Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-11-17
China RULER DEAD;
D0WAGER IS Dying
REPORTS FROM FORBIDDEN CITY
AT PEkING INDICATE De.
MISE OF EMPEROR.

AT PEkING INDICATE DE-
MISE OF EMPEROR.
EDlCT PROCLAlMS
CHUN AS REGENT
Grand Council Holds Session at
Which Mother of Late Monarch
swoons-Body 10 Taken to Death
Chamber.
Picking, Nov. 14.-The emperor OF
China was reported dead and the
dowager empress dying Saturday
morning. 1t has, however, been i'm
possible to secure official confirmation
Of this announcement. His majesty
was transferred to the death chamber
at two O'Clock Friday afternoon. At
that hour he was still breathing, 1t
was said.
These rumors, II true, would ex-
plain the two edicts issued late Fri
day afternoon regarding a regency
for the empire.
No Certainty About Reports.
The foreign residents of Picking are
confused by the sudden developments
of Friday and the various reports and
rumors emanating from the palace. 1t
was absolutely impossible to obtain
any confirmation. officially. of the re-
ported death of the emperor and the
condition of the dowager empress.
picion in regard to what actually
TRANSFERRED 1t was believed that the
government utilized the dying condt-
ton of the emperor. If he Is not al
ready dead. to screen the condition Of
the dowager empress.
Prince chun 10 Regent.
Two imperial edicts were issued
from the palace Friday afternoon In
quick succession. The first makes
Prince Chun regent of the empire and
the second appoints his son, Pu Wei.
heir presumptive.
simultaneously with the removal of
the emperor from the winter palace to
the death chamber in the Forbidden
City, the members of the grand coun-
Gil assembled in the palace. The
dowager empress was present at this
meeting and Is reported to have
swooned.
kuans.Hsu Signs Edicts.
The edicts of Friday bear the name
of Kuang- Hsu, which indicates that he
Oft Ill of thn M
bers of the grand coucil were in con.
ference at the palace. This was at
two o'clock In the afternoon.
The second edict orders that Pu
Wei, the son of Prince Chun. child
five years old. be trained in the palace
for succession to the throne
This makes him heir presumptive
The hour of the day at which these
edicts were issued shows that the i'm
perial family, as well as the grand
councillors, before deciding upon the
appointment of Prince Chun to the
regency, awaited the return of Prince
Ching. president of the board of for
eign affairs, from the eastern tombs.
whittier he went to inspect the mauso-
leum Of the dowager empress.
Long FeeblsM indsd.
The death of the emperor of China
brings to an end the reign of q SOW
ereign feeble in mind and body who
has been dominated all his life by the
all-powerful influence Of the dowager
empress kuang- Hsu's reign" will
be completely lost In the rule of the
empress.
The emperor was born in 1870. His
succession to the throne was one Of
the many arbitrary and illegal acts Of
the dowager empress. who adopted
him into the succession from a gener-
alton the same as that of his prede-
cessor, although the constitution OF
the Manchu dynasty and precedent
provide that the succession shall go
to the next following generation.
Emperor at Four Years.
Kuang-Hsu was four years old when
made emperor, and his reign is third
in point of duration in the history of
the dynasty. KAug Hsi and Ch'Ien
Lung each having reigned and ruled
go years.
The question of the succession has
agitated the imperial family since the
autumn of 1907. when 1t was perceived
that the health of the emperor was
seriously undermined. In January OF
1900 the dowager empress adopted Pu
Chun, son Of Prince Tuan, the Boxer
chieftain, heir apparent. but she disin.
herited him in November, 1901, at the
behest of the allied powers. Since
then the matter Of an heir apparent
has been in allegiance, and the dow
ager empress, in whose hands the pow
er of election was. gave no clew t.
her purposes or determinations.
Both Are Of Manehu.
The dowager empress Is. and tbs
emperor was, Manchu, in othel
words, foreigners In China, and under
the ban of Chinese patriots and an in
creasing anti-Manchu party which hal
sought the suppression of the dynast,
and the restoration Of a Chinese EN-
peror to the throne. 1t has been free
ly predicted that the demise of the en-
peror would be followed by an at
tempt at coup detat, but the impe
rial edicts mentioned in the dispatcl
from Picking appear to have fore
stalled any immediate action of thi
kind Kuang-Hsu was son of broth
er of the husband of the dowsger en-
press.
True Bills Against coopers.
Nashville. Tenn, Nov. 18th
grand jury Friday afternoon returne
true bill against Robin Cooper, Co