St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1922-10-27
His T1RY'S'
MYSTERIES
THE PUZZLE OF THE PEASANT
EMPRESS
coss1x.t 81 M .,zz7 m sl7.u~aof Jy,Acetr

a LII the mystery and intrigue for
n which the East Is famous could
easily be epltomized in the strange,
almost uncanny story of Tsu.llsi,
dowager empress of China, and for
years the power behind the throne Of
the Celestial Empire. Where she came
from, how she exerted her almost su.
pernatural power, the way In which
she managed to substitute the first
cousin of her dead son in the place
of the baby emperor, the manner Of
her death, and the very disposition Of
her body, nre all velled in cloud of
uncertainty. from which there emerges
only the fact that Tsu-Hsl deserves to
be ranked with Catherine of Russia
as one of the few women who ever
completely dominated vast, half-sav.
age kingdom.
The first that was known of Tsu-
Hsl was when she arrived In Pcklng
unheralded, to take her place In the
ranks of the wives Of the emperor
Hslen-Feng. Her beauty and her
charm attracted the favorable attcn.
tlon both Of the dowager empress
and the first wife OF the emperor, and
she was soon accorded the compare.
tive position Of honor rs fourth wife
to the emperor taking the place of the
second wife when the latter died some
months Inter.
Two years after Tsu.llsl entered
the palace she gave birth to son
q boy who succeeded to the throne
upon the death of his father five
years later, the first wife Of the en-.
peror being chlldless. Long before
this time, however, official rcking was
boiling over with gossip us To the
origin of the peasant empress as
she was known on account Of the fact
that her feet had never been bound.
According 60 one story, she was a
slnve.glrl whose beauty had attracted
the attention OF the emperor. An.
other rumor maintained that she had
been given TO the governor Of u south
ern province In return for n favor
conferred upon her mother and that
the governor. wishing 10 secure favor
I'm the eyes OF the emperor. had sent
her 20 Peklng. where she soon ruled
the court by virtue OF her oyorpowor.
ing personality. A third report
and one which was most generally
nccepted--was that she was the pro.
tege OF II Hung Chang, who was sup
posed to have placed her In the Inn
perlnl palace 10 further his own ends,
knowing that she was the daughter
OF Tartar general, heritage which
would have accounted both for her
brains and her ability 10 dominate
those around her.
but. no matter what her origin
was, high or low. the fact that Tsu'
Hsl ruled the imperial palace with
a rod OF iron Is a matter OF record, as
ls the dramatic manner In which she
foiled the plot 10 wreck her power
through the murder OF her son
shortly after he had ascended the
throne. The conspiracy was success
full, so fnr as the death OF the boy
was concerned. but no sooner had he
succumbed 10 very brief illness than
the empress left the bed where his
body lay and proceeded at once 90
another part OF the palace, snntchlng
up the three,year-0ld cousin OF the
dead emperor. Kwangllsu, and pre-
sentlng him 20 the assembled mandar
lns as the new ruler Of Chlna-a coup
which the empress Is said 20 have en-
glneered by means OF threats Of per
sonal violence against the mandarlns
and an oath that she would encom'
pass the death OF any who dared op'
pose her wishes. From this time I'M
III the death OF Kwang-llsu, In 1908,
Tsu-Hsi was the real head OF the
kingdom-not only Rs dowageF en-
press, hut as the power which dom
mated the emperor by means OF the
lash whenever he showed a disln-
cllnation 10 fall In with her wishes.
As beftted one OF the most remark
able women In history, the death OF
Tsu.Hsl was as dramatic and mysteri'
Gus as her origin and early history.
ON November 3, 1908, the court as
hlsttu III tilc NtANbAaAA' VI w wv
snty.fourth blrthday-an occasion In
which she appeared 10 be in the best
of health. Less than a fortnight later,
however, II was announced that the
empress had suddenly died and, at
the same time, a bulletin was Issued
stating that the emperor had passed
away on the preceding evening, Those
with the intrigue surrounding
the Chinese court shook their heads
wisely and smiled with more than
trace of grimness at the thought Of
the fate which had oyertaken Tsu'Hsi
and her protege,
'grhe death which she had meted out
TO others has Overtaken her at last"
was the popular verdict, but beyond
this nothing was discovered, Thus
passed. as mysterlOusly as she had
lived. one OF the most remarkable char
acters in histOry-an autOcrat whose
birth, life and death were all shrouded
In impenetrable mystery.