October 121, Itt(M),
THE lLLt'STUATHl) 1112 K.
China's Conspiracy
Plot
(Copyright, liy Frank U. Carpenter.)
SHANtlHAI, Sept. 7. 1U0O. (Special Cor
respondence of The llee.) The evidence of
n great conspiracy to drive all foreigner
out of the country Ih steadily ac-umulnt-lug.
This conspiracy seems to have been
oiguulzed by the Chinese government. It
was headed by the empress dowager and
most of the high olllclals are Impllca'.ed In
It. It la n conspiracy to oust from China
everything foreign and every foreigner.
It Is a conspiracy which has been hitch
ing since the close of the Chlncso-Jnpa-nest
war, and which, had It not been pre
cipitated by the lloxer uprising, might
have resulted In the massacre of every
foreigner nnd the destruction of every
piece of foreign property In the empire
CIIANC. CHI Tl'N(i, THK VICKROY ()!'
HANKOW UKUHVHS HIS SOlM, CAMU
FROM A MONKKY-CI.AIMS TO HH
KHIHNIILY TO FORKIC.NKKS.
Such is the bollet ol many of the oldesi
residents of China, foreigners who are
acquainted with foreign methods business
men as well as missionaries. Thoy think
that the powers are being deceived by the
Chinese diplomats and laugh at the idea
of the Iloxers being tho cause of tin
trouble. Said an American who has been con
nected with Chinese matters In a diplo
matic and business way for more than
twenty-live years to mo the other night.
"There are two things about the situa
tion which you must bear In mind. The
llrst Is that this crusade Is not anti-mis-slonary,
but anti-foreign, and the second
that It Is a war and not a rebellion, as our
government would have us believe. Tho
Chinese so recognize It. The lexers were
oiganlzed by tho empress dowager as a
part of the force with which she hoped to
sweep all foreigners into the sea. They
were paid out of the imperial exchequer,
they were armed from the Imperial ar
senals and Prince Tuan and Kang Yl were,
In an imperial edict, appointed the leaders
1 of what some would have us call 'this
rebel band.'
"Documents have been found in the vice
regal yamen at Tien Tsln which incrimi
nate the Imperial government beyond all
hope of escape. Among these are lists of
Iloxers, receipts of awards paid to Boxers
for foreign heads, receipts for arms, am
munition and stores supplied by the gov
eminent to lloxer leaders, and also the
Imperial edicts of .Mine 1M and August 'i
ordering the extermination of all foreign
ers in China."
WVl'C lll .llllHIIK'NC III i
The extent of the conspiracy Iuih not yet
been disclosed. The leading viceroys, In
cluding I'l Hung Chang, were probably In It.
There Is evidence that Japan may have
been a secret party to It and that It was
ready to act In concert with China at the.
proper time. It was Incensed at the treat
ment It received from the continental pow
ers at the close of the Chinese-Japanese
wai and especially at their support of
Russia. Since then Its
Russians have become
strained, it bus been
relations with the
im re and more
insulted anil ro-
strlcted in Corea and just befi re the lloxer
rebellion a Russo-Japanese war was every
where predicted. The rebellion precipi
tated matters and Japan shrewdly i hanged
its attitude.
Among the straws which show how tie
wind has been blowing between Japan and
China was the appeal of the Chinese om
percr on July :i last to the mikado, asking
him to Join forces against the foreigners
In his appeal Kuang Hsu states his belief
that the powers wish to swallow up Japan
as well as China and that the Chinese
and Japanese, the two great nations of the
east, should Join to fight the west. To
this the Japanese emperor replied diplo
matically and kindly, saying that ho would
I
i
,1
. - . . ii m ii mi ,
by the Empress
use his best efforts to help China conserve
Its empire If It will suppress the Insurrec
tion and rescue the foreign ministers,
llim I lie 4 ' i ii m i I i'ii lliiuliuilcit.
The beginning of this conspiracy, so It Is
believed, was shortly after I lie close of the
Japanese war. The empress dowager,
Prince Tuan, Kang Yl. I.I Hung Chang ami
others saw that something must be done
at once or they would be ousted from
power. All over China the thinking classes
were discussing the result of the war and
possible reforms. A reform party sprang
up, about thirty newspapers were estab
lished and tracts proposing the western
izing of China were distributed In ui.tuy
quarters. Some of the reformers got to
I'ekln and several even to the emperor him
self. The head of these was Kang Yu Wei,
the man who Is now In hiding outside of
China with a reward of lno.unit tacts ($".",
UOO) upon his head. Kang Yu Wei had per
suuded the emperor to adopt the new civili
zation. His majesty hail planned to intro
duce all sorts of modern methods Into
China, Including a thorough reorganization
(f the empire, when the empress dowager,
fearing the result, caused his deposition
and Imprisonment In the palace and again
took the government Into her own hands.
She organized a reign of terror not only in
Poklu, but In all parts of China, and since
then tlu olllcial win has said anything in
favor of foreigners or foreign melhrds has
had to work hard to keep not only his of
llclal but his physical head on his
shoulders.
Till' I Hiii'iiiitlini ol' li e llouimiT.
The usurpation of the dowager caused
great excitement in China. It was un
favorably commented upon, and protests
came in from many other cities. They soon
stopped, however, for the old empress
threatened ail sorts of punishments, one
of tho objects of her rage, for instance, was
Kin Yuan Slum, the head of the telegraphs
here at Shanghai. When the news came
of the Imprisonment of the emperor, Kin
sent a petition, signed by himself and l.noo
other Chinese, to the dowager, asking that
the cmpcior be allowed to resume the reins
of government, and stating that this only
would satisfy the people. When (his
memorial was presented to the empress
dowager she Is said to have fairly hopped
up and down in her rage. Her olllclals were
terrified and they trembled lest her anger
should be wreaked upon them.
"Who has dared to send such a telegram?"
she asked.
"Kin Yuan Shan and over 1,0(10 others,"
was the reply.
"Very well," answered the old empress,
"we'll show them how we deal with traitors
who cross our path."
At this time Sheug, the director of all the
telegraphs of ihe empire, was in l'ekin. lie
at once wired Kin that he had better leave
and Kin fled to Macao, where he Is now
under Portuguese protection. The protest
was followed by others from all parts of
the empire and Ihe t'nlted States, and these,
addeil to the ibjections of the powers, kept
her from putting another hoy on the throne.
M I ii lnl it oum'r'N Lost liiiirt mi 1 1 .
It Is not known that the Culled Stales
was practically olfered the control of the
Chinese empire Just before the usurpation of
the dowager, but I am told that this is tho
fact. The emperor realized his danger. He
feared for his life, but he was very anxious
to do the right thing anil would have fought
for Ills rights could he have had any hope
of support. Timothy Richards, the secretary
of the Society of Christian Knowledge of
China, was In I'ekln at the time. He was
associated with Kang Yu Wei ami I,lang
Cho, anil at their Instance wrote Mr. llox
Ironsides, the Kngllsh minister, asking him
to give shelter and protection to the two
teformers and Intimating that the emperor
would be with them at the time they came.
He labeled the letter Important nml sent U
by a messenger An answer did not come
until the next day, when the minister ie
plied that he did not know Kang Yu Wei
ami Liang Clio, ami thai he could not re
ceive them. Ills Ignoiame In this case was
probably diplomatic, and eciinln'.y to the
It cs of Fnglntiil, lor had the Fngllsh min
ister admitted the t mpi tor Into the legation
he would have made Knghtnd the coming
gieat power In China. The reform parly
was then sttong and the empress dowager
would not have dared to l.no made war
upon the otnpi for In the Fugd-di legal Ion
Falling to elicit the suppe ii of the
Kngtlsb minister. Mr. Itb hards new sent
a message to Mlulstir ('linger, but he hap
pencil to be away at his niinnirr home In
the hills, and it Is claimed that the letter
never got beyond the gute.ct pi r. who mu
have been one of the dowager's sp im It
must be remembered that at II. W time ihe
emptier was the de fa io ruler of China
and that as such the t'nlted States would
have gained a predominant lulluelice h
tupportlug him
'I'lie r.iiiin i'Ns I'rcptiicil lor Will'.
China has been getting ready for double
ever since the close .of the Japanese war.
Seviral years ago I had an Interview on the
situation In China with Yang Yu. who Is. I
believe, now CI lnci-e minister to (icrmuny,
but who precedid Wu Tlug Kang as min
ister to Ihe t'nlted States. It was Just
after the win and he warned me thai the
Chinese army would be reorganized after
modi rn methods He said that the cotmlr)
voulil have new ships, new forts and Its
military strength would be so Increased
that It could defend llselr against any na
tion or all nations. He took a pencil and
ligured up the possibilities of the Chinese
ainiy of the fuluio. lie said China could
put twice as many nun in the Held as any
other tint ion referred to die wonderful
wealth of the country and lis mineral re
sources, saying tha' It could make Its own
guns and munitions of war. He told me
that the iron mines near Hankow would bo
developed and new arsenals built.
This prophecy has been borne out by the
facts. The arsenals at Tien Tsln, Canton
and Nankin have been busy for the past
foui years and the Kiaguan arsenal, here
at Shanghai, is still turning out guns of all
iIi m riptlolis, and smokeless powder as
well. The empress dowager has been Im
pirting Mausers ami arming the troops,
and some of the biggest American gun
factories have had their ngenU here trying
to introduce American lilies.
Hum W e l.uxt n It lit.- Orilcr.
Tho Chinese think well of our guns, ami
the viceroy of Canton not long ago asked
Consul (icucrnl Cioodnow for the name of
the- best American gun ami of the most
responsible of the American firms. It hap
pened that one of our gun factory agents
was in Shanghai at die time, ami at the
suggestion of the consul general he went to
see the viceroy and offered to 1111 his ord r
at 1," taels per gun, or l.'O.mm taels for all.
The viceroy replied that he would give him
the order, but that he must have the stuff
at once. The agent then cabled to the
t'nlted States and in reply was told that
the guns could not be furnished within less
than a year.
Cpon this the viceroy said that this
would not do, he must have the guns at
once. He then applied 'o the (lenuans,
who told him that they could give him
vhat he wanted in sixty days and that at
11 taels each. They got the order, but the
gnus sent were a lot of old wcnp.uis hardly
worth their freight.
At the arsenal at Shanghai the Chinese
are making guns almost as large as any
made III the Washington navy yaul. Some
of them are thirty-live feet leng, with pro
jectiles weighing 1,000 pounds. Armstrong
rap Id -fire guns are made and also modern
lilies. Projectiles of all kinds, fr nil re
INTICIIIOH IKW OF KI AC NAN AltSKNAI,
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V r- "jilt"' 1
FOllHIC.N OFFICIO Oil
ItY HON Kits
TSl N(i 1. 1 V MHN
volver cartridges up to great shells ot
stiel as high as your waist, are turned out
I i great quantities, and the different kinds
of shot and shrapnel number about liro.
The work Is all done by Chinese under c ne
or two foielgu superintendents.
lillllllllll.llIU III llltlllM.
Many of the weapons with which the
Chinese are armed come from Hankow
The great viceroy, Chang Chi Tung, has an
arsenal there upon which he Is spending
"iOO.immi taels a year. The guns turned
out are a sort of Mauser, and the steel
comes from the steel works at dan Yang,
Just above Hankow. There are large Iron
mines In the vicinity ami coal mines, to
which a railroad has been built.
I was at Hie city of Hang Chow not long
ago and had a chance to see the (roups
there undergoing their drill. They did well,
showing the effect of their rigid training
since the war with Japan. Chang (Mil
Tung's troops have been drilled by Her
mans, and tills Is so, I am told, with most
of the armies of the viceroys. In the mili
tary and naval schools (iermaiis. Belgians
and Russians are employed.
Modern guns have been Introduced as
rapidly as possible, 1(10.000 Mausers having
been recently bought. The arsenals have
also been turning out a number of qulck
llriug mountain guns and some native
made lilies of one-Inch caliber, each to be
manipulated by two men. This weapon Is
nine feet long and Is lilted with a home
made breech mechanism of the Mauser
order.
I'lir i:iiiii'i'sm unit Hi). IIiiwi-n.
From what 1 can learn of this alleged
conspiracy it was not the intention of the
empress dowager that the action against
I lie powers should begin before the year
r.ioii. She had no idea thai the lloxer
movement would develop as It did ami when
she llrst began to encourage the Iloxers it
was with the idea that they would stir up
the null-foreign sentiment among the
musses and help along (he conspiracy. In
the meantime the brutality of the Ceruians
toward the Chinese1 at Kiao Chad ami the
starvation there, which was attributed by
the people to the wrath of heaven against
the Chinese allowing (he foreign devils in
(heir country, so aceelerited the growth
of the Iloxers that they got beyond her
ami the rebellion broke out. At llrst she
had hoped that she might bring them Into
the army and at last she did so, uniting
with Prince Tuan in directing their move
ments. Kike all Chinese, she Is super
stitious to an extreme ami It may lie that
she actually believes In the edicts which
the Iloxers put forth stating that 8,0(10,000
spirit soldiers will come down from heaven
VI PF.KIN IIUCHNTLY DKSTUOYKD
and aid the Chinese In sweeping the einplr.
free of all foreigners.
I have this edict before me. Two hun
drid thousand copies of II were distributed
In Tien Tsln Just before the troops came
theie. It slates that the Catholic ami
Protestant religions are insults to 'the gods
and enraging both heaven and earth. Il
proiulsis the supper! of die s.ooo.oiui spirits
anil bids all to spread the doctrine of for
elgn expulsion far and wide, Htatlug that
the man who converts one he absolved
from all future misfortune, that he who
converts live will save his whole fauill
and if ten his village. It states that those
who make no converts shall be decapitated
and predicts that there will be no rain In
China mil II all the foreigners have been
exterminated
(iiinm rhl 'I'u n u nml UN Muni. i .
It seems Impossible that the sharp old
empress dowager could hold such supersti
tions. She Is a Chinese woman, however,
and the Chinese are saturated with all kinds
in crazy Ideas as to spirits and Ihe spirit
world. One or the chief causes or the
tumble Is, 1 am told, (he hatred which the
people have tor foreigners because they
propose to put railroads thiough the an-cot-tral
graveyards and thereby spoil the
luck of the Chinese ami auger the spirits
of their ancestors.
The Clilnem believe every one has a spirit
which contiols him. Take for Instance
Chang Chi Tung He Is one iff the greatest
siholais of China, a man who rules, I
enture. half as many people as President
McKitilcy, ami who spends millions a year.
He Is a scholar ami an author, having
written a book on the modem movement
for China.
Now, Chang Chi Tung believes In the
Irniismlgrntion of souls, ami he Is said to
Imagine that his soul came finin a monkey
According to tradition, when Chang Chi
Teng was born there was a monkey In his
lumber's house. This mysteriously dis
appeared the same day Unit Ills birth look
place, and. according to the Chinese theory,
Its soul passed into Ihe now-horn child.
Whether Chang really believes this or not
I cannot say, hut Ills friends tell me that
when be is accused of foolishness or of
acting Imprudently he icplles:
"How can I help 11, that Is the way 1 was
born'.' It must be the monkey In me."
Ilmv I lie i:iiiii'i'NN i'eriilleil (iiiinu.
Speaking of Chang Chi Tung, he is a 11 v
lug evidence of the tenor Inspired by the
empress dowager's anti-reform ideas. Prior
to this he has held the broadest opinions
of a modern civlllalloii foi China, lie has
put up an enormous steel plant at Han Yang
ami has been making steel rails for a rail
road which he proposed to build fiom
llanl.ow to I'ekln. lie has opened Iron and
inal mines and has gone Into all sorts or
modi rn enterprises.
Among other new Ihlugr. ,iropon'd by
him was an agi Icill' urn I experiment college
to teach his people our methods or farming,
lie sent to Cornell for American professoiB
and made thiee-year contracts with them at
high salaries to come out and lake charge
of this school. When they arrived they were
given a house ami told to go to work.
In tho lueanllme the old dowager Issued
her edict ami Chang Chi Tung began lo
draw back, lie refused to glvo tint pr i
fersers farms on which to work, putting
them off on one plea or another fr in
mouth to month until the time of th ir
cintracl had almost expired. At last the
young men would slay no longer. Th'ii
salaries were being paid, hut they w. uld
not consent to remain wilhcut they w r
given a chance lo earn Ihein, so they have
thrown up the Job ami gone back to Hi'
I'uitcil States.
Chang Ohl Tung had ordered all kinds ot
agricultural Implements In connection with
tills school. The latest mowing machines,
plows, harrows and cultivators were
shipped out to htm. They arrived in good
order, but are rusting away unused. He
had ordered a modern carriage in order
that he might ride about In state and as
tonish the Chinese In a region where our
carriages are unknown ami where the only
conveyances are rude carts and sedan
chairs. The carriage came, and, though
Chang C Mil Tung has plenty of horses, he
does not use the carriage. If he did he
would be looked upon us a modern luiio
alor ami a flieuil of the foreigners, so he
sticks to the sedan chair and (ho cart.
FRANK 0. OAUI'HNTHIl.