The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-07-25
Dispatch Received
From Minister Conger.
HE WAS STILL ALIVE ON
LAST WEDNESDAY.

flash of sunlight out of the dark sk,
came the intelligence at an earl,
hour today that United States Minis
ter Conger had cent q cipher cabl,
dispatch from Pekin 10 tho state de
par'ment at Washington, makins
known that two days ago he wa
alive and that the foreigners wer.
fighting for their lives The message
was received by the Chinese minis
tor. WI Ting Fang. at 8 80 a m
Within an hour the welcome intelli.
gence that Conger had been heard
from, after weeks of silence and evi
report. was flashed through the coun
try and indeed throughout the world
dispelling the gloom which bad pre
vailed everywhere and bringing to
officials and to the public generally q
sense Of profound relief
The dispatch was in reply to Sec
resary Hays cable inquiry tc Min.
ister Conger on July IL. and as both
messages were in the American
cipher code they were regarded by
the officials ss above tho suspicion OF
having been tampered with in the
course OF transmission through Chi
nese channels
Mr. WI promptly communicated
the dispatch TO the state department.
where the translation was made from
the cipher figures and soon all Wash
ington was astir with the intelIi
gence 1t was telegrsphed by Sec
retary Hay to the president. who
responded with a hearty expression
OF qualification, and word of it was
sent to the various cabinet officers
They gathered in Secretary Hays
Office and al impromptu cabinet con
feronce was held in the diplomatic
chamber. mainly for the purpose of
exchanging congratulations and of
taking . survey of the situation to
see If 1t had been materially changed
by this important development.
Fret OF ell, from the standpoint of
the administration officially the most
welcome feature of the message was
its assurance that the American min.
ister himself was alive two days ago
But with this cheering news came
the ominous statement of Minister
Conger that the besieged foreigners
were in the British legation under
continued shot and shell from Chinese
troops and that only quick relief
could avert general massacre.
After the first flush of thsnkfulness
this graver feature of the message be-
gao to impress itself upon cabinet
officials most deeply AZ one of
them remarked: "There are the
poor creatures, penned up under fire
OF shot and shell appealing to us for
hslp"
The consultation brought about no
pronounced change of policy, for i.
was felt that already every energy
had been bent toward meeting the
situation and that there was absolute.
y nothing more tha. could be done
After all. the cabinet officials felt, and
go stated. that the message was On
evidence of the frisndIiness and good
faith OF the pro foreign element of
the Chinese and that wisdom dictated
. course which would continue to
utilize this friendship. The govern
ment accepted the message as suthen
tic and Secretary Hay transmitted it
TO all our ambassadors and ministers
abroad with instructions to lay it before
the respective governments to which
they are accredited and to urgo upon
them the necessity of cooperation for
the immediate relief of the foreigners
OF Pekin. ,a
%" ORDERS TO REMAY
A message was sent by Secretary
Long to Admiral Remey conveying
tho intelligence OF the desperate
situation in Pekin and instructing him
to "use and urge every possible en-.
desvor for relief" This message,
Secsetsry Long explained. meant for
Admiral Remey himse!t to "use" and
to urge" upon the commanding
off1ce's of the other powers the use
Of evesy endesvor for the relief of
Pekin Secretary Root sent similar
notification to Col Coolidge the senior
American officer ashore at Tien Tsin,
but without injunction This action
was the result OF the conference of
Secretaries Hey, Long and Root. 1t
wss realized that tho land and naval
forces Of the United States now in
China could not single hauded push
on to Pekio and the othor powers &C
o"rding'y were appealed to, on the
basis OF Minister Conger's message TO
cooperate for instant reliet r"
Secretary Hay explained his rca,
sons for placing reliance in the au
tbenticity Of Minister Congcr's dis
patch by saying that il was a com.