The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1900-07-27
NOT DOUBTED
rlessage Came to Chinese rlinls-
ter WI In Answer to Inquiry
Sent Some Days Ago.

A Washington special says: United
States Minister Conger is alive in Pc
kin. An official cipher cable dispatch
has been received from him through
the Chinese minister, WI Ting Fang.
Minister Conger cables from the Brit
ish legation in Pekin. He says he is
under continued shot and she'll from
Chinese troops and that quick relief
only can prevent a general massacre.
Minister Conger's official despatch, as
translated and given out by the state
department is as follows:
'In British Legation, Pekin.-
Hay, Washington, care WI Ting
Fang: Under continued shot and
shell from Chinese troops. Quick
relief only can prevent general
massacre. CoNGEB."
The cablegram was received by WI
Ting Fang at $50 o'clock Friday
morning 1t was in the state depart
ment cipher aud was transmitted
through the tsung Ii yamen and the
Shanghai taoti. Immediately upon
receipt of the message, Minister WI
FASTENED to the state department with
it,where Secretary Hay caused it to be
deciphered at once.
The receipt of the cable has thrown
Washington into a state of great ex-
element and rejoicing. Shortly after
the minister's message had been de-
cipheTed the following official state
ment was made by Secretary Hay at
the state department.:
con the 18th of this month the state
department communicated brief mes
sage asking tidings of Minister Conger
in the state department code. Mr..
! WI undertook to get this into Minis
ter Conger's hands if he were alive.
he has succeeded in doing this.
"This reply was in the state depart
ment cipher, and it is regarded as
genuine, inasmuch as forgeries seem
under such circumstances impossi-
ble."
In reply to question Adiutant Gen
eral Corbin said it was impossible now
to say what effect the receipt of Mr.
Conger's dispatch would have on mill
itary operations in China or on our
preparations here. He said he did
not know but that increased military
haste might precipitate matters in
China.
Within an hour the welcome intel
ligence that Conger had been heard
from, after weeks of silence and evil
report, was flashed through the whole
country, and, indeed, throughout the
world, dispelling the gloom which had
prevailed everywhere and bringing to
the officials and to the public gener-
ally a sense of profound relief
First of all, from the standpoint
of the administration officials, the
most welcome feature of the message
was its assurance that the American
minister himself was alive on July
18th. But with the cheering news
came the ominous statement of Minis
ter Conger that the beseiged foreign.
ers were in the British legation under
continued shot and shell from Chinese
troops, and that only quick relief could
avert a general massacre.
\ After the first flush of thankfulness,
this graver feature of the message be
gan to impress itself upon cabinet
officials most deeply. AS one of them
remarked:
There are the poor creatures pennet
up under fire of shot and shell, anG
appealing to us for help"
The consultation brought about ne
pronounced change of policy, for
was felt that already every energy hat
been spent toward meeting the situa
ton, and that there was absolutely
nothing more that could be done. AT
ter all, the cabinet officials felt, and 81
stated, that the message was an evi
dence of friendliness and good faith 0
the pro-foreign element of the Chinese
and that wisdom dictated a cours
which would continue to utilize thi
friendship.