The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-26

ers, he had planned TO have her maj
esty and her most Influential officials
executed. For this purpose he com
manded Yuan Shin kai, who then had
charge of the only modern army in
the empire, consisting Of about 5000
Well drilled troops. to- come TO Peking.
\ Yuan kneeIed before him in the
palace. the emperor ordered him to
march his alsGy to TientSln and
slaughter the General Yung Lu. the
great dOwager's friend. After that
Yuan was to march on to Picking.
surround the imperial palace ana
capture the empress doWager herself.
Gen. Yung Lu was the viceroy Of
Ilentsin. and as such was COM
mander-in-chief of the army Of which
Yuan Shih kai was the general. Yuan
bowed low as the per gave him
these orders, and then begged hat
the command be sent in writing. The
emperor refused, saying that n
verbal order from him was good
enough. whereupon the Chinese gem
eral acceded and left.
AS Yuah Shih Kaf started back to
ms army, which was near TientSin,
ne began to reflect on the respective
ability and forces of the emperor and
empress doWager, and decide in ia
Vor of the latter. He went to Gen.
4ung Lu and revealed the plot. Yung
Lu at once took q special train and
came to PeklnS He drove out at
night to the Summer Palace, where
the great dowager was living, and
before daybreak she had raised an
army of her unuch and servants and
sent them to Picking and made the
emperor captive. Her majesty then
declared that he was not fit to rule,
and made him send out an edict
begging her to again take the throne.
He was then confined in a building
IN the middle of Il lake inside the
Forbidden city, and he had no more
power to the day of his death.
How Pu vi Became Emperor.
In the meantime, the old empress
dowager did not forget her good
friends Yuan Shin kai and Yung Lu.
Yuan Shin kai at once became the
m ost influential man in the empire,
and he remained such until the great
doWager died. IIe has since been
d~isgraced, but he has many friends,
and may again come to the front.
AS to Gen. Young Lu, the dow
ager rewarded him by making his
daughter empress, and his grandson
the ruler of China.
There is a pretty story in n
ton with this. According to it the en-
press dowager said to Yung Lu:
Il have just had q vision in which
| have seen your descendants on the
imperial throne, and | iii the
vision is bound to come true. Here
is Prince Chun, the brother Of the
emperor, and the most likely scion
of the imperial line. Now you nave
a daughter of the right g for mar
riage. We will join her with Prince
Chun and the first son shall be
Kwang Su's successor. Young Lu glad
~ acceded. The two were married
and the baby. Emperor Pu VI, was the
fruit of their union. Just before the
old dowager died she wrote the edict
carrying out her art on the contract
with Yung Lu, and thereby his baby
grandson has assembled the throne.
How the Dowager Died.
The last hours of the great empress
were full Of terrible pain. According
to etiquette, the doctors dared not
touch her and could not experiment
to fin out her disease. [ am TOLD
they watched her or their knees ano
saw her struggle and fight as death
came on. The edictS sent out by
her gave but little idea of her illness
Nevertheless. they are pathetic. Here
is one that was published the middle
Of last November, about two weeks
before her death:
From the beginning of autumn gu
health has been poor. The officials
and governors OF every province nave
been ordered to send us physicians
but their prescriptions have not avail
ed. Now the negative and positive
elements in us are failing. We have
ailments external and internal. Our
breast is stopped up, our stonach re
bellious. our back and legs painful
our appetite failing. Upon MOVING
our breath fails, and there IS cough
ing and painting. Besides, we have
cbills and fever. Sleep is far from
our yes, and the strength of our body
is failing. The ~viceroEs, governors
and generals are urged to send Us
physicians, and any Who succeed II
aiding us will receive special grace.
The edict was sent out and a new
corps of doctors brought n-They like
wise failed, and other edicts which
were published about three days later
stated that they degraded and woulo
work fir some time in the future
without pay as a punishment.
During her last d@ ST her majestI
lived almost entirely upon woman's
milk She had a large corps of wet