Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-10-23

/ of 1898. Kwang SUI the young em-
pcror. had entered upon his course as
an imperial rcformer and had planned
TO put the great empress doWaser out
az the way. In company with his adj
visers. Kang Yu Web and others. he
had planned to have her majesty and
her most influential officials executed.
For this purpose he commanded Yuan
/ Shih I<ai. who then had charge of the
| only modern army in the empire, cou-
sisting of about 5000 wen drilled troops,
20 come 10 Pckin. As Yuan knecled
before him I'm the palace, the emperor
ordered him 10 march his army to
| Ticntsin and slaughter the General
Yung Lu. the great dowager's friend.
After that Yuan was TO march on TO
Pelin. surround the imperial palace
and capture the empress dOwager her
self Gen. Yung Lu was the viceroy
of Tientsin, and as such was COM
mander-in-ch chief OF the army OF which
Yuan Shih Kai was the general Yuan
bowed low as the emperor gave him
these orders, and then begged that the
command might be put in writing. This
the emperor refused, saying that YER
bal order from him was good enough,
whereupon the chinese general acceded
and left.
AS Yuan Shi kai started back TO his
army, which was near Tientsn, he be-
gan to reflect on the respective ability
and forces of the emperor and empress
dowager. and decided in favor OF the
latter. He went 10 Gen. Yung Lu and
revealed the plot. Yung Lu at once
took a special train and came 20
Pekin He drove out at night to the
summer palace. whore the great dow
ager was living, and before daybreak
she had raised an army OF her eunuchs
and servants and sent them to Pekin
and made the emperor captive. Her
ma iesty then declared that he was not
1T to rule. and made him send out an
edict begging her to again take the
throne. He was then confined in
building in the middle of a lake inside
the forbidden city, and he had no more
power 10 the day OF his death.
HOW PIT VI BECAME EMPEROR.
In the meantime. the old empress
dowager did not forget her good friends
Yuan shin Kai and Yung Lu. Yuan
Shih Kai at once became the most in
nuential man in the empire, and he
remained such until the great doWager
died. He has since been disgraced,
but he has many friends, and may
again come to the front
LAS to Gen. Yung Lu,th dowager re-
wards him by making his daughter
empress. and his grandson the ruler
OF China"
There is a pretty story in connection
with this. According to II the empress
dowager said TO Yung Lu:
Il have Just had a vision In which ]
save seen your descendants on the inn
perial throne, and l think the vision IL
hound to come true Here Is Prince
Chun. the brother OF the emperor ana
the most likely scion Of the Imperial
line Now YOU have daughter OF the
right age for marriage. We VIII JOIN
her with Prince Chun, and the tirst son
shall be Kwang Su's successor. Nung
La gladly acceded The two were mar
1ied and the baby, Emperor Pu ",
wac the fruit of their union. Just be-
| fore the old dowager died she wrote
| the edict carrying out her part OF the
contract with Yung lu, ana thereby
| his baby grandson mas hseehueo inc
| throne.
HOW THE DOWAGER DIED.
The last hours Of the great empress
/ were full Of terrible pain. According 70
| etiquette, the doctors dared not touch
| her and could not experiment TO hnd
| amt her disease / am told they watch-
! I'd her ON their knees and saw her
| struggle and tight as death came on
| The odicts sent out by her gave but
/ little idea OF her Illness. Nevertheless.
| they are pathetic. Here Is one thar
/ was published the middle OF last
| November. about two weeks peiole
| her death;
| "From the beginning OF autumn our
| health has been poor. The ofhelals ana
| governors OF every province nave peen
| ordered 10 send us physicians ou'
| their prescriptions have not aNaAeu'
| Now tho negative ana positive eiS
| ments la us are falling. we nave ah-
| nents external and Internal Our
| breast IS stopped up. our stomach re-
| bouious. our back and legs painful, our
] annette falling. Upon moving our
| brrath fails. and there is coughing ana
| painting. Besides, We have chlhs anu
| fever. Sleep Is far from our eyes ahu
| me strength of our body is failing. me
| ,'i.aro,s governors and generals who
succeed IA aiding us VIII receive sP'
| The edict vas sent out and a nc"
| corps ~ doctors brought in TheH nhe-
| wise failed and other edlcts Mhl,N
| were published about three DAYS lal' 4
stated that they were d's t"".d a."
| would work for some time IN the iu-
| ture without nav as a punishment
1 During her last days her majesty
| lived almost entirely upon woman :
1 milk SHE had n large corps % wet
| nurses and went back 20 the customs
| of her babyhOod for punishment rms
! De- "a common prescription for members
| of the imperial family.
CHATS ABOUT THE DoWAGER
! During my stay in Pohn / have had
| chats With many who knew the great
| doWagcr. I remember "a conversation
with ono or her ladies' in waiting, "A
| Chinese girl who speaks excellent Eng
| llsh. Size represents the empress az
! having been "a buffer ana as as know
/ ing how 10 play on one party on man
against another She was dictatoral
and made her ladies dress al an under
study Go herself She would say along
I toward evening.
4 intend 10 wear red costume on
| the morrow and ON tho Gay following
| AN the girls must appear ln red"
The next day the order would be for
| yellow. or perhaps green, and The court
lady who came In wearing tho wrong
| color Was punished.
| When IN her prime her majesty was
rather me looking. During her last