Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1900-08-17
VAR IN CHINA CONTINUES
CoNGER WAS HEARD FROM.
He Says Food Is scarce-Part of Chi
nese Army Joins the Boxers in
Canton.

features of the dispatch received from
General Chaffee yesterday and which the
war department refused to make public,
became known today. The first dispatch
received from General Chaffee by the war
department contained little information,
but closed with the statement that he was
going forward to Tientsin and would give
his views. That is what he has done.
His views, as eabled to the department
yesterday, would be far from palatable
TO several foreign governments, and that
is one reason why the dispatch was not
made public. This much is asserted:
General Chaffee and the United States
forces available Mder his command have
gone forward toward Pekin with the Brit |
ish-Japanese forces. The troops of the
other nations assembled at Tientsin did |
not join in the movements, but the rea- |
sons given by General Chatfee could not
be learned. 1t is understood that the
criticism contained in the Associated
Press dispatch received yesterday of the
sanitary conditions at Tientsin is borne
out in Chaffee's dispatch, but in discuss
ing the matter with the war department
he has been more specific and the names
of the commanders are given who failed
to take the proper precaution for the
health of the international forces.
War department officials generally re-
fuse to discuss the contents of the dis
patch and Secretary Root announced it
would not be given to the public, and
further that no additional dispatches had
been received from General Chaffee. The
international questions involved make it
impossible, on account of diplomatic re-
lations, to give the dispatch to the pub
lic and it is further desired that the pro-
posed movement of troops should not be
heralded to the world for the advantage
of the Chinese forces which are opposing
the advance for the relief of the be-
sieged.
The steady prosecution of the military
movements has frightened the Chinese
viceroys, who have been sparring for
time and endeavoring to use the diplo-
matte corps at Pekin as protection. The
tsung Ii yamen dispatch received this
| morning through Yuan and WI fairly il
, Illustrated this condition and made it plain
{ the imperial government again is trying
VA
, the city of Pekin by menacing the for
eign ministers. Having formally refused
. to put them in communication with their
o governments, and this having proved in
y efrectual to stop the advance, it would
, not be surprising if the Chinese govern
. ment should next do one of two things
either come forward with a threat to re
a new the attack on the legations if the
advance is not stopped or resort to the
plan of delivering the ministers safely
:. at Tientsin. or at least to the commanders
of the International column, trusting il
= that way to abate the force of the in
= vasion and induce the powers to consen
TO negotiations for a settlement of trou
bles
l. IT is learned here that Ii Hung CHAM
:, actually undertook to do this, but sough
u to make the condition for the safe de
81 livery of the ministers that the imperia
II government should be blameless for wha
had occurred at Pekin. This conditio
s. having been rejected abruptly by tn
s, terms of President McKinleys reply t
"a the Chinese government, it may be tina
lc Ii Hung Chang is trying to arrange fc
lie the delivery of the ministers without col
1f dition, trusting to the gratitude OF tn
mowers to secure the desired absolution.
or Conger's Message Sent July II.
~ Washington, Aug. 6.-The departmel
" Of state authorized the following stat
ment in regard to the probable date
the first message from Minister Congo
transmitted through Sheng at Shanghf
a st Minister WI at Washington and tsul
1g- Ii yamen. assigned the date of July 10.
The department of state is in possessi
NO of the original cipher text OF the entl
o message as received by Minister WI, Ju
20. and communicated by him to Secl
tary Hav on the morning of that ds
=. If is partly in the Chinese cipher co
and partly in that of the United Stat
The two texts were separated by seVe
The groups not Ineligible in either clph
As deciphered on July 20, the Cone
. message appeared to begin with
words: "In British legation, under CO
tiuued shot and SHE'LL" etc.
With the aid of the full text as tf
oraphed from Chefoo by Consul Fow
A and already given to the press, the don
iul GROUPS which were distorted in tt
graphic transmission, have now been G
rected and found to read: For
month we have been besieged'" Wh
intelligibly completes the sentence M
ing the telegram read:
"For one month we have been besle
in British legation, under continued
and shell from Chinese troops. Quick
lief can only prevent general massacre
i'0' "CONGER,
G As it is known the various legatl
~ and foreigners took shelter in the BIN
location about June II, the date OF
Conger's telegram is fixed with apr
mate certainty as July II. This as
> with Consul Fowler's cabled staten
that the original message, as written
reoular blank and signed "Conger,
sunpIemented by the words "E. ii.
. GER july II, address United States
tion." written on the same 1ofm'
evidently not transmitted.
The fact that the authentic text OF
original message as received in Wash
ton ON July 20 agrees literally with
sul Fowler's report of the wording Oh
. original form written by Minister
\. oer and bearing the file date OF July