The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-06-16
LEGATIONS
VIRTUALLY
PRISONERS
Behind the Walls of Pekin, and Un-
able to Communicate with Officer
Commanding Relief Column.
WILL ATTACK TAKU FORT.
Streets of Capital Settling with Anti
foreign Mobs clamoring to
Kill Foreign Ministers.

LONDON, June 1G.-This is the sItua-
uop In China US It appears to the shang-
hal correspondent OF the Daily Express,
cabling last evening:
at is really state Of yelled war The
members Of the foreign legations In Pc
kin are virtually prisoners and the Chi
rese troops are only restrained from at
lacking them by fear Of the legation
guards.
Meanwhile the ministers are alto
gether unable to communicate with the
officer commanding the relief column
which is making an enforced and lso-
lated halt between Tlen Tsln and Pc
kin. The walls of the capitol are guard
ed by 100, 900 imperial troops. The gates
are heavily defended with modern guns.
General Tung acting under orders from
the empress dowager, says that no for
eIgn troops shall enter the sacred city.
"on Monday the ministers sent de-
nand to the Tsung Ii Yamen that the
gates be opened, declared that other
wise the foreign troops would enter
forclbly. To this no reply was given
second message went unanswered. or
had not been answered when the latest
news left Pekln.
"sir Claude MacDonald's latest mes
sage says that the legations are capa-
BILE OF sustaining an effective DEFENSE
unless attacked in force"
Russia, this correspondent asserts,
Notwithstanding assurances to the con-
trary sides with China Some foreign
troops are already reported 70 be the
envIrons of Pekin, and the attitude Of
the Chinese troops is Increasing menac-
Ing.
Demand to Open the Gates.
"The streets of Pekln," continues the
correspondent Of the Daily Express
are reported to be seething with anti
foreign mobs, clamorlng for the de-
structlon of the legations and tha
deaths of the foreign ministers. Even
were the Tsung Ii Yamen disposed to
restrain the violence of the reactlonar-
les 1t is considered highly improbable
that they will be able to hold them in
check. For the foreign ministers, the
crisis will arise when the relief column
comes In sight Of PekIn.
ut is still felt here that the foreign
force is wholly inadequate to battle with
the hordes OF Chinese troops massed
outside the gates, which now include
the imperial troops from Shan Hal
Kwan"
A dlsQuletlng element in ths situation
is the fact that, although the Russo
Chinese telegraph line from PekIn via
Klakhta eastern sIberlO Is working
again, transmission of English mes
sages Is rigidly refused.
Will Attack Taku Forts.
From Tlen Tsin, 1t is reported that the
foreign forces in the harbor will attack
the Taku forts, and II necessary bom-
bard them.
The international column appearI to
be still at Lang Fang, engaged in slow
ly repairing the railway, which, accord
ing to despatch from Tien Tsin to the
Daily Mail dated June II. cannot be eff
fected for weeks. The force is short of
provisions and, as it is without field
transports, 1t must stick to the railway,
The report that the mixed forces will
seize the Taku forts Is taken 70 mean
that the foreign commanders expect no
nId frpr, tho Chinese tyoyarnfnpnt In