The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1900-07-27
THE CONGER MESSAGE.
Consul General G0OdnOw Shares
in the Opinion That ii is
Not Genuine.
The State Department Has Not Varied
Its Position as 20 the Anthem
ITCHY of the Dispatch.
The Government IL Using Every
Effort TO secure Communication
with the American Minis
ter nj PekinG.

washington, July %l'-lhe Shihe"
minister has just received q cipher
cable dispatch from United States
Minister (onger. II Is in the state
department cipher. and is transmitted
through the Tsung Ii lamen and the
Shanghai Taotai. IL contains about
80 words and is signed in English
with the name "Conger." q
At quarter of ten Minister Wa
handed the Conger dispatch 20 Secre-
tary Hay, who Immediately called in
mis- assistant secretaries and private
secretary and work was begun IN
translating the cipher. This is now
In progress. and the message being
quite brief, the text will soon be out.
No doubt is expressed by state de-
partmeni officials as TO the authen-
ITCHY Of the message. II Is understood
that the message is dated the 18th.
Mr. CoHger's telegram is as follows:
"In British legation. Under contin-
ued shot and shell from Chinese
troops. Quick relief can only prevent
general massacre"
The message Is not dated. but IL h
understood was sent from Picking on
the 18th.
The following statement has been
given out az the state department:
ION the nth OF this month the state
department communicated brief
message asking tidings OF Minister
Conger in the state department code.
Minister wa undertook TO get this
into Minister Conger's hands. IL he
were alive. lie has succeeded In doing
this. This morning the state depart
uieni received telegram from Con-
sui General Goodnow at Shanghai,
saying:
"'The governor Of Shanghai in
forms me that he has received to-day
cipher message from Conger of the
18th
"a few minutes later Minister WI
appeared al the state department with
telegram from Taotai Shang dated
July 20. which had been received by
Minister Wa at $40 o'clock this
morning. reading as follows;
"Nour Telegram was forwarded and
as requested / send reply from the
Tsung Ii Namen as follows; Your
telegram OF the 18th date OF this
moon (iithl received. The state de-
partment telegram has been handed
TO Minister Conger. Herewith is Min
lister Conger's reply 10 the state de-
partment.
This reply was In the state depart
ment cipher. and IL is regarded by the
state department as genuine. mas
much as forgeries seem under the cir
stances impossible.
Washington. July 2i.-The state de-
partment was the center of interest
on the Chinese situation Monday.
Secretary Hay was az his desk by 3
o'clock. and for an hour was busily
engaged with matter OF such inn
portance that he declined TO be in
terrupted by anyone.
About 1915 the Chinese minister
arrived. aud was with the secretary
for some time. On the departure of
the minister. the department gave out
the imperial edict OF the Chinese gov
eminent, the substance of which had
been previously made known.
The state department has received
a deluge of dispatches from all quar-
tiers of the globe relating to the Con-
ger message.
These show the attitude of foreign
governments. without exception the
official view taken by all foreign Off
GERS is that the dispatch is not gen
uine. and does not afford a basis for
action. This incredibly is also shared
by United States Consul General Good
now AZ Shanghai who has communicate
ed 10 the State department his disbe-
lief In the authenticity of the mes
sage. The text of these several mes
sages are not made public, as they are
inconclusivc and do not add anything
I'm the way of definite news to the
situation at Picking, and the entire
tenor being one of doubt and sus-
picion. The official doubts are based
on various theories One of them is
that the deception was practiced by
the Tsung Ii lamen. Still anothS
Is that IL emanated from high Chi
nese ofiicial-a man holding a position
like that of Sheng or Prince Tuan,
lh' idNAti b'luk az INC h'du VI Aht
anti-foreign element. and at last ac-
counts connected with the Tsung Iii
lamen.
Notwithstanding this food of doubt
from foreign official quarters, the
state department has not varied its
position as TO the authenticity of the
message, Secretary Hays position be
ing now as IL always has been. that
there is every possibility of the gen
uineness of the message. although
always a possibility that fraud may
have been perpetuated. Yet as against
this remote possibility, Mr.. Hay feels
that there is absolutely no motive for
the preparation of such monstrous
deception. The Washington govern
ment is mistaken, therefore. in its
position on the message, while the
rest of the world has made il known
to this government that this message
is not accepted as coming from Con-
ger on the 18th instant.
Concerning the proposition of me
diation, made to the United States by
China, the state department was not
prepared Monday to make a state
nant II WINS SnruiSad that Mr. HnV