Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-28
English Estimate Of Chinese Assur-
ances as to the Legations.
PESSIMISM AGAIN TO THE FRONT
Assertion Repeated That Diplomats
Are En- Route to Pekn.
THE NEWS 5 IN PARIS s

LONDON July 2S-The statement cabled
from Washington that officials there
waverinS with regard to the reliability of
the alleged messages from Minister Conger
and WI Ting-Fangs assurances has had
markedly depressing effect this side of
the ocean. where many have been buoyed
up by the sanguine views of the State De-
partment at Washington regarding the vari-
Gus Shanghai dispatches. and pessimism is
again gaining the ascendancy.
NO improvement in the general situa-
ton IS the message one agency brings
from the British consul general at Shang-
hal to overwrought Europe. while another
asserts that as week has elapsed without
q reply to the COnsul's message to the Brit
ish minister at Pekin. Sir Claude Macdon-
aid. through the tsung II yamen tChinese
foreign office, the belief is confirmed that
the assurances of Chinese officialdom are
only designed to gain time, and that even If
the ministers are alive they are held
hostages.
Official Paper on China.
parliamentary paper on China was Is
sued this afternoon. dealing with the period
OF the murder of Missionary Brooks Janu-
airy 4. to July IL. when the Chinese minis
ter at London. Sir Chin h-Chen-Lo-Feng-L
communicated to Lord Salisbury the i'm
perial edict. The last written communica-
ton from the British minister Pekin,
Sir Claude Macdonald, dated May 81. de-
clareS that the demeanOr Of the inhabit-
ants Of Pekin is quiet and civil toward
foreigners. although from the panic among
native Christians it may be assumed the
latter are being subjected to threats of
Violence
Sir Claude Macdonald was convinced that
a few days of heavy rainfall to terminate
the drought which had helped excite the
n he rry liSfr
more to restore tranquility than any meas
ures the Chinese or foreign governments
could take.
Kind of Supplies Needed.
As commentators pertinently remark, II
there is an atom of truth in all the Chinese
asseverations. the officials have only to sup
ply the legations, not with vegetables, but
with telegraph forms.
Definite news of any kind is scarce. The
report comes from Shanghai that business
has been resumed at the port of New
chwang, and that second Japanese divis-
ion is mobiliZing at Toxic, preparatory to
embarkatiOn for China.
Through a Yokohama dispatch the gov
ernment has received Information that Chi
nese attacked a body of japanese and CO.
reans in the vicinity of An-tong. the
north side of the Yalu river. Refugees had
arrived at Wiju. japanese reinfOrcements
were proceeding to the scene of conflict.
The latest news received at St. Peters
burS from fSlas5ONeSJChenSk was dated July
y The Russian garrison had been resup
Piled with ammunition. and would be able
TO hold out until reinforced.
The Chinese legation here reiterates the
assertion that the ministers are en route to
Tien Tsin.
Another Report of the Massacre
a dispatch to the Daily Mail is as follows:
SHANGHAI. July 2S.-Newspapers here
publish statement by an influential bank
er residing in Pekin near the British Ieea-
tion, who arrived in Shanghai July - hay-
ing left PekIn July / He states that the
legations Were then destroyed. All the for
eigners had disappeared. and he could not
say positively If they had been murdered
as he was too frightened to inquire"
The Mails correspondent proceeds
"lnVeStiSatiOnS prove this information is
reliable The banker in question has gone
10 Ning-po. His friends will not disclose
him to lose his head.
The manager of the Russian Bank of
Shanghai has received a letter from the
banks New Chwang branch stating that
one or their chinese representatives from
Ptk1n. VINO had Just arrived. confirmed the
report of the Pekin massacre. He states
that all the foreign ministers were mn--
dered- Seeing death was inevitable as the
Chinese swarmed into the legation The. min
isters killed their families at the las; mo-
rnent. Sir Robert Hart in despair. com
mi;ted suicide
Assurance to France.
PARIS. July 2s--The Chinese minister al
Paris. Yu Ken. has received the following
imperial decree. dated July II:
The foreign ministers are happiIv a,
present safe and sound. except KetreIer.
We are having the foreign legations s1n
Piled with provisions and fruits as A token
of the interest we feel in them"