The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-17
HISTORY OF THE PEKIN SIEGE.
Ministers Had Been Defending Them
selves Since Jnne 20.

NEW YORK, Aug. 17-The lombard
ment of the British Legation in Pekin.
where the members of the foreign colony
assembled for self-defence, was begun on
June 20 by the fanatical Boxers and some
OF the Imperial Chinese troops. 1t was
continued until July 16, when, alarmed at
the fall of Tientsin, the Chinese leaders
agreed to an armistice at the capital Since
that time renewal of the attack had been
expected at any moment in case of halt
of the allies or d last desperate movement
on the part of the retreating natives
The general attack Oh foreigners in Pc
kin took definite form as far back as last
May. The report en- May % that a force
Of Boxers was marching on Pekin was CO
companied by Glar mig statements frcn
the ministers that the Chinese Gc@erR-
ment's attitude tow.Td the rebels was
unsatisfactory. At the same tirS, the
native Christians il. the city docked to
refuge in the French cathedral and else-
where.
Marine guards for the Pekfn legations
were landed from the warships at Taku on
May % in respanEe to requests from Mn
lister Conger and others, and were con-
signed by special train 70 Pekin two days
later. The force numbered $50 officers and
men Of the six powers chiefly involved.
Three days after its arrival all railroad
traffic between Pekin and Tientsin was
suspended. On June the Boxers attacked
and defeated the soldiers guard .ng the line.
Following the killing of the Japanese
Chancellor of Legation by soldiers of the
Empress guard Oh July II, the Boxers
next day made an open attack upon a
British patrol, At the same time the Te
lief expedition, under the British Admiral
Seymour. set out from the coast,
The assassination of the German Min
T-T1 II
struction of many of the legations on Sat
urday. June 16. were announced from
Hongkong. After many conflicting reports,
Won kettelerS death was generally admit
ted in messages ito this country and Eu
rope on July / Chinese reports in June
20 declared that the ministers had left
Pekin. guarded by native troops. The re-
treat of Seymour without having reached
the capital and his final rescue ten miles
! from Tientsin renewed the most serious
| fears for the ministers and those with
/ them.
| 1t became known on June 80 that the
! Chinese had, On June 49, given the min
! listers twenty-four hours to leave Fekia.
! which they had cfysed TO do. Thereafter
| persistent reports OF massacre were sent
out from Shanghai and elsewhere. 10 be
promptly denied by the Chinese ViCeroys
in the South and the ministers in this
country and Europe.
Reports en- July 3 declared that all the
foreigners were dead and that the Empe-
Tor and Emp~ess Dowager had been pois-
oned. message, in which Sir Robert
Hart declared the situation desperate"
On June %, was followed by more reports
of torture and death On July u it was
admitted that no authentic word of The
| legatiCners' fate had come from Pekin
since June a.
The Chinese Government first approached
sTg.,s Gov,
June 26. received by Minister Wa in
Washington on July 10. Secretary Hay at
once asked and Mr.. WI agreed. that
message to Minister Conger should be
sent through Chinese channels of COM
municatiIn. Then followed the attack
/ on Tientsin in which Colonel Liscum of
the Ninth United States Cavalry fell on
July 13. and the capture OF the native city
on the following day.
The first message from Conger the
genuineness of which was doubted both
here and in Europe. was received by Min
lister WI on July 20. 1t was undated and
read:
In British Legation under continual
shct and shell fire from Chinese troops.
Quick relfet only can prevent general
massacre
The United States urged upon the other
allies the necessity for immediate advance
of the relief expedition from Tientsin, with
out waiting for the desired so 600 men The
advance guard OF the relief column actual
iy started out on August for Fekin, s GOO
strong. Complete anarchy in Pekin was
meanwhile reported on July Il.
A message from Sir Claude Macdonald
cleared up the situation somewhat on July
80. The British Minister explained that
his legation had been onbarded from June
20 &c July le since which time there had
been an aTmi@-ice. Later reports said that
fung Lu had arranged the truce
The second Conger message received on
July 81, reported our minister and his
family all we'll" CT July 81
The apparent treachery of the Chinese
Government was told in a despatch re-
ceived by the London Times on August
?. from its Pekin correspondent. Dr. Nor
rison- The Boxers We're said to have been
encouraged by the Government. even while
it was offering safe escort to the minis
ters and negotiating with their home Gov
ernments. Prince Tuan. it was asserted,
informed the ministers that their home
Governments had ordered their withdrawal
from the Chinese capital.
The rapid advance of the relief column
after its -reconnoissanees near TientsIn has
been recently toIdt % The Chinese were de-
feated on August T. at Peitsang eight
miles from Tientsin. in a battle lasting
seven hours The losses suffered by the
allies were placed as high as 1200 men out
of the total of 1900 Two days later. at
Yangtsun, the allies again routed the Chi
nese, losing on this occasion some 200 or
900 men .erz
General ChzTeef reported from Matow
that the troops suffered severely from ex-
treme heat. but that little opposition on
the part of the natives had been met in
The more rapid advance
The occupation of Tung-Chow, only a
few miles from Pekin, occurred on August
- The Chinese troops had then fed to
the capital.
China's appeal to the various Govern
ments did not interrupt the advance. Re
quests for mediation We're met with
firm demands On the part of the United
States and the other allies Ii Hung Chang
was appointed to treat for peace" where
no declaration of war had been admitted.
His proposal to deliver the ministers TO
the allied force at Tung-Chow was sub
mitted at Washington yesterday, after the
allies had left Tung-Chow for Pekin.
THE MESSAGES FROM CoNGER.
Goodnow Thinks They Should Be
Dated August I3.
LONDON, Aug IA despatch TO the
f,o-, 4L.x