The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1900-07-26
At Washington.


ant secretary of state and how director
of the bureau of American republics, to
China to investigate the situation and
report to the authorities here. Mr..
Rockhil will go as a special commits
sioner to ascertain the extent of the
responsibility of the Chinese govern.
ment, if any, for the existing disturb
ances and to otherwise furnish the
administration with the information
upon which the case of the United
States against China for indemnity and
reparation will be based.
The safe arrival of the Oregon in
Kure, Japan, July Is, was received with
pleasure at Washinton.
The President has appointed Brig
Gen. A. r Chatfee, q. :. v, who is to
command the militia forces in China, a
major general of volunteers, that his
rank should be commensurate with his
command He is considered by his
brother officers as one of the most
thoroughly equipped soldiers in the
service.
The navy department has received
from Admiral Remey list of casualties
of the marine corps in the fight at Tien
Tsin: Taku, July IS. Bureau Naviga
ton, Washington: Official casualties
report from marine regiment: Killed
Captain Austin r. Davis; Sergeant C.. j..
Kollock, Corporal Thomas Kelley, Pri-
Yates j. E. McConkey, l. W. Partridge.
Seriously wounded-First Lieut.. Henry
Leonard, Corp. j. A. Mcdonald, Privates
P. j. Kelleher, c. D. Miller, c j Math-
ews, John Stakes, j. Van Horn. Wound.
ed-Capt Charles G. Long, capt. Vim.
b Lemley, First Lieut. Smedley d. But
tier, First Sergeant James Murphy,
Sergeant r. T. Winters, Corporal Joseph
w. Hunt, Privates W. :. Chapman,
James Cooney, Robert Desmond, r. e..
Egelser, Lavrin LARSON, NJ, K. McIver,
j. c. Megonegal, A. B. Penney, H. A
| Rickers.
The Chinese minister at Washington,
Friday morning, received cipher cable
| dispatch from United States Minister
! Conger 1t was in the state department
cipher and is transmitted through the
Tsung Lii Yamen and the Shanghai
Taotai 1t contains less than so words
and is signed in English with the name
| Conger
At s 45 Minister WI handed the
Conger dispatch to Secretary Hay, who
Immediately called in his assistant sec
retaries and private secretary and work
was begun on the translation of the
cipher.
Mr. Conger's telegram was as follows:
"Iu British legation. Under con.
| tinued shot and shell from Chinese
troops. Quick relief only can prevent
general massacre"
The message was not dated, but it is
| nd 2 Job
the 18th.
The following message was immedi-
ately given out at the state department:
"On the 11th of this month, the state
| department communicated brief mes
sage asking tidings of Minister Conger
in the department code. Minister WI
undertook to get this into Minister
Conger's hands, if he were alive. He
has succeeded in doing this. This
morning the state department received
telegram from Consul General Good
now AT hanghai, saying: "fhe gov
ernor of Shun Tung informs me that he
has received, today, cipher message
from longer on the 18th. A few min
utes later, Minister WI appeared at the
state department with a telegram from
Taotai ohang. dated July goth, which
had been received by Minister WI at
80 this morning. reading az follows:
Your telegram was forwarded and as
requested | send reply from the Tsung
| Lii Yamen as follows: Your telegram
of the 18th day of this noon 9th
july received. The state department s
telegram has been handed to Minister
Conger. Herewith is Minister Conger's
reply to the state department. This
reply was in the state department CT
pher and II is regarded by the state
| department as genuine, as forgeries
seem under the circumstances impos:
sibe.
Throughout the day the Congo mes.
sage remained the absorbing topic of
discussion. Secretary Hay was con.
graduated on the success of the steps he
had adopted to open up communication
between Pekin and Washington, for
while the chancellories of the whole
world stood hesitating and inactive, he
had adopted course, which had
brought message from our minister.
>ecretary Hay explained his reasons
! for placing reliance in the authenticity
of Minister tonger's dispatch, saying
that it was complete reply in code to
the code message sent to him and that
its authenticity was vouched for by the
Tsung Ii Ysnen "Of course" said
the secretary, smiling, ~ am not ON
nscent and may be fooled, but cannot
see how the authenticity of Minister
CoDgers cable can be questioned"
The Chinese minister, WI Ting Fang,
communicated 10 the secretary of state,
Saturday morning, two important tele
grams. The first is from Nheng, the
director of posts and telegraphs in
Shanghai, and says: Fortunate that
minister Conger's telegraphc reply has
come. Imperial decree of the 22nd, this
noon, corresponding to July 49, stated
that all ministers were safe. Insurgents
are fighting and killing each other, Ii
Hung Chang Is proceeding noIthward to
suppress riot, will find 1t difficult to CO."
The second telegram is from Lii Kui
vi, vceroy of Marking, dated the 21st
of July and received by Minister Wa at
10 o'clock the same day. 1t is as fol-
lows: according to the edict of the
22nd of this noon, July 1S) with the
exception of the German minister, who
was killed by anarchists, with regard to
which rigorous measures are being
taken to investigate and punish the
guilty parties, all the other ministers
for whom strenuous efforts are being
made for their protection, are fortunate
| ly unframed"
The director of the mint states that
there are 16628,323 of scent pieces
and So, 952, 892 of 1-cent pieces outstand-
ing. This gives an idea of the enormous
nutnher of these little coins necessary