Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-07-21

|
of Shanghai. containing cipher dispatch
from Minister Conger to the United
States government
This was in reply to the message sent
to the Chinese government some time
ngo by Minister WI asking about the
safety Of Mr.. Conger.
| The Chinese minister hurried to the
| department Of state Immediately on re-
ccipt of the message and gave it to Sec
retaly Hay.
Tie state department soon afterward
announced that the Conger message re-
ceivcd through Minister WI was datec
| July Is and showed that Conger was safe
on that date.
Following is the statement issued by
the state department with Conger's cable
dispatch:
"On the 18th of this month the Sec
retary of state communicated a brief
message asking tidings of Minister Con
ger, in the state department code. Mr..
Wu undertook to get this into Minister
Conger's hands if he were alive.
WI Successful.
"He has succeeded in doing this.
'The secretary of state received tele-
gram from the consul general at Shang
hal saying that 'Ihe governor of Shang-
tung informs me that he has sent yor to-
day a cipher message from Conger Of the
18th
"A few minutes later Mr.. WI ap-
peared mt the state department with a
telegram from the taotai of Shanghai,
dated the Goth of July.
"1he dispatch read as follows:
"'Iour telegram was forwarded as re-
a,
/ ri-yamen as follows:
"'Iour telegram of tho 10Th dag Of
this moon 11th of july received. and the
secretary of states telegram has been
handed to Minister Conger.
Herewith Minister Conger's reply to
the secretary Of state, which please for
ward
"The following is Mr. -Conger's rer!y:
"'British legation under continued shot
and shell from Chinese troops. Quick
relief only can prevent general massacre
This reply was in the state department
cipher, and its contents were, of course.
unknown to Minister Wu. 1t is regard
ed by the state department as genuine,
as forgery seems under the circumstances
impossible"
AS soon as Minister Conger's cable
gram iiUu utPl lTduSidteu Ctulilel
council was called in tlle office of the
secretary of state, and all of the cabinet
ministers accessible attended it.
Secretary Long Talks.
Before the cabinet meeting was held
Secretary Long had consultation with
Secretary Root. On emerging into the
corridor Secretary Long was showered
with congratulations by Il large throng
of department employees and newspaper
men who had congregated thera. As he
one member of the cabinet who has con-
sistently maintained during the dark days
in which others had given up all hope Of
the safety of the foreigners in Petng,
the news that our minister was aa'Hc a
few ,iays 80 wa, mad Ii III fiie1sna tfs- of-
Il personal triumph for him. His face
beamed with the pleasure he experienced.
aud he expressed his qualification and re-
joicng at the confirmation of his theory.
I'VE are all very happy over the good
tidings," said he. Il have hardly had
time to think of the exact effect of the
news on the situation. but it removes one
of the great elements of doubt and leaves
us free TO hope for the rescue of the for
cigners in Pcking. 1t is a great victory
for the state department of the United
States. Every country in Christcndon
was employing every agency in its posses
sion to obtain authentic news of the be-
sieged ministers and the United States is
the first to give to the world authentic
and absolutely reliable word direct from
the place in which the beleaguered min
listers are garrsoned. There is now good
reason to believe that the ministers will
be able to hold out until relieving force
reaches them. If they have been able to
stand the siege for almost month after
the outside world had given up hope.
there seems no reason to fear that they
will not be able to hold out a little lon
ger"
Convinced 1t Is Genuine.
''Do you regard the fact that the mes
sage is in the state department code as
conclusive evidence that it emanated
from Minister Conger?' he was asked.
might it not be possible that, having
massacred the people in the American le
CATION, the code fell into the hands of
the leaders Of the Boxer movement, and,
If such were the fact, could they not
have framed the reply in the state de-
partmcnt's code and attached Minister
Conger's signature to it?"
81 regard such a suggestion as dealing
with a possibility too remote to be seri-
ously considered,' replied the secretary.
81 am of the opinion that outsiders could
not have made use of our code, and, be-
sides, the nature of the reply, with its
strong appeal for immediate relief, is
such as would not have been sent by any
one seeking to conceal catastrophe to
the foreigners in Picking"
"Does this message in any way change
the situation or the policy of our govern
ment?'
II do not see that it does or will result
In change of policy. The allies are Or
ganizing column for the relief of the
foreigners at Pekng, and now that it is
known that they are alive the news can
only result in pressing forward the col
umn at the earliest possible moment
why News Was Believed.
Naturally. in view of the importance of
the communication from Mr.. Conger. the |
first impulse was to make sure of it's au
thenticity. Secretary Hay was himself |
perfectly satisfied on that score. Just us
Secretary Long had suggested he felt no |
doubt that the message conveyed internal
evidence of authenticity.
Supposing that the Chinese government |
had obtained POSSESSION of the state de- |
partment secret code, it could not be CON
ceived what purpose it would serve to |
represent the urgency Of pushing relief |
forces toward Peking. If the imperial
government is making war on the inter |
it would surely not forward an |
effort to get foreign troops into its own
capital. At least that was the line OF |
reasoning at the state department.
4 most significant feature of the Con-
ger message was the statement that the |
British legation was under constant fire |
from the NChinesn fr0nnsO Without |