A WARNING THAT WAS UNHEEDED,

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 24, 28 July 1900, Page 4

A WARNING THAT WAS UNHEEDED,

Describing the situation at Pekia in the middle of May, the Pekin correspondent of the North Chin* Daily News wrote to that j^aper as follows t — " I now come to a question which should be seriouily considered by the foreign readers of your paper, for it is one which corrcerias all of them, and may" happen at any moment. This i« the avowed enmity of the Conservatire3 against all foreigners, except, perhaps the Russians. I write ia all seriousness and sincerety to inform you that there is a great secret scheme, having for its aim to crush all foreigners in China and wrest back the territories leased to them. The chief leaders of this movement are tha Empress Dowagef Prince CMcg, Prince Tuan, .{the Heir Apparent's father), Kang Vi, Chao Shuch'iao and Li Peng-heng, The forces to be used to achieve this end are all Manchus, and number 72,000 men. These are to form the nucleus of the ' Army of Avengers,' whilst the Boxers are to be counted upon as auxiliaried to the great fight that is 'more imminent than foreigners in Pekia or elsewhere dream. All Chinese of the upp«r classes know this, and those who -count foreigners amongst their friends have warned them, but have, to my own knowledge, been rather laughed -at for their own pains than thanked for feeling anxiety on their* Western friends* behalf. The Foreign Ministers, I know, have protested to the Tsung-li-Yamen about *he increase of the Boxer organisations in the northern provinces, but dust as usual been thrown in these foreigners' eyes, I will give this time only two intancea to shew the high favour ia which the Boxers stand ia the eyes of th« powers that he in Pekin. In the first place, a censor named Wang a native of Chili, had recently an audience of the Empress Dowager, and the subject of the Boxers having come up, the Empress Dowager said to the -censor; *' You are a native of this province, and so ought to know. What do you think of the Boxers ia Chili ? Do you really think that when the time comes for action they will readily join the troops in fighting the u foreign devils "?" "lam certain of it, your Majesty Moreover, the tenets taught the members of the sooiety ara 'Protect to the death the heavenly dynasty (T'len Ch'ao) and death to the devils' ('Kueirttze 1 ). For your servant's part so deeply do I believe in the destiny of the society to crush the * devils,' that young and old of you* servant's family ate now practising the incantations of the Boxers, every one of- us having joined the society to ' Protect the heavenly' dynasty,' and drive the ' devils * into the gea. Had I the power given nae I wiould ; willingly lead the Boxers in the van of the avenging army when th« time com«s, and before that timo do All I can to assist in organising and arming them.' The Empress Dowager noddid her head in approval, and after ruminating her mind cried, * Aye. It is a grand 'society. But I- am afraid tb t, having no experienced men at their head just now, these Boxer* will act rashly and get the Government into trouble with these ' Yang kueitze' before evdrything is ready .* Then, a p ter another pause, * That's it. These Bozars must have some rolponsible men in Chihli and Sh*ritung to guide their conduct, and the audience, then ended. The next morning a decree named this censor, Wang, Governor of Pekin. That is to say, a sixth -grade official waa hy a sfcrokVof the- pen raised to a fourth-grade metropolitan post — a sub-prefect to a provincial judgeship. Wang, will -therefore have opportunity he wishes—namely, to organise, advise and arm huf friends the Boxers. - j< - " '