Ugly Customer

Shooting the Emperor of China's cousin is not the dangerous feat that once it was. For one thing the "rightful" Boy Emperor, P'u-yi (alias Henry), is a deposed nobody who dwells under Japanese protection, has deplorably weak eyes, and looks for guidance to his fatherly British friend and former tutor. Dr. Reginald Fleming (TIME, May 1, 1924).

The shooting occurred last week at Beppu, a summer resort on the Japanese island of Kiushiu. There Prince Hsien Kai, handsome 21-year-old cousin of poor P'u-yi. was strolling in the garden of his hotel when he heard a pistol report, felt the stab of a bullet in the back, fell grievously wounded.

The shot came from a window of the hotel's grand suite, occupied by its most prosperous and ugly customer. He and several of his concubines had moved in some time ago, while other guests pointed covertly, whispered, "It's Chang Tsung-chang and his harem.'' As every Chinaman knows, Ugly Customer Chang is the rapacious former Chinese War Lord of Shantung. He taxed and stole $10,000,000 cash out of that luckless province before the Chinese Nationalists drove him out (TIME, Sept. 24). Insatiable, he set sail from Japanese waters last spring with a privateering expedition, recaptured part of Shantung, terrorized banks and merchants into yielding him more gold, was finally driven out a second time (TIME, April 15).

As one whose wholesale savageries, rapes and extortions are a byword throughout the Orient, rich, scowling Chang Tsung-chang evoked awed, fearful respect when he and his suite put up at Beppu. That a shot would sooner or later be fired in or from Chang's sumptuous apartments might almost have been called a foregone conclusion.

The shot caused handsome Prince Hsien Kai to sink groaning into a bed of Japanese chrysanthemums. Hotel waitresses shrieked,'but most of the Oriental males present grew warily silent, prudently slipped away. Eventually, however, several wiry little Japanese policemen went up to tackle Ugly Customer Chang.

For once the onetime War Lord appeared smiling, affable, passed around his famous fat cigars. The accident was regrettable, he said, but easily explained. He had been "handling" a new pistol--presumably much as a Tilden swishes a new racket--to get its hang and feel. He had not noticed Prince Hsien Kai or anyone else in the garden. Somehow or other, while he "handled" the pistol, it had gone off.

On the day after the shooting Prince Hsien Kai expired quietly after coughing up much blood. It was then explained by Chang Tsung-chang that the police had not quite understood what he had told them about the pistol. Not he but his secretary had been handling it. The secretary swore that this was true. A dozen of Chang's concubines confirmed the fine new story. Policemen scratched their heads. Finally, officials indicted Chang for murder, suspecting him of having suspected the Prince of fiddling about in his harem.