Two-Gun Cohen
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Morris Abraham Cohen (born Moszek Abram Miączyn; 3 August 1887 – 7 September 1970), better known as Two-Gun Cohen, was a Polish-born British and Canadian adventurer of Jewish origin who became aide-de-camp to Sun Yat-sen and a major-general in the Chinese National Revolutionary Army.
Two-Gun Cohen | |
---|---|
Born | Moszek Abram Miączyn August 3, 1887 |
Died | September 7, 1970 Salford, Greater Manchester, England | (aged 83)
Nationality | Polish, British, Canadian |
Other names | Morris Abraham Cohen |
Occupation(s) | Adventurer, aide-de-camp, major-general |
Spouse | Ida Judith Clark (div. 1956) |
Early years
Cohen was born into an
Cohen loved the theaters, the streets, the markets, the foods and the
Cohen initially worked on a farm near
Cohen also became friendly with some of the
Such an act was unheard of. Few white men ever came to the aid of a Chinese man in early 20th century Canada. As a Jew, though, Cohen felt an affinity for the Chinese underdog. He knew what it was like to be an outsider, someone who society shunned. — Daniel S. Levy, author of Two-Gun Cohen: A Biography.[1]
The Chinese welcomed Cohen into their fold and eventually invited him to join the
It was in pre-World War I Edmonton that Cohen commenced his long and varied military career by recruiting members of the Chinese community and training them in drill and
Military career
The real estate market in Edmonton experienced a decline with the advent of
Cohen fought with the
In Shanghai and Canton (Guangzhou), Cohen trained Sun's small armed forces to box and shoot, and told people that he was an aide-de-camp and an acting colonel in Sun Yat-sen's army.[1] Fortunately for Cohen, his lack of proficiency in Chinese – he spoke a pidgin form of Cantonese at best – was not a problem since Sun, his wife Soong Ching-ling and many of their associates were Western-educated and spoke English. Cohen's colleagues started calling him Ma Kun (馬坤), and he soon became one of Sun's main protectors, shadowing the Chinese leader to conferences and war zones.
After one battle where he was nicked by a bullet, Cohen wondered what he would do if one of his arms were injured. He started carrying a second revolver, and found he was
Sun died of cancer in 1925, and Cohen went to work for a series of Southern Chinese
Cohen spent time in Hong Kong, including at the Hong Kong Jewish Club where he played poker and performed
Cohen stayed behind to fight, and when Hong Kong fell later that month, the Japanese imprisoned him at Stanley Internment Camp. There the Japanese badly beat him and he languished in Stanley until he was part of a rare prisoner exchange in late 1943. In December 1943, he arrived in Montreal.[1][3]
Later life
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Cohen sailed back to Canada, settled in Montreal and married Ida Judith Clark, who ran a women's boutique.[1][3] He made regular visits back to China with the hope of establishing work or business ties. Mostly, Cohen saw old friends, sat in hotel lobbies and spun out tales—many of them tall—of his exploits.[1] It was his own myth making, together with the desire of others to fabricate yarns about him, that has resulted in much of the misinformation about Cohen, from the claim that he had a hand in the making of modern China, to such outlandish ones like him having an affair with Soong Ching-ling and a wife in Canada back in the 1920s.[verification needed]
In 1947, when the newly formed
Cohen then settled with his widowed sister, Leah Cooper, in
His last visit to China was during the start of the Cultural Revolution as an honoured guest of Zhou Enlai, in 1966.[1] Cohen died on 7 September 1970 in Salford. He is buried in Blackley Jewish Cemetery in Manchester.[6] His tombstone includes markings in Hebrew and English. Having achieved good relations with both the Communist and Nationalist factions in China, a rare simultaneous public appearance of representatives from both factions occurred at Cohen's funeral.[1]
Bibliography
There are numerous publications that focus on the life of Morris Cohen:
- Charles Drage with Morris Cohen, Two-Gun Cohen (1954)[7]
- Paolo Frere, The Pedlar and the Doctor (1995)[8]
- Daniel S. Levy Two-Gun Cohen: A Biography (1997)[9]
- Jim Christy, Scalawags (2008)[10]
Film
- In Frank Capra's The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933), the character of "Jones," a western adviser to the general, may resemble Cohen. The movie was based on a book of the same name by Grace Zaring Stone, who lived in Canton in the 1920s. In an interview with Stone's daughter in the early 1990s, she said that she was not sure if her mother and Cohen's paths crossed. But since the western community in that city was relatively insular, she said that it was quite likely that Stone at least knew of Cohen.
- The General Died at Dawn (1936) was inspired by Cohen, with Gary Cooper playing the part of an Irish-American adventurer in China.
- The Gunrunner (1983), a Canadian movie with Kevin Costner, was inspired by Cohen.[11]
See also
- List of riots and civil unrest in Calgary
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Levy, Daniel S. (27 December 2020). "Two-Gun Cohen: Artful dodger turned Chinese legend and hero of Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ Evans, Brian L.; Yarhi, Eli (29 January 2008). "Morris "Two-Gun" Cohen". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-894004-76-3.
- ^ 1 April 1913 appointments made under the provisions of "An Act Respecting Commissioners to Administer Oaths".
- ^ Alderton, Michael (2006). "In Chinese Company". Points East. 21 (2): 19.
- ^ Krasno, Rena (2001). "Two-Gun Cohen’s Tomb in Manchester". Points East 16 (2): 9 & 10
- ^ Drage, Charles (1954). The Life and Times of General Two-Gun Cohen. Funk & Wagnals.
- ^ Frere, Paolo (1997). The Pedlar and the Doctor ... P. Frere.
- ProQuest 430851776. (subscription required)
- ^ "Rogues, Rascals, and Scalawags Too: More Brazen Ne'er-Do-Wells Through the Ages by Jim Christy". Publishers Weekly.
- ^ Thomas, William (1 January 2000). "The Gunrunner Review". Empire. Retrieved 18 September 2020.