Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-24
CHANG PLAYS SHREWD GAME
IN PRESENT CHINESE CRISIS
Marshal of Manchuria Has Gained Role of
Mediator Between Northerners
and Nationalist.

| of a poisonous insect, and that there
| fore we should not attempt to shake
! hands with him. Then we were ushered
! into his presence in smaller room,
/ the chief features of which were two
huge stuffed Siberian tigers, the last
| remaining items of a large collection
gathered by Chang Tso-lin.
Newspaper Men Meet Chang.
A slender, youthful figure was before
us, clad in dark-hued Chinese gown
like costume. A rather wistful smile
marked his olive eountenance. His
hands were EMBODIED within the flowing
sleeves of his gown. He bowed cere-
moniously to each of us as we were
presented in turn by Secretary Lee, who
pronounced our names and the titles OF
our newspapers in both English and
Chinese. There was then very brief
exchange of remarks between the mar
shall and our chairman, Editor George
Johns of the st. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Then in a few minutes the marshal
! took his leave, and We were asked to
! go to the dining room, where We were
seated. AS soon as we were all in place
/ the marshal entered, and, standing at
the end of the table, spoke very briefly,
asking US to accept as his proxy as our
/ host at table the Governor of the Prov
| capital. Then, pleading illness, he
! begged our forgiveness for Withdrawing
| The banquet was interesting, but not
! particularly lively. The food was re-
| markable for its variety, and to us in
| teresting for its verification of reports
We had heard about Chinese table sup
plies. We had, as recall, birds nest
soup, sharks fms and ancient eggs-all
three of the greatest delicacies known
- -l.s 4, 1ofa
| and privately voted by ourselves as to-
tai losses as food. Perhaps that was q
reflection upon our taste, but We played
safe nevertheless and partook spar
ingly.
We had thought that we had seen
/ the last of our host. But in this we
were agreeably surprised. For after
dinner We were assembled in the salon
we had first occupied and arranged for
a fiashlight picture. A violent thunder
storm arose at about the same time.
! The wind howled and slammed things
! around in the courtyard outside. The
| windows were all closed by the attend
ants. Then we were seated and posed
in two lines, and the cameras were
placed and focused, and when all was
ready the door was opened and in came
the young marshal, evidently refreshed
by the medical treatment he had been
receiving. He took his place in the
center OF the front row, several of his
encourage seated themselves on the floor
at his feet, and then the f1aShlight
powder was ignited.
Young Marshal Jumps.
I hope never to have such another
shock. The powder detonated with a
crash like that of a 6-inch gun explod-
| ing. The closing of the windows had
the effect Of combining the pulsation
entirely within the room. ! am told by
one of my associates who stood imme-
diately behind the young marshal that
Chang Hsueh-liang jumped foot off
his chair. Probably every man in the
room instantly thought of the bomb
that had exploded on the roof of the
train of the old marshal just 10 days
/ more than year before.
4 When it was all over the young mar
shall was laughing at his scare and
everybody was calm again. And the
photograph turned out to be one of the
best have ever seen-quite the best of
the many that were taken OF our news
paper group in the course of our voy-
aging through Japan, Korea, Manchuria
and China. 1t presents living
likeness of his excellency Marshal
Chang Hsueh-liang, now Rehabilitation
Commissioner for the North of China,
perhaps dictator of Peking. This pho
Biography, by the way, was the work of
a White" Russian refugee, young
man OF exceptional talents, even as a
!, musician. He was with us for the
: greater part Of our Chinese journey as
official photographer.
This was not our final contact with
the young marshal. After several days
in Mukden we went on to Chang Chung
the lend of steel" of the Japan-oWned
South Manchuria Railway; then on a
J side trip out to Tunhua, far to the east
also end of steel of a branch line on
which Japan is relying for an eventual
!, bridgehead around Korea. Next we
! moved on to Hardin, and after three or
four days we turned on our tracks and
went all the way down the line TO
Dairen, at the tip of the Laio Tung
Peninsula. which Japan holds by con-
cession. Then back again up the line
TO Mukden OH the way to Picking.
! BY good chance Marshal Chang
Isueh- lang was in his capital the day
We reched there from Dairen, and ar
rangement was made for second meet
ing. In the morning we drove out to q
western suburb over an atrociouSly bad
J road to visit the tombs of the kings
: Then back TO our hotel for a needed
bath to rid ourselves of the dust of one
! Of the dirtiest rides / have ever taken
After luncheon back we went over the
same road, almost to the same point
: to visit the marshal at his Summer
: villa. We were q dusty, uncomfortable
: crew when we drove past a sinister
looking wire fence, the components OF
which We were given to understand
were highly charged electric conduc-
tors. To touch that fence would have
) been death. And to insure the safety
: OF the young marshal--by the way, he
' is not yet 80 years of age-there were
no less than five squads OF armed mer
t at strategic points scattered about In
e groups, each with camping facilities.
> Marshal Provides Gift.
Y The villa is a rather plain structure
sparsely but neatly furnished. We were
S gathered for the usual tea drinking
: Our host had not appeared. We mex
s went to the tennis court, and there
81 was more tea drinking. suddenly caln1