New-York tribune., 1900-10-08
THE HAY-CONGER CIPHER
BEsIEGED LEGATIONS RECEIVED MES.
SAGE on JULY 16.
IBT TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.

Washington. Oct THE history OF the mos.
important single incident IN the Chinese crts,,
has at last been completed by Minister Conrar
in letter to Secretary Hay fixing July Is aa
the date upon which he received the cipher dis
patch Of three words which turned the tide or
events in PeIIins and probably prevented the
massacre Of every foreigner and Christian in the
Chinese Empire. Secretary Hays Dispatch
simple request for tidings-was given To Affr
lister WI on July H. after the European Povar,
had become convinced that every one in ,ba
legations had perished- The organization. OF sh
reLef column at Tfen-Tsin was going on vv,+b
eXasperatIng deliberatiOn. II having been agrees
that more haste was unnecessary. for the cor,
templated expedition to Peking had. il was s,,,
posed, become one OF vengeance rather than res
cue.
The inspired press of the Continent and a,
England, depending upon Shanghai for knovv1-
edge Of the situation. was habituaIly snAert,s
at the American diplomacy which resorted to
some reliance in Chinese assurances. and at Sec
retary Hays later exhibition OF trust in V-r
Ting Fang descended 10 actual vituperatio,
The negotiations which the United States had
been persistently conducting with the Southern
Nlceroys. Notwithstanding their result in con
inning the Boxer outrages to Pe-ChI-Id were
Jeered at. and it bluntIy intimated from,
abroad that Wu Ting Fang had better be "a
strieted. as Chinese Ministers at other caDita1.
had heen treated
MINISTER'S LOSE HOPE OF SAFETY
In Peking the besieged Ministers who had
secured no word from the outside world FOR q
ncnth, had about reached the conclusion tb,+
they were abandoned to their fate for reasons
which they could not possibly fathom and had
they been able to send joint message to the
world it must have confirmed the general i'm
hat all
were inimical, and that the United States uas
helng duped by officials who were only anxfous
to delay the landing of foreign forces until tboza
already ashore could be exterminated. and until
me Southern provinces were prepared To carrv
out the Empress Dowager's murderous fnsrruc-
tons Every foreigner in Pekiug was satfsaad
that no Chinaman. however indebted TO foreign
erS IN the past, would now raise a finger to helm
the foreign women and children in their ex-
tremity, perhaps because Prince Tuan had i'm
prlsoned or executed the last Of the progressfvas
those besieged in Pebins believed that all China
had risen. and that the great Southern rivers
were as red with blood as the neighboring L.
cation Canal
Then. late in the day of July Is. firing sud
denly ceased, and friendly messenger from tia
Isung-l1-Yamen was recognized and admitted
he mad instructions TO get Mr.. Conser's ren1v
to dispatch from his Government with assur
ances that anything he wrote in cipber vro4t5
De promptly transmitted TO Washington F,yarv
one was amazed and increduIous. save +ba
American Minister Mr.. Conger did not for an
instant doubt that the request for tidings had
come to him from the State Department in inst
a week. nor did he doubt that his reply would
be delivered in Washington within like period
His colleagues were rapidly infected with his
confidence and all clamOred for the transmits
sion Of messages TO their own Governments The
messenger could not exceed his instructions. and
Minister Conger's dispatch alone went from the
British compound that night and started south
by courier in the same pouch with Kwang Su's
appeal to the President Of the United STATES
Three days later Sheng filed It at the Sbauvhsf
cable Office, and at 10 o'clock on the morning
Of July 20 WI Ting Fang wholly ignorant of
its contents, handed it to Secretary Hay who
within hour gave to the world this para
phrase of its exact words;
In British Legation under continued shot and
shell from Chinese troops Quick relief only
can prevent general massacre CONGER
MR. HAYS JUDGMENT AFFIRMED.
Secretary Hay had no reasons for believing or
disbelieving the authenticity Of this message,
except his Judgment of character He admit
ted that he was too old a man TO say he could
not be fooled. but he could conceive OF no ad-
vantage any one could gain by trying TO de-
ceiVe him with such language as the dispatch
contained He was satisfied with his test OF
the sincerity of large number Of the most in
huential officials Of the Chinese Empire: he had
disprOved the reported distinctions OF the for
eigners in Peking, had shown the necessity for
expediting their rescue, and above all he had
demonstrated the existence Of a means Of COM
mun1CatlOn through which moral SUaSiOn could
be eXerted with a view Of bringing the Imperial
rulers TO realize the enOrmity of the crime they
and the certainty of it's adequate punishment.
Nevertheless the COnger message was treated
contemptuOusly abroad far as the public
went, although other Governments fairly fell
over each other in their attempts to initiate
Secretary Hays experiment. The ice had been
broken, however, and within day or two the
whole wprld was forced to admit that the tide
had turned. In Peking this took the form Of
reV1ctualltng the legations by Imperial com
tinued, the firing was not so we'll directed
heavy, and for a time it stopped altogether. 70
be resumed only when the allies approached the
walls.
In Washington. within few hours after the
arrival of the COnger dispatch Minister WI re-
ceived the appeal of the Emperor for the media
tiOn of the United States. showing how effective
had been the memorials of the VicerOys under
American suggestions and assurances on July
Is an Imperial decree was issued AT Peking
calling upon all Niceroys to protect foreigners.
A few days before the publication Of the Congsr
message the allied commanders had declared
they could not start for Peking in less than six
weeks They actually started in two weeks.
ARTISTS on Ia TOURAINE