Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-07-21
N[NSS|OPS MEMORIAL
.Conger Cablegram Halts London
Memorial to Pekin Victims
Who May Be Alive.

All may be Held as hOstages-FOp.s
ulace Leans to Doubt the
News.
Hope Revived in Berlin-Hay is
Complimented For His Energy
Europe Rejoices. A
London, July 21.-Mr. Conger's mes
sage to the state department came like
a voice from a tomb, and startled ev-
erybody in or out of parliament. The
S|text of the message was on the bulletin
4 boards of the clubs before 6 o'clock, and
made the rounds of the house Of COM
mons during the evening.
4 1t created a profound impression as
4 soon as it was clearly understood that
1.-The cipher dispatch had been answered
in cipher, which was accepted by the
members of parliament and by diplo-
3 matte circles as prima facie evidence
+ that the British embassy's house was
standing and that the American minis
VI Ter WI dS awe dlSel lllS' SdSC WI tNAAASAA
Mr.. Hays message was sent, if not on
IJuly IS. There was strong tendency
to question the genuineness of the re-.
ply.
1t was urged by many quibblers and
croakers that the state departments ci-
IIpher code might have fallen into the
hands of Chinese officials after the de-
struction of the American embassy, and
that Mr.. Hays message had been de-
Iciphered and answered by cunning and
Istreacherous mandarins.
4 When the reply was made that the
/, American minister would certainly have
: icarried the code book with him in re-
!, tiring to the British embassy, objectors
: were ready TO suggest that the key to
/. the cipher would have been obtained af-
ter the general massacre, and that the
mandarins had been enabled to reply to
& the American official message.
Another class of objectors laid stress
y upon the fact that the message sent out
!. by Mr.. Conger, about the time when
! Sir Robert Hart's Last despairing appeal
!, for succor had beenintercepted and held
fsback and finally dispatched as an an
, swer to Secretary Hays inquiry. This
: view was held by a aclear-headed barr!s-
Y ter, With whom talked last night.
The message. he said, might have
a come from Gonger but the date hat
ibeen extended and falsfied in order t
create false impression.
Is Other quibblers reasoned that Mr.
). Conger. if suddenly allowed to com
l.municate with Washington in cipher
: would have been more explicit in hi!
statements of facts and would hav'
lgiven clearer account of the situa
. ltion.
Al There was high argument in TIL
X smoking room of the house Of com
"a mons and in every club over thes,
a points last night and the only conclu
sion from which there was no dissen
J. was that the memorial service ap
oipointed for Monday at st. Paurs cathe
I'll dral was premature. since there wa
!. still strong probability that the EN-
bassies We're holding out.
One of the best Informed men OF tn
veteran military service told ME tina
The accepted the text of Mr.. Conger'
message as a f,,ll and sat!sfactor
i. proof that the ministers were alive.
I'd When asked how he could explain tn
protracted defense of the enclosur
% protected by palisade of noGarat
- height he asserted that the nilitar
>, guards had proDaDly sslzsu COLI
~ manding position on the great wal
~ where they had held the mob al bay.
70 He was also confident that the min
~ listers and the women had been trans
ad ferred by secret passage under tn
nj wall into the imperial city and ha
Y been hidden in the palace.
III Another veteran in the consular sci
vice in China Informed me that h
could not comprehend how it had bee
possible for so weak and indefensible5
y position as the British embassy enclo:
80 ure to be held for weeks against pei
~ sistent assaults of soldiery armed wit
ns artillery, and that he was reluctant
- forced to believe that the ministers an
% all refugees had persisted.
lis There was another view which fnur
- much support among many OF the be-
70 informed members of parliamen
ne namely, that the ministers We're he
" as hostages by the Chinese govern
y ment. This was based upon eviden'
y that affairs in Pekin We're not in sta
eu of chaos and anarchy, and that sor,
- responsible mind was directing the po
y icy of the government.
ell pr,r~rS u0pE tn REEI.IN