Gunnison news-champion., 1923-04-06
RISTQRY'S
MYSTERIES
THE PUZZLE OF THE PEASANT
EMPRESS

dow ss"- empress OF China and for
years the power behind the throne Of
the Celestial Empire. Wher- she came
fruEa. how she rXsFtcd her almost su-
IerEaIlrul power. the ~ay N whlefl
SHE managed 70 substitute the iirsf
cousin Of HeT dead -oa In the piaes
" the baby emperor. the manner OF
her Death, and the very disposition of
her body. ar all veIlsI IN a cloud OF
uncertainty. from which there emerge.
only the fact that Tsu-Hsi deserves 10
be ranked with Catherine Of Russia
as Une Of the few women who eveF
completely illuminated vast. haif-say-
axe kingdom.
The lr,' that was known OF Tsu-
iIsi vas when she arrived In Picking
guherslded to take her place in the
ranks II the wives Of the emperor
Hs.pn Frng Her beauty and her
charm attracted the favorable atten-
ton both ot the dowAger EMPIRES
and the Dirt wife Of the emperor. and
SHE wss soon accorded the couiparl.
tive position nf honor As fourth wife
10 the emperor. taking the place OF The
second wife when the latter died sotns
months later.
Two years sfteT Tsu-Hsi entered
the palace she gave birth to a son
d boy who succeeded 10 the throne
upon the death OF his father i've
years later. tn. first wife OF the eth.
perur being chudl.ss. Long before
Al. ts..l
boiling over with gossip rs to the
origin 81 the peasant empress" as
she was known on account of the r.
that her feet had never been bound
According 10 one story, she was d
slaye-glrl whose beauty had attracted
the attention OF the emperor. An
other ruinor maintained tina; she had
been given TO the governor OF u south
crn province In return for a favor
conferred upon her mother and that
the governor. wishing TO secure favor
IN the eyes ~ tn. emperor. had sent
her Ia reking, where she soon ruirr!
the court by virtue Of her overpowrr
Ing personality. A third report
and one which was most generally
acrrpt-d-wu- that she was the pr.
t.Ee OF IL Hung Chang who was SUP
posed To have placed her In the lu.
pcrlm palace To further his own ends.
knowing that she WIS the daugi ter
OF a Tartar general. a heritage wi IN
would have accounted both for leT
brains and her ability to dominate
those around her.
But. no matter what her origin
was. high or low, the fact thai Tsu
lis. ruled the Imperial palace with
u rod of iron Is matter Of record as
h. n. dramatic manner in which she
follcd the plot to wreck her power
through the murder of her 900
shortly after he had ascpndrd the
throne The conspiracy was success
full so far as the death Of the boy
was concerned but no SOONER had he
surcumbed to very brief Illness than
the empress left the bed where his
body lay and proceeded at once 10
another part OF the palace, suutchlng
up the tllreo-yeur-old cousin Of the
dead emperor, kwans-Hsu. and pre-
s"nting him to the assembled mandar.
ms ~ the new ruler Of China coup
which the empress IL said 10 have en-
gineered by means OF threats Of per
snnal violence agains; the mandarins
md nm oath that she would encom
pass the death OF any who dared or
pose her wishes. From this time I'M
IN the death OF Kwanz Hsu. In 1908.
Tsu-iisi was the real head OF the
klngdom--not only as dowager EN-
press. bu, Ms the power which dom
mated the emperor by cans Of the
lash whenever he showed disin-
clInation to fall in with her wishes.
As beii,ted one of the most remark
able women In history, the death Of
Tsu.Hsi was as dramatic and mysteri-
Gus as her origin and early history.
ON November 3, 1908. the court as
sisted In the celebration OF her sew
enty- fourth blrthday-an occasion In
which she appeared to he In the best
of health. Less than fortnight later.
however, II was announced that the
empress had suddenly dlet and. Mt
the same time bulletin SIS Is sued
stating that the emperor had passed
away on the preceding evening Those
familiar 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 overtaken Tsu-Hsi
and her protege.
The death which she had meted ont
To others has overtaken her al last"
was the popular verdict. but beyond
this nothing was discovered Thus
passed as mysteriousiy as she had
lived. one Of the most remarkable char
acters In HISTORIAN autocrat whose
BIRTH life and death were all shrouded
In impenetrable mystery.