Evening journal., 1900-08-27
TIEN-TSIN NOW
FACES A FAMINE
CONTINUED From First Page.

next 4s hours, or within the next fort
night, IS a question which no one in
Washington is prepared to answer.
A brief dispatch from Chefoo con-
veying a umor current there that
Russia, Germany and Japan had join
ed in a declaration of war upon China
aroused some interested comment
among Washington officials and among
diplomatic representatives Of foreign
governments resident here. In neither
official nor diplomatic circles, how
ever, was the rumor taken seriously.
/ No information of such action has
reached the department Of state or the
| legations of the governments primarily
interested. That fact alone is accepted
In official circles as a sufficient refu-
tation of the rumor.
officials OF the state, war and navy
departments were at their desks early
yesterday. but up to the hour of clos
ing for the day not a word had been
heard from Minister Conger, Gen.
Il Chaffee OF Admiral Remey. Since the
dispatch from Consul Fowler received
late last Thursday night the depart
ment of state has received no advices
from any source in China, except a
brief cablegram from Minister Conger
inuuiring how he should route his mes
sages. The text OF the dispatch. which,
It was exp lined, was very brief and
purely administrative In character
was not made public.
The war department has received nc
dispatch from Gen Chaffee, known to
have come directly from him, for
about a week. Cablegrams signed
] htff "a
they contained only lists Of casualties
, Il Is assumed they were sent by som'
subordinate officer in Gen. Cha1eei
i name. From no official source has INT
department learned Of the departur,
= of 40 Americans from Pekin for Tier
e Tsin. as reported in a special dispatcl
r to a London newspaper under date o
e Aug 19.
e A suspicion exists here that the de
lay in messages from and to Washing
e ton is rather between Chefoo AM
e Shanghai than between Tien Tsin an
s Pekin. From Chefoo to Shanghai tn
a telegraph line is in control Of the Chi
d nese authorities, and II is suspecte
IS they are not so prompt in the trans
mission of messages as they might b'
Late in the day dispatch was re
ceived at the Japanese legation fror
/ the foreign Office of Japan oonveyin
Il the latest and most authentic infOl
nation of the administration in an
= around pekin. In a measure, the al
vices were of a disquieting nature, q
they indicated that the Chinese ha
rallied their forces and were preparin
for an attack upon the allies in Pekh
II It should prove that the allied force
p were besieged in Pekin It would a.
sl count for the lack of advices from Ge
nc Chaffee. AS made public by Minist
n Takahira, the dispatch from the Jal
ll anese foreign Office at Toxic, dat,
DC Peldn, Aug. IS. from Gen. Yamaguch
commander of the Japanese forces, WI
as follows:
"The capital is now entirely clearC
as Of the enemy. A cavalry regimen
ie which had been sent to Wan Shau Sha
III (where the empress dowager's pala'
III is lOcated) reports that the imperi
a. family. who had left Pekin Aug
81 started. after a short rest at Wa
le Shau Shan, for the west, and we
under the escort of Gen. Ma and b
troops, consisting of only about 8
horsemen and 90 carts. The Japape
10. forces occupy the treasury departmer
by in which over 100000 taels in silv
ms and a large quantity Of rice we
MS found"
n Another telegraphic dispatch, dat
n Taku, Aug %. states that as the Oh
nese troops and Boxers who had gat
cred at Nan Yuen we're about to a
tack the foreign forces at Pekin, ia
n anese and Russian cavalry were e
or pected to encounter them on the 20t
80 The dispatch further states that Cf
a. nese infantry, some 5000 strong, wi
la 15 guns. are advancing northwa
from Shan Tung to make a rear Alta
on the allies"
A copy of the dispatch was tran
10 mitted to Acting Secretary Adee,
4 the department of state and by hi
10. furnished to the president. While q
IT. news of a possible rear attack upl
as the comparatively small force of Z
allies was not received with surpri'
il generally was not regarded as sci
, Gus, as the foreign forces are believ
- to be abundantly able to take care
o themselves against any force of CT
nese likely to be sent against them