The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-07-20

London, July 20.-The Shanghai cor
respondent of the Daily Express says:
Intense indignation is felt here at the
honors which the British in Hong Kong
have accorded to Lii Hung Chang, who
is looked upon in Shanghai as the origi-
nator of the whole fiendish anti-foreign
plot.
"A Chinese merchant who has Just ar
rived from Pekin gives horrible details
of the massacre. He says he saw Eur
opean women hauled into the street by
shrieking boxers, who stripped them
and hacked them to pieces. Their dis
severed limbs were tossed to the crowd
and carried off with howls of triumph.
Some were already dead, having been
shot by foreign civilians.
He says he saw Chinese soldiers car
rying the bodies of white children aloft
on their spears, while their companions
shot at the bodies. He gives other de-
here.
1T seemed that the boxer leaders had
organized plan including the Offering
of rewards and rich loot for the annihiI-
alton of Europeans throughout China
and that Prince Tuan's generals have
emphasized the opportunity the sold
iers have after seizing the bodies of
white women"
RUSSIANS HARD PRESSED.
London, July 2O.-The Daily Express
publishes the following from Che Foo,
dated yesterday:
The Russiansare hard pressed around
from Tien Chwang Tai, the scene of the
great fighting during heChina-Japane
war, where they have sustained heavy
losses.
They have also been compelled to
abandon Tashichau by a. large body of
boxers and armed peasants. Here again
the Russians lost heavily, but it is
ported that they succeeded in killing 700
ROf their aSsaiIants The Chinese have
completely demolished the railway at
Tashichau. The Russians are now NOV
ing on Neiu Chwang."
The Russians, according to the latest
news from St. Petersburg, have now
completely defeated the Chinese and
have occupied Blagovestchensk, capital
of the Amur government, with a large
force. Since General Gribski (not
GribovskD, chief of staff at Port Ar
thur, has taken over the supreme COM
mand in Manchuria, reinforcements
have been rapidly pushed up and the
general situation has been greatly i'm
proved.
The Russian minister of the interior
has issued a notice that the Siberian
railway is closed to private traffic. There
is little doubt the Russian authorities
were not prepared for such an organized
Chinese movement in Manchuria, but
they have taken brisk measures and
they believe that China will soon be
too much pre-occupied with military
operations around Pekin to conduct SER
iouS operations in the north.
The Daily Nails Shanghai cOrrespOn-
dert says:
'Advices from vladivostock state that
the Chinese invasion of eastern Siberia
has stopped the Russian advance from
the north on Pekin. Russians have
burned the Chinese town of Helampo
and are taking very vigorous measures
Berlin kilograms dwell upon the i'm
mense German interests in southeastern
Siberia. They say that the many Ger
man merchants, the numerous German
employees and the immense stores of
merchandise belonging to Germans in
"a Wi Germany
cooperate with Russia in resisting the
Chinese.
General Sir Arthur Power Palmer,
chief in India. said in the
course of an interview in Simla yester-
day that no more British troops could
be sent from India for China, unless
they could be replaced from South
Africa
HOW THE NEWS WAS RECEIVED.
Washington, July 20.-After hope had
almost been abandoned of hearing from
the legations in Pekin the two cable
grams bearing tidings of the unfor-
tunates beset in the British legation
were received this morning First came
a short sharp word from Consul Cen
eral Goodnow at Shanghai, an officer
of the state department who will not
be soon forgotten because OF the I'M
mense energy and zeal he has exhibited
in securing information to meet the
demand of the department in the eXclt-
gave notice that Minister Conger had
at last been heard from directly and
that his words were on the way 10
the state department.
Scarcely had the cheering news reach
ed Secretary Hay before Minister WI
came tearing down the asphalt streets
from his legation in his automobile
bearing in his hands the precious mes
sage from Mr.. Conger. The minister
was perspiring and almost speechless
with pleasure and excitement and even
the elevator in the state department
scarcely could meet his demand for
haste in reaching Secretary Hay. Sec
retary Hay had already prepared him
self for the minister's presence, but
nevertheless not knowing the nature of
Mr.. Conger's communication he sat in
suppressed anxiety to receive the mes
sage.
Mr Wu himself was ignorant of what
he had in his hand because the mes
sage was in the state department cipher
an apparently meaningless mass OF hg-
ureS and periods.
Secretary Hay at once called for Sec
ond Assistant Secretary Adee and the
two distinguished officials themselves
set to work translating the cipher into
English. This occupied nearly half an
hour. The first movement of Secretary
Hay upon deciphering was to make
copy and dispatch this by messenger
in haste to the White House, with a
request to the telegraphers there to
forward it at the earliest moment to
President Mckinley for his 1nfOrIna-
ton.
Then Secretary Hay remembering the
intense public anxiety to have tidlngs'
of the Americans in Pexin caused ms
private secretary to prepare copies of
the message he had received thought
fully accompanying them with an ex-
planatory statement and the copies
were given to the newspaper men who
by this time scenting the fact that
news of the greatest Importance had
come began crowding the broad corri-
dor before the secretary's office.
Then Secretary Hay betook himself
to the war department to convey the
news in person to Secretary Root and
to Secretary Long, who were together
at the time