The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-08-22
Chinese Empress to Retire.

announced her determination to abb
dicate the throne at he next Chinese
new year, which will occur some time
in January, 1905 She desires, it is
said, to hand over the cares of state
to the emperor A secret decree has
been issued, calling meeting of the
grand council to make arrangements
for the change.
Tsi An was born in abject poverty,
somewhere in the west of China,
about 1854, so that she IS now 73
years old As child she was sold
as a slave, her purchaser ultimately
adopting and educating her. In 1850
when she was 16 years old, the en-
peror, Hsien Teng, issued a call for
secondary wives and she was one of
ten aspirants Chosen. Endowed with
brains and beauty, she quickly be-
came the emperor's favorite and Sc
cured her position by giving birth to
a son.
Tsi An quickly brought the entire
court under her sway and ruled even
the old emperor In 1861 the en-
peror attempted to curb her growing
power and little later he died" af
ter brief illness.
During the next fourteen years the
dowager empress ruled as regent,
and then her sen, Emperor Tung
Shih, having attained his majority
and having shown signs of resenting
the control of the dowager empress
and of sympathy with foreign ideas
and western civilization, he too, sick
ened, and in due course proclama-
tions were issued by the dowager
empress intimating that, like his pre-
decessor on the throne, he had be-
come "a guest on high" He left
widow, and there was every reason to
believe that she would, ere many
weeks were past, give birth to child
which, in the event OF its being boz,
would become emperor. and she, as
its mother, the regent So she, too
with her unborn child, was "remov-
ed" in the usual fashion.
In January, 1875, the empress, -
noring the laws of succession. had
her baby nephew, Kwang-su. snatch
ed from his bed on a bitter winter
night, carried to the palace, and pro-
claimed emperor.
After this several years elapsed be-
fore the sway of the dowager en-
press was again disputed, and it was
lot until the return of the Marquis
Tseng from Representing China in
England. France and Russia that any
serious opposition was Offered to her
predominant power The marquis,
who had come back imbued witt. Eu-
ropean ideas set to work to initiate
reforms, receiving the supper. of
Prince Chun, the father of the pes
ent emperor Kwang-su Tseng fell
| i'll in the usual fashion of those who
incurred the enmity of the dowlger
empress, and died premature1y. beng
followed some months later 10 the
grave by his ally. Prince Chun.
In 1898 the old empress wrested
the reins of government from the
weak hands of her nephew Kwang-su
and installed herself once more as
ruler Since then Kwang-su has been
virtual prisoner of the empress and
| it is certain he would have shared
the fate of his predecessors had not
the cunning empress become aware
OF the danger of violently arousing
the displeasure of those powers
which have spheres Of influence in
China.
These are only few of the victims
Of this terrible woman, who, in spite
of her notorious participation in the
appalling atrocities perpetrated on
| the foreigners throughout China in
1000, and of her responsibility for the
attack on the legations of Pe<ing,
whose occupants were only saved
from destruction at the hands of her
| followers with the utmost difficulty.
] and at the last moment, was never
theiess so clever in'her dealings with
the powers as to lead them to actu-
ally invite this maker of all the mis-
chief to return in state to the capital
| under the most ample international
| guarantees for Dersona1 safety