Evening star., 1917-09-06
Pen Picture Is Giuen of
ChinQ'S Famous Ki1qn1Qker
Newspaper Correspondent Sends Close-Up VieW
and Interview With Chang Hsun Before
His FALL

that when he first came to Peking all
the military governors had given hlm
full power to settle the mess they had
made. and when he had attempted to
do SO they had deserted him. He point
ed out that when he arrived China was
dismembered, the country was split up
under the control of various contend
Ing factions. and it was impossible for
the central government to function. Lii
Ching-hsi had been passed by parlia-
ment as premier. but the military gov
ernors would not support him.
Il tried to persuade them. but to no
avail. Lii Ching-hsi could not form a
cabinet and a last resort / decided
i upon the restoration 1 am now being
been betrayed. and there is now nothing
left for me to do but to wait calmly the
attack of the republican troops l shall
be fighting for principles which l have
upheld all my life"
l asked the general if by fighting and
being eXterminated, which, as far as
could see, would surely happen if he re-
sisted by force, he would not do harm to
the cause which he had SO much at heart? ?
His reply was characteristic of the mar.
He said:
Only posterity can decide. 7 have some
5000 men. and my opponents have be-
tween $4,000 and 10000. If there is a
slaughter the responsibility will rest on
their shoulders. have not much to lose
Hsuchofu When they learn that 1 am
killed they will make trouble and cause
suffering to the people. but that will not
be my fault
Says He Will Fight.
1 asked him if Gen. Tuan Chi-jui had
made any attempt to negotiate with him
He replied:
Gen. Tuan Chi-jui has made no attempt
to negotiate with me formally, but indi-
rectly have been requested to disarm my
men. 1 have not the face" continued Gen.
fS,
leagues or my men, and it is better for
me to fight it out If I gave in now l
should feel that I had failed in my duty
to the old empress (grand empress dow
ager). who is responsible for my reaching
my present position the emperor. the i'm
perial family and my men. My last words
are either the monarchy will remain or /
shall fight, although L know. with my
forces split up as they are and with such
large numbers against me / shall have no
chance of success"
This brought the interview to a close
AS l was rising, preparatory to depart
ing. Gen. Chang said he would give me a
photograph. for. said he. Il am likely to
be killed within the next few hours, and
this Will be a remembrance of me" This
was said with a grim smile. and not in
any way with an air of bravado. 1t was
the utterance of a man who realized the
dangers in front of him and who intended
to face them with resolution and a calm
determination.
Remarkable Rise From a Private.
Gen. Chang Hsun is a most remark
able character. He had no education
and started in life as a private soldier
My cook. who is an eX-soldier served
with him and the military governor of
Shantung in the model army which was
formed soon after the Chinese-Japanes
war. According to the cook, in those
days Chang Hsun was a great wrestler
and man of great strength. and it was
b f,s1;
first drew the attention of the officers
of his regiment to himself which re-
suited in his being made a sergeant
Once getting his foot on the ladder of
promotion. his determination and force
of character soon carried him upward
His fearlessneSS. which on many occa-
sions bordered mad recklessness
gained him name in a very short
time. and. seizing every opportunity for
advancement. in less than ten years he
became a br:gadier general and in less
than four years later G9OS) he was
appointed ommander-in chief of the
Yunnon forces. He was in Nanking
when the revolutionary army attacked
it in 1911, and effected a mastery re-
treat to the north bank of the river,
although he had no warships to cover
his movements. He then commandeered
nearly all the rolling stock of the
Tientsin-Pukow railway, using it as
portable camp. From this point he set
out in the second revolution to face the
rebels in kiangsu, and captured Nan
king on September ], 1913. His troops
looted Marking and while doing so
killed some japanese BARRIERS, for which
he had to apologize to the Japanese
consul general Since then he has been
one of the most powerful men in China
and in his position astride the T'ien-
tsin-Pukow railway he has held a most
commanding position.
He has always had the restoration of
the young emperor in mind. He was
the only man in China who refused to
allow his men to cut off their queues
saying that should the emperor ever
again come into his own he would have
a pigtailed bodyguard ready for him.