Omaha daily bee., 1913-11-30
TUan Fang


emperor how he should do. and Kang Yu
Wei and the emperor concluded to put
her out of the way. Yuan Shih Kai was
selected as the tool for this purpose, and
while he knelt on his knees before the
emperor in the palace, his majesty COM
manded him to move his army to Tientsin
and there kill the viceroy Yung Lu,
After that he was to come on to Picking
and surround the palace and kill the
empress dowager. This was a. big con-
tract, and Yuan said he would have 10
have sealed instructions before he would
undertake II. These orders the emperor
refused to give Thereupon Yuan Shih
Kai apparently consented and left Pek-
ing, the emperor expecting he would do
the job.
After considering the matter for twen-
ty-four hours, Yuan concluded that the
job was too dangerous, and he went to
Tientsin and laid the whole plot before
Yung Lu. Yung Lu took a few soldiers
and went on n special train post haste
to Peking. He marched out to the sum-
mer palace, where the empress dowager
was then living, and laid the situation
before her At her orders he then came
into Pekng and entered the palace. He
captured the emperor and confined him
in building on a little island in the pal
ace grounds. A day later the empress
dowager came back. She dethroned the
emperor, and from that time until her
death she was supreme. When she died
the emperor suddenly took sick, and it is
supposed that he was poisoned by her
orders. Some say he was killed by Yuan
Shih Kai for fear OF his revenge should
he again be on the throne.
Yuan n '"wise Guy"
In this way Yuan and Yung Lu really
saved the empress dowager's life. and n
is no wonder that she was grateful II
was as kind of thank Offering 10 Yung
Yu that she had his grandson. the little
Pu VI, elevated to the throne. and It was
not her fault that the boy is not en-
peror today. She also gave Yuan shi
Kai many high offices and showered him
with commissions of one kind or other
am told that some OF these commits
sions would have resulted In Yuan's ruin
had he carried them out, but Just as he
refused to obey the emperor, so his good
sense showed him that he would have TO
disobey the empress dowager. One of
these cases occurred during the Boxer
rebellion. was In southern China at
the time and one of Yuan shih Kars for
eign advisers told me the story.
The empress dowager was supreme at
Pekin. The Boxers were rampant at
all the chief centers. and here and there
they were slaughtering missionaries and
that all foreigners leave. The
empress dowager sent word to Yuan Shih
Kai to take his troops and move forward
to Tientsin and kill all the foreigners
there Yuan delayed on one plea or other
until the siege OF Pelin occurred. after
which the old dowager got holy fear OF
all outsiders. She was forced to leave
the Chinese capital. and only came back
to power under the most bitter humilia-
ton. She then realized that had Yuan
carried out her instructions as TO Tientsln
China would have been ruined. At any
rate. Yuan was never called to account
for his delay. He made himself popular
with the foreigners by his protection OF
them during the Boxer rebellion and at
it's close was found TO have great influ-
ence with the foreign powers. As soon as
the troubles were settled he, came TO the
support of the empress dowager and took
MS place. as ltlt SAEOAbNbN anu ulbHA pib-
gressive man Of the progressive move
men which was then inaugurated.
was in China at the time that the en-
press dowager died, and Yuan was then
the vlceroy of Chihli, and was the great
est man in the empire outside the govern
ment. He had introduced modern schools
and industrial establishments. He was
reorganizing the army and instituting all
sorts Of reforms.
After the empress dowaser's death he
had much 20 do with the government
under the baby emperor, until the Man
ohus and others who were hossing the ad-
ministration concluded he was getting too
powerful, and they sent him into retire
ment on the ground that his legs were too
sore for him 10 perform his duties Then
the last great revolution came on. and
Yuan again sprang TO the front. The
empire was shattered, and the republic
arose. / doubt not he could have taken
an army and gotten possession Of the
throne himself Many thought he would
do so. but he was content to let China be
a republic, and he is now its president
and practically it's dictator.
This, very briefly, is the outline Of the
career OF republican president who is
the ruler OF four or five times as many
people as Woodrow Wilson. IL Is only
the outline. His whole career has been
fun Of romance, and the story would
make a book OF SURPRISING interest Yuan
shih Kai was only 81 years old when
first saw him in Korea, and he IL only !
about s. now. He started life as a poor
boy, but like many poor Chinese boys |
was given enough schooling to enable him |
10 pass the examinations and get into the |
army. He rose 50 rapidly that he was
resident general OF Korea before he |
reached 90 and from then on he has been !,