Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-07-25
FROM WASHINGTON.
! rCorrespondenoe Of the Alexandria Gazette. J
Washington, July %.

The Navy Department uas IeOoi'ou
the following from Capt. Thomas,
senior officer commanding the squad
y" " Chefoo, July "a.
A written message signed Conger,
dated July 4, received at Tienlsin the
2lst saws: "Have been besieged two
weeks ia British legation. Grave dan
ger OF general massacre by Chinese
soldiers who are Smelling legation
daily. Relief soon, If at all. City with
out government, except by Chinese
army. Determined massacre all for
eignees PeKiD. Entry relief into city
probab y holly contested.
(Signed) THOMAS,
Taku, July %.
The dispatch from Minister Conger
received this morning through Capt.
Thomas can have but little effect upon
the credulity of the Conger message
received through Minister Wa, save
in casting doubt upon its commences
It would EN- probable that Conger IN
the WI dispatch would have said some
thing about the sending of this dispatch
of July 4, although 1t is possible that
he had at the time of sending that OF
Julv IS a belief that his earlier mes
ssge had been received. 1t is too early,
the officials say, to predict precisely
what will be done, but the message
will probably have an immediate effect
toward the hurry ng of relief expe-
dition to Pekin. Apparently the mes
sage wandered far sfeld from the d.
root route in coming from Pekin to
Taku. a distance of l4O miles. Nc
doubt the runner or runners made 8
wide detour to avoid the fighting and
disorder in aud around Tientsin, prob
ably circling toward the southwark
and returning only after the allied
forces bad taken the city and approach
was safe. Only 10 this way coulo
the time, II days, be explained
A feature is that this message OF July
4 is written in PLATO English. Capt
Thomas does not say so in his dispatch
but the cipher OF the State Department
and that of the Navy Department is mol
interchangeable. That OF the Navy
changes its key word daily, that OF the
State department at irregular and ln'
frequent periods. That OF the latter Is
also less easy to decipher and requires
for translation the work OF experts
The Navy's code is more simple. Al
OF these reasons are given to show thai
the july 4 message must have been writ
ten 10 plain English. Ga this basi;
-ome hope is found by the State De
partment that the dispatch from Con
ger Of July is is still genuine.
The state Department has received
dispatch from Consul Goodnow a
Shanghai which is incoDclusiye on al
noints relating to the situation at PeklI
but SAYS that Ii Hung Chang is still
at that place and will probably remain
there some time. The intimation i
made that the aged Viceroy will con
duet his negotiations with Pekjn ant
the powers from Shanghai as beiui
more conducive to his personal safety
than any other place.
The War department has the follow
iog telegraphic report from Lieut.. Col
Coolidge, acting colonel Of Ninth In
fantry, dated Cneefoo, July 25: Tien
t,iu captured July IA. City divided
amoug powers, the southeast quartz
bsing assigned TO American troops III
Col. Meade; Marine corps for polio
and protection. Since then the power
have instituted a temporary govern
ment council under Col. De Qusysry
Russian; Lieut.. Col. Asks, japanese
and Lieut.. Col. Bower, British, but hs
not rs vet gone into force. The Amer
can troops are still protecting thei
quarters.
For the first time within the past tw'
weeks, Minister Wa today failed to Wis
il the State department ~ have moth
ing new" be said, $50 why should
go?" The Minister does not expect
reply from his government to Presiden
McKinley's note for at least six days
The work of the Chinese SECRETARIES o
the legation, in trsnslsting the Presi
dents note into Chinese and thel
transporting it into cipher was tedlou
and consumed a great deal OF time
The Minister was shown the dispatcl
received at the Navy department tni
morning from Capt. Thomas at Taku
transmitting message from Mlniste
Conger, dated July 4. He expressed
confidence the contents Of the mes
sage and said at that time he was o
he opinion that the minister
we're closely besieged. Now, how
ever, he thinks the situation ha
changed. He places the creates
confidence 10 the cablegram from Dl
rector General OF Telegraph Sheng, o
Yesterday, in which he says that tn
ministers are to be sent to Tientsin IN
der escort. In his message, Directo
Sheng says that Wen Jul, under order
OF the Tsuug.li-yameD visited the minis
ters and found them all unframed
| The minister said that Wen is one o
the secretaries OF the Tsung'li-ysmeI
and that be probably secured from
Minister Conger the message he trans
mitted to Secretary Hay, several day
ago. as the date of Wen's visit to tn
foreigners. according 10 Sheng's cable
gram. corresponds With the date of Con
| GERS message. Since the beginning o
n
the Chinese trouble and since the FRS
word was received of the terrible pligh
OF the foreigners 10 Pekin, Minister w
| has favored the immediate sending OF
relief expedition to Pekin. Today
however, he is not so saDguine OF to
success of such q movement. 9TH
Chinese mind" he said, works con
trary to yours. What you think
right, they think is wrong. Th
government will bring the ministers on
| ofPekin and if the allied forces should
move on to their relief now you kno'
not what would happen. They woul'
not understand that you only wante'
to rescue the ministers. They would
think you were going to destroy thei
homes and city and kill them. Th
movement from Tientsin, of the troops
oaeaaI from. ma nOinf n