The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1908-11-16
TSzE HS| AN IS
OFFICIALLY DEAD
Troops Guard the Foreign Legations
and Great Uprising
Feared.

Pek1ngr Nov. 16.-TSZe HSi An, the
dowager empress of China, the auto
cratic head of the government, which
she directed without successful inter
ference since 1861 and without pro-
test since 1881, is dead.
The announcement of the dowager
empress death was official, and fol-
lowed closely upon the announcement
that Kuang Hsu, the emperor, had
died, but it is believed that the
deaths of both the emperor and the
dowager empress occurred a consid-
cradle time before that set down in
the official statements.
An edict just issued places upon
the throne Prince Pu-Yi, the 3-year-
old son Of Prince Chun, the regent Of
the empire, in accordance with a
promise given by the dowager en-
press soon after the marriage of
Prince Chun in 1903 An edict issued
on Friday made Pu-Yi heir presump-
tive.
The foreign legations have been no
titled by the foreign board of the
death of the emperor and the success
sion of Prince Pu-Yi. Troops have
been in readiness for several days to
quell any disorders that might arise
on the death of Kuang Hsu, and the
possibility of uprisings was made
greater because of 1.-The fact that the
death of. the -sdowager empress was
known to ebe- close at: hand. Two d.
visions of,troops have been held in
reserve, and.these are. spow, stationed
In yariousa quarters of the city. Tween
ty gendarmes were dispatched to-
guard the approaches to the lega-
ftions, but up, to the present the du-
ties of the forces have been slight.
1t was announced that the legation
guard was ordered out at "the spe-
cial cali Of the legations on account
of the emperor's death"
Deathbed observances of. 5000
years ago marked the passing of the,
emperor AMI dewager. They died
alone and unattended, although sur
rounded by circles of abject specta-
tors, who remained rod distant, as
on account of the sacred persons Of
their majesties they could not be ap-
preached. The emperor died as he
had lived, without ministration of
whatever kind or scientific aid. For
months he had refused to permit the
services CT foreign physicians, and
Falthough it was stated that he had
gone back to the old form OF medical
treatment, it is believed that latterly
he received no treatment at all.
Use Hsi An Tor western empress),
was born Nov. II, 1884. She was the
child of poor people, who lived in
Picking. At an early age, following a
common practice in China, she was
sold as slave by her parents on ac-
count of their poverty. She became
the property of a famous general
who, enchanted with her great beau
ty, adopted her and offered her as a
present to the reigning emperor,
Hsien-Feng. She so charmed the en-
peror by her looks and intelligence
that he made her his secondary wife,
and on her bearing him son, the
future emperor, Tung-Chih, raised
her to the first rank. On his death
she became the regent of the empire,
administering the national affairs
with more vigor than any of her pre-
decessors. Her authority was COM
plete over about $4,000 officials and
over the welfare and lives of the vast
majority of the inhabitants of China,
who number close to 270,000,000.
Among the populace she was fear
ed and hated, principally because of
her treatment of the emperor, for
whom the enlightened and the COM
mon people had a sympathetic liking.
She was commonly referred to by the
sobriquet "the old Buddha," and her
character in the eyes Of the masses
was that Of the tyrant OF the en-
peror. She was a law unto herself.
She violated the constitution OF the
dynasty that forbids a woman ruler,
and broke the sacred customs given
by the sages. She relentlessly or
| dered all betrothals and marriages in
the imperial household, family and
imperial court, and supervised scrup-
ulously the conduct of individuals.