Evening star., 1900-08-10
Another Dispatch in Cipher Received
From Mr.. Conger.
CANNOT ACCEPT CHINESE ESCORT
All His Colleagues Are so Notify
ing Their Governments.
HAT MR.. WI TIL K S

Conger, which was received by Minister
Wu late last night. being contained in a
telegram sent to him by the taotai Of
Shanghai 1t was handed by Minister WI
to the acting secretary Of state at o'clock
this morning. AS officially paraphrased it
is as follows:
Secretary of State, Washington:
THE tsung Ii yamen states to the diplo-
matte body that the various foreign gov
ernments have repeatedly asked, through
the respective Chinese ministers, that we
Immediately depart from Pekin, under suit
able escort. The yamen asks to fix
date for our departure and to make the
necessary arrangements to do so. Our re-
ply is that we will seek instructions from
our governments and that in the absence
of such instructions we cannot quit our
posts. 1 must inform you that in order
to insure our safe departure foreign troops
only can safely escort US, and they must
be in sufficient force to safely guard 800
foreigners, including 200 women and chill
dren, as well 5000 native Christians.
who cannot be abandoned to certain mas
sacre. We cannot accept a Chinese escort
under any circumstances. All my col
leagues dispatching the foregoing to
their respective governments. OF the Amer
lean marines seven have been killed and
sixteen wounded, among the latter Capt.
Myers and DR.. Lppett, who are getting
along well. CONGER"
The following memorandum in regard to
the message was prepared at the State De-
oartment:
This message is undated, but is sup
posed to have been sent on or after the
5th of August, when the imperial edict re-
moving the inhibition against the ministers
oirha oil
the tsung Ii yamen. 1t substantially ac-
cords with the dispatch of the French min
lister, NJ. Pichon. to his government, which
was made public in Paris yesterday, and
is printed in this mornings papers,"
Evident Agreement Among Minister'S
AS already shown, Minister Conger's mes
sage is substantially the same as tnat of
NJ. Pichon, the French minister to his gov
ernment, indicating that the eight be-
leaguered ministers at Pekin had sent an
Identical note to their respective govern
ments. 1t told of the urgent efforts of the
Chinese government to have the ministers
set date for leaving Pekin, and of their
refusal to comply without instructions from
their governments. 1t also urged that the
relief forces should be large enough to es-
cort not only the ministers. but the large
number of foreigners, women and children,
and the many native Christians. Some of
the expressions were the same as those
used by NJ. Pichon, and the differences of
expression probably due to transla-
ton.
The message came to the Chinese lega-
ton at 12:15 this morning. The building
was closed and dark at the time, but the
minister was aroused and came down to
read the dispatch. far as it in Chi
American cipher code, that It's presenta-
ton to the State Department was deferred
until office hours began this morning. The
Chinese minister called at the depart
ment at o'clock and handed the message
to Acting Secretary Adee, who immedi-
ately set about its translation. 1t was
then communicated to the President and
the cabinet officers.
Minister WI Pleased.
Minister WI appeared greatly pleased at
this latest opportunity to be the medium
of communication between the American
minister and Washington, and the worn
look of yesterday gave way to a broad
smile. Aside from the contents of the mes
sage 1t gave assurance that cipher messages
were passing freely and that the Chinese
government was carrying out that part of
its agreement. The action of the entire dip
lomatic corps at Pekin In agreeing not to
leave their posts without instructions from
their governments, to whom the question is
left appears to settle that they will stay
in Pekin until rescued unless forced out by
the Chinese, as it is hardly probable that
they would be instructed by their govern
ments to leave in the face of their own
judgment that it would be certain death
There is a melancholy herosm in the atti-
tude Of the ministers, not only in standing
together, but in urging that any relief sent
to them be strong enough to give the same
protection to those foreigners and native
Christians not favorably and officially
circumstanced as themselves.
The German charge d'affaires Count
Hacke, called al the State Department dur
ing the morning and briefly discussed Chi
nese matters. The German authorities are
gratifed at the favorable manner in which
the appointment of Count Won Waldersee
has been taken in this country. Although
there is no official announcement, it seems
to be accepted that the appointment of
| the count as commander-in-c chief of the al
| lied forces will soon be an accomplished
| fact, if, indeed it is not so already.
As to Baroness KetteIer.
At the instance of relatives Of Baroness
ketteler, the State Department recently
| telegraphed to the embassy in Berlin in
| quiring whether any news of her condition
had reached the German government. The
charge d'affaires, Mr.. Jackson, telegraphs
| today august 10) that no special tidings
| had been received regarding Baroness Ket-
teller, but that it is assured that she was
well on the 4th instant, as the health of
| the members of the German legation at
Pekin was on that date reported good
No Halt in Relief Column
Today's message from Minister Conger
makes it plain that there can be no halt In
| the advance of the relief column and that
| the rescue of the foreigners in Pekin de-
pends almost entirely upon it. The belief
| that no material help can be expected from
| the Chinese military forces is made plain in
| the identical note of the legationers Minis
| ter Conger accentuates the fact that help
| must come from the outside, and that 1t
| would be suicidal for the foreigners to leave
| Pekin under Chinese escort.
This dep,orable state Of affairs gives the
] allied powers no alternative. II the minis-