the forethought of the
Governor, sentinels had been posted
over their property, which had thereby
been preserved intact.
Yuan did not participate in the battle
of Tien.tsin, where the Allies first
broke the power Of the Chinese. who
up to that time had been dominant and
had kept the residents Of the settle.
ment practically PRISONS. His pleu
was to have an army in the back~
ground, believing that whoever proved
to be the victors would be too badly
exhausted after the fray to invite an
encounter with fresh troops, and that
thus he would hold the balance of
power. which would enable him to pre-
vent the unnecessary taking of life.
The battle of Tien-tsin began at
earliest daylight on Friday, July 10.
1900 with a furious cannonade by the
circle of batteries that ringed Tien-tsin
settlements, and before day fairly
broke the Allies had deployed into line
of battle, the Russians with the little
detachment of German and Austrian
sailors to the eastward of the settle
ments, the British, japanese, Amerl-
cans, French and Italians to the west
ward where they maintained all day
| long the terrific and seemingly futile
| assault upon the southern face of the
| Chinese city. Hardly had the troops
moved into position, though, when the
eager watchers on the towers of Cor.
don Hall and the German Club de-
scried strong force of cavalry man
euvring on the open plain to the west.
far beyond the positions of the Ameri-
cans, British and Japanese. At first
these We're taken TO be a mounted de-
tachment of British or Japanese
thrown out to reconnoite the country
in conformity with the general plan
of attack. Although fred on several
times the stranger riders did not mani
fest any signs of hostility. They never
came straight on, but invariably swept
around in semicircle and disappeared
in the dust clouds to the westward.
The marine outpost later reported that
a body of them had Salloped toward
the western gate of the Chinese city,
and had seemed to hold a parley with
the people on the walls. Then they
came back toward the Allies and made
another demonstration or overture but
met with Encouragement. and went
away again. Later it transpired that
they We're Yuan Shih-kai's cavalry.
| Despite his disobedience of the man
date to 'eXterminate all foreigners"
Yuan's star has been in the ascendant
ever since the return of the court from
| its Shen-si exile. First he was ele-
waited to the vice-royalty of the capital
province, then in addition made COM
mander-in-chlef OF the army and navy.
His standing with the outer nations
has been so good. as a progressive Of
\ fetal and friend of the foreigners. that
it is doubtful if he would sacrifice it
| by yielding to any anti-foreign clamor.
unless he was convinced that the days
of the foreigner in China were num-
bered. During the days of the coup
d'etat and the Boxer uprising. he dis
played a prescience of national and in
ternational events that seems like n
! gift of prophecy. Has the prophetic
mantle fallen from him, or is there
handwriting upon the wall for the for
eign nations TO read?-San Francisco
| Argonaut