The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-20
ERA OF REFORMS
IS PROMISED
rp cArlA m Epicrs ISSUED BY
\ THE NEW REGIME AT
PEkINo.
LAST DAYS OF THE EMPRESS
Wee Marked by Great Excitement lH
sthe Palsce-Stories that She and
the Emperor Were Poisoned
are Officially Denied.

Peking, Nov 2O.-An edict ordering
posthumous honors for the late dow
ager empress was issued Thursday and
itenumerates II for the fourth time since
tue death of her majesty, the program
of reforms to which the new regime is
committed These political edicts first
began appearing five days ago when
in the name of the emperor and the
grand council, two decrees entailing
upon the infant emperor, Pu vi, the
carrying out Of the reforms already
inangurated. by his predecessor were
pabhshed. These various edicts. taken
togethsrs care, considered TO commit the
new regime concldsiyely to ptogram
OF reform and progress.
tAeeurate Information concerning the
last days af the emperor and the dow,
sger empress was obtained Thursday
from officials Of the palace. The vari
oqs foreign legations, in attempting 20
determine the causes of the death OF
the emperor and dowager empress
have abandoned the POISON theory and
have concluded that the symptoms OF
the emperor indicate that death re.
suited from neurasthenia and cardiac
Weakness together with other com.
plications The foreign board denies
eInphGtically the rumors that either OF
their ma1esties was poisoned
The emperor made a speech less |
than one hour before his death. He
passed away during a period of the |
greatest excitement and confusion. His |
native physicians had been tempora,.
ty dismissed under the impression |
that there was no change In the condi |
tion of his majesty and that he might |
live for some time. There was sud
den turn for the worse, however, and
they were quickly recalled. They st
once gave orders, In accordance with a
custom of the imperial family observed
for centuries past, that the emperor
be dressed for death and that imperial
yellow clay be spread over the road
leading from the Winter palace to the
Forbidden City. AT the same time an |
imperial conveyance was made ready |
20 convey the dowager empress to the
death chamber ''' "af
The last illness of the dowager
empress dated from November l. On
this day the court was terrified by an
ontburst of uncontrolled temper from
her. November ~ she suffered q par.
alytic stroke upon being informed OF
the precarious condition Of the EN-.
peror. On November 1S Prince Ching
returned from her mausoleum In the
eastern hills, whittier she had sent
him TO make a religious offering in the
hope Of propitiating the ghost that in
her dreams had beckoned her to follow
him out TO these hills. An official OF
high standing said that the empress
died Of apoplexy and that she talked up
10 within few hours of passing away.
Both their maiesties awaited the com.
Ing OF the grim reaper clad in their
full Official robes and surrounded by
hundreds OF court officials. II was u
barbarous exhibition of the soulless
and inhuman formality and etiquette OF
the court.
As soon as II was known throughout
the palace that their majesties were
dead q condition OF panic ensued The
widow OF Tung Chi attempted to com,
NIT suicide because she could not be
made dowager empress. There was an
outbreak OF wailing and general pande,
monlum such as accompanied the civ,
ing or the order that their majesties
should be glad in their imperial robes
for death. Many of the palace eunuchs
fed. carrying with them such yaluablesl
as they could lay their hands on. The
Dowager Empress Yehonala was one OF
the, few who retained presence OF mind,
She ordered that the gates be guarded
and gave other instructions for the
restoration of order.