The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 23, 1900, Page 12

ENQRUSIVE STGNED ATEMENT 2y CONSUL GENERAL HO YyOw. & 5 ab following statement is n the nature an afficial munication from the 2 al Consul General t mited States. puts a mew light upon the inexplicable condition of at Peking and is most im-~ t as showing that the Man- is at last in favor of which it has steadily combated—in fact a tacit admission of the all-wiseness [ the great reformer, Kang. The accompanying photo is the y reforms one ever # taken showimg the press as she looked at r power. All others copies of pictures taken at the time she first entered the palace. ER Empress of the imperial Majesty, Dowager Middle Kingdom, that the time has now come when it is necessary to break the cusiom of silence which has bound her empire's rulers for near 5000 years, kes this statement, not for her self- se, but as a justification of her peo- ple, who, refusing to be led by false coun- selors, are suffering unmerited penalties. r before has it been necessary for a regent or Emperor of China to intrude b the world a relation of those mal- concern in their ad- 2 he internal depart- nts of theé Government. E was one who was intrusted at ce with the counseling and higher scation of his Majesty. This man, placed so close to the source of power, became blinded and dlzzy. He, Kang Yu Wal, self-stvled reformer, was a conspirator who planned murder whole- sale to make himself a soverelgn power. Kang formed a conspiracy with Yuen €1 Kal, now Governor of Shantung, who was then the head of the palace guards. It was arranged that the soldiers were to be brought together for the ostensible pur- pose of drllling them within the walls; that at a given signal they were to rush upon and slaughter the Dowager, all of the Princes and court officials and leave none but the Emperor and the friends of Rang Yu Wal to conduct the Govern- ment, ed Dovracce THE SUNDAY CALL. e L s Errrrs s 5 7/. s DAY . A = > N A RALY AN, BOAT AT AT AT AT AT AT AT A T A T AT ATAT AT ATHAT A AT A TS ATAT AT AT AQ Jailor-Made Cosiume of the Empress JTsi Hsi. HE EMPRESS TSI HSI Is full of the devil’'s favorite sin, “the pride which apes humility.” * When young and with only her face as her fortune she did not scru- ple to avail herself of every trick and charm which could be derived from her habiliments. Now Tsi Hsi, a ruler by her brains, coarse and arrogant, styles herself the only man in China, and following the manner of the ladies of the West, rigs herself out in a Manchu tailor- made gown. To this same simplicity she has also reduced the four first class, the twenty-seven second class and the eighty-one third class wives of the young Emperor, so that no lady of the palace shall have any oppor- tunity of trading upon her personal beauty in order to gain favor in the intrigues of the court. O AT AT AT AT H TS AT AT AT, T AT AT AT A TSAT AT AT A AT AT ATS A A SO For months the plans were being ma- tured and letters and documents were prepared and gradually accumulated In places where they were afterward discov- ered, The eve of the day when the plotters’ coup was to be made, Yuen 8! Kal, com- muning with himself, saw the wickedness of what Kang Yu Wal had planned, that it was murder and not reform which he was about to accomplish, so he made up his mind to expose Kang. Too late to enter the Forbidden City, he changed his mind. The soldlers were already within. At Kang's command they would in the morning blindly do his bid- ding and exterminate the oldest of living. The Governor determined that his ac- tions had been wrong. Late at night ho caused the gates to be forced that he might obtain audience with the peopls of the palace. It was useless to appeal to the young Emperor, as Kang would indirectly hear of it. The only person, then, in whom resided the power to stop the carnage which Kang bad planned, was her Majesty, the Dowager Empress. To her the Governor lald bare the plot. At a hasty conference it was decided to let the coup go on as planned, but with Kang and his co-con- spirators as the objects of its vengeance. So it was planned and as planned it occurred. Kang was the victim of his own well planned coup. Kwang Su was placed on the throne by reason of his progressive and Intelligent spirit, which he displayed at a phenomenally early perfod of his youth, and the Empress had always been Regent. ‘When, however, his adviser, Kang Yu ‘Wal, had attempted to turn his reform unto revolution it was considered advis- able that her Majesty should for a time ald in the administration of affairs to put an end to Kang's conspiracy. Kang has borne a charmed life. The seizure of the reformers was made at night, yet he escaped in disguise to Shanghal. There he went on board of a British boat, and although pursued by several Chinese men of war, the English officers refused to surrender him, not knowing, perhaps, what was his offense. He 1s now at the head of the reform party and it is not for the reason that the reformers wizh to modernize China, but because they have at their head a traltor and would-be regicide, that the imperial government of the Middle King- dom keeps such close and jealous wa upon their movements. Now that it may be known how came the stories of the coronation of a new Emperor in place of Kwang Su. He had married at the age of 16 & beau- tiful princess, most blessed in gifts of the gods of all of three hyndred of the most noble daughters of the Manchu nobles, who were presented at the palace for se- lection. Yet though she was so fair to see she was denied the one great blessing of a Chinese wife—a son. By the law of the kingdom if the Em- peror have no son at the age of 30 years he may choose for himself an heir from the sons of roval blood. Therefore it was the ceremony of the selection of the heir that set the mag- ples of the palace to chattering, and those who knew not sald that & new Emperor had been chosen. A price is still on the head of the traitor Kang and upon the heads of those who consplred with him. Kwang Su yet lves and governs in this the twenty-sixth vear of his reign. HO YOW. —e. Probably the only American of distine- tion who was in New York at the time and declined to meet the Prince of Wales when he visited America before the civil war bhas not been forgotten by Eng- land's future King since, says the Philadelphia Saturday Evening Post. It is an odd story. The American is Colonel Ethan Allen, author, financler, diplomat and clubman. Allen was about the Prince’s age, a law student at the New York University. He refused to at- tend any of the functions. “If the Prince wants to see me let him call on me,” he said. His friends laughed. But the Prince dia call upon Allen the first week he was here, It was In the old university bufla- ing in Washington Square, where young Allen had shut himself up for study. That same day the Chancellor was to receive the Prince In another part of the bullding. The reception hour came and Allen sat in his solitude. Before long he heard a loud knocking and a volce: “Open this door. Who's In there?* I opened the door and there stood Chancellor Ferris, and on his arm was the Prince. They ovidently felt it a reliet to be out of the jam. The members of the party were advanced in years except Mr. Allen and the Prince, and the two boys came together. “I'm glad to know you, sir,” the Princh said. “Thank you, sir,” ald Mr. Allen, The two then took seats together and talked for more than an hour. When they parted the Prince sald: ‘T don't know when I bave had such a i OFFICIAL DEQLARATION OF THE BOSITION OF THE EMPRESS DOWAGER. good time. WIII you call upon me at my hotel?” “No,” was the prompt reply, “T haven'y the time. The Prince looked astonished, but went on: “Well, if you haven't time now, Mr. Allen, perhaps you may have time whea vou visit England. At any rate, don’t for- get me.” Though Colonel Allen has visited Eng- land many times he has never a himself of this invitation, but } when the Prince recelved a represent of the Sons of the of the American Revo- lutton he sald: “I was looking over an old diary and 1 came across the strangest in- cident that happened to me during my Amerfcan visit. It was about a man named Allen who refused to meet me. Do you know him? T'd ltke to meet that man again?” But they haven't met yetu