Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1900-07-26
WORD FROM CONGER.
Cipher Dispatch from the American
Minister at Pekin.
1t Was Sent July IS, and at That Time the
Legations Were Safe, But Under In.
cessant Fire from Chinese
Soldiers,

minister Friday morning received q
cipher cable message from Minister
Conger. The dispatch was in the state
department cipher and was transmit
ted through the Tsung Lii yamen (Chi-
nese foreign office, and the Shanghai
tao-tai (governor). 1t was signed in
English with the name 'sConger.''
At quarter of ten o'clock Minister
Wa handed the Conger dispatch to
Secretary Hay, and Mr.. Hay imme-
diately called his assistant secretaries
and private secretary and work was
begun in translating the cipher. The
message was as follows:
''In British legation. Under contin-
ued shot and shell from Chinese
| troops. Quick relief only can prevent
general massacre
Within an hour the welcome intelli-
gence that Mr.. Conger had been heard
from, after weeks of silence and evil
report, was flashed throughout the
country, and, indeed, throughout the
world, dispelling the gloom which had
prevailed everywhere and bringing to
officials and to the public generally
sense of profound relief. The dis
patch was in reply to Secretary Hays
July II and as both messages were in
the American cipher code they were
regarded by the officials as above the
suspicion of having been tempered
with in the course of transmission
through Chinese channels. Mr.. WI
promptly communicated the dispatch
to the state department where the
translation was made from the cipher
figures, and soon all Washington was
astir with the intelligence.
1t was telegraphed by Secretary
Hay to the president, who responded
with a wholesome expression of graf
ifcation and word of it was sent to
the various cabinet officers. They
gathered in Secretary Hays Office and
an impromptu cabinet conference was
held in the diplomatic chamber, main
ly for the purpose of exchanging con-
gratulations and of taking a survey
of the situation to see if it had been
materially changed by this important
development. First of all, from the
standpoint of the administration Of
ficials, the most welcome feature of
the message was its assurances that
the American minister himself was
alive two days ago. But with this
cheering news came the ominous
statement of Minister Conger that the
besieged foreigners were in the
British legation under continued shot
and shell from Chinese troops, and
that only quick relief could avert
general massacre. After the first
flush of thankfulness, this graver
feature of the message began to i'm
off io1c
deeply.
CONFIRMATION from Paris
Paris, July 21.-The foreign office
has received information from a Chi
nese source in which, however, GER
tain reliance may be placed, that the
foreign ministers at Pekin have not
been murdered The Europeans were
holding their own up to the time
the news left, July 9.
London Refuses TO Believe 1t
London, July 21.-Minister Conger's
message to the state department. at
Washington is not regarded here as
justifying overmuch optimism, but
on the contrary is generally accepted
as further Chinese attempt at mys-
LITIGATION. Some think the fact that
the message is undated and that the
similarity of it's contents to Sir Rob-
ert Harris message of June "A suggest
that it was sent off about the same
| time but was intercepted by the Chi
nese.
Sixty Missionaries Reported KILLED.
London, July 21.-A dispatch from
Shanghai reports that 90 missionaries
and 100 native converts have been
massacred by boxers at Tai Yuan.
Tai Yuan is a fortified and populous
city in the province of Shan-See, on
the Fuen-Ho, an affiuent of the
Hoang-Ho, $50 miles southwest of
Pekin.
Remey Urged 70 Hurry Relief.
Washington, July 21-Secretary
Long has sent the following telegram
to Admiral Remey: ''Conger tele-
graphs that he is under fire in Brit
ish legation, Pel1in. Use and urge
every means possible for immediate
relief
Tien Tsin Chinese Killed Their Women
Che Foo, July 21.-In the allied
armies recapture of the native city
of Tien Tsin last Saturday the Chinese
before they fed killed all their own
women, it is reported, to prevent
their falling into the foreigners
hands.
Nebraska Middle of-the-Road PopuIists.
Grand Island, Neb., July 21.-The
middle-of-the-road populists of Ne
braska held their state convention in
full state ticket. Wharton Barker
and D. Glenn Beaver were present and
made speeches. The resolutions