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Newspaper Page Text
CHINA'S AlRON MAM" DAILY DODGES DEATH Yuan Shi-Kai. Pekin, China, Jan. 7. A new revo lution, on the very heels of the late ill-starred insurrection, is fomenting against Yuan Shi-aKi, president of the Chinese republic. While the revolutionists are prose lyting and raising f'unds'in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America, China's "iron inan of des tiny" is today fortifying himself aaginst the impending attack with all those expedients of bribery and decapitation -Which have marked hip. rise. . - - . - Thus far Yuan Shi-Kai has always routed his enemies. Yet, that feeling of "uneasy lies the head" is not strange to him. Several times he has narrowly escaped as sassination, i Moved by unquestionable patriot ism for his native land, as he under stands it, mixing the motives and methods- of East and West, this strange composite of a man has play ed a daring game.- He has not qubbled about methods even the nlost terrible ones in se curing his ends. Toward the late Emperor Kuang Hsu, he is held guilty of the basest treachery and upon the death of that ruler, in which he connived with the ' Empress Dowager Tze Hs'i, Yuan Shi-Kai .was sentenced to death by the ill-fated regent's brother, Prince Tsai Hsun. Only by the frantic plea of Yuan's son, and the intercession of foreign consuls, was the decree changed to banishment and the "iron man's" life saved. It was his attachment to the Em press Dowager, by whom he was held in high esteem, that prompted Yuan's treachery to Emperor "Kuang Hsu. By leading 10,000 of the Emperor's own troops against him Yuan made pos sible ' the imprisonment of her im perial consort by the Chinese Cath erine in 19Q8 and her own assumption of the regency. Foiled in his attempt to have Yuan Shi-Kai assassinated while walking in the palace gardens, Prince Tsai Chun later issued orders relieving him of all offical power and sent him into exile. In going to his estate in Honan, the deposed counsellor of the now dead Empress Tze Hsi was escorted by a guard of American marines. Two years ago he was again given wide dictatorial powers by the totter ing central government in an effort to stay the revolution. Again Yuan sought shelter in the Foreign Office building, taking refuge