The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-08-22
WHERE is TT AN AND
THE EMPRESS.

w ashlDgton, aug ZU -1he Auiei
ican reply to China's lates, appeal for
a cessation of hostilisies received
today from Ii Hung Chang. has not
been made known and it is likely
that the matter will be one of the
main subjects of consideration at the
cabinet meeting tomorrow But
there is reason to believe that the
overtures will in effect be rejected,
on the ground that the conditions
laid down in the American note OF
Aug IL have not been complied
with and until complied with
the governments course must pro
ceed without reference to Chlna'e
desires ior halt in the proceedings
The dispatch Of August 18th said
specially that the United States was
ready to enter into an agreement
between the powers and the Chinese
government for cessation Of hostll.
tiles on condition that the relief
forces should be permitted "to enter
Pekin unmolested" and escort the
legationers thereform, under such cir
cumstances as the commanding gen
eral might lay down. But up to the
present time there is 20 evidence that
the allied forces are unmolested at
Pekin, or haver eceived the sanction
of the imperial government to con
vey the legatiopers TO Tien Tsin with
out further trouble and under the
conditions laid down by the con-
mapding general On the contrary,
all the dispatches Indicate that the
allies are meeting stubborn, resis
tapce and there is an entire lack OF
compliance with the conditions laid
down by the United States in it's dis
patch of Aug IL As stated, how
ever, the government has given no
authoritative statement Of its pur-
poee in reply to China's application
of today, and there is still slight
chance that complete compliance With
demands of Aug 10 may be an
nouuced in the Pekin dispatches
before the final determination on the
the reply is made But the disposi
ton tonight is clearly 10 the line in
d:csted
The situation at Pekin was made
more clear today from many sources
The latest advice appears to be that
from Consul Fowler, at Chefoo, re
peating dispatch received from
Consul RsgsdaIe at Tien Tsin The
la' reports Chinese troops surren
deed in palace grounds !" The Jap
snese legation received a dispatch OF
the same general tenor, but more in
detail, stating that the Chinese troops
retreated on the 18th within the nd
perial palace, and that they were
surrounded there with the japanese
military headquarters located IN the
japanese legation
Admiral Remey also transmitted an
authentic report from Pekin on the
18th. saying, "Troops moving on the
imperial ci'y
These severa! dispatches from diff
ferent sources establish clearly that
the imperial palace and grounds were
under siege But not one of the
dispatches is clear as to how late this
condition of affairs existed. The
Fowler dispatcb is the latest to be
received, and is dated the Goth, bu.
probably that is the date on which 1t
left Tien Tsip The Japanese dis
patch also refers to the Chinese
taking refuge in the imperial palace
on the 18th, but does not bring the
situat,on beyond that day. So that
the latest information. while show
ing the imperial city surrounded
does not disclose the issue of this
situation, nor how long it has con
tiuued.
Today's dispatches seem to make
clear that the emperor and the EN-
press dowsger have made their
escape from Pekin, and that about
the only present service of the impe
rial palace and grounds is an asylum
iu which the demoralized Chinese
soldiers are making a last stand.
The japanese legations advices
today showed that the banners of
the imperial cortege were seen leav
ing Ptkin on the 18th, and that
probably the empress dowager. as
we'll ae the emperor, had left the city