The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-07-18
FINAL ATTACK UPON
LEGATIONS AT PEKIN
Gen Tuan Fuh Slang Prepar-
ing to Use Guns July 7th.
..pHE GOVERNMENT WILL BE
IN PERIL

IN PERIL"
Washington, July l5-Such rews
as came to Washington today from
China was distinctly bad 1t consist
ed of cablegram to Minister WI
from Shsng, the imperial director OF
posts and teiegraphs ut Shanghai,
and. according to the minister. was
in reply to the urgent message he
himself had sent yesterday to that
official asking him to try to secure
some news from the Chinese capital.
This cablegram Mr. WI regarded as
of sufficient importance to carry in
person to Secretary Hay. who was
waiting at his home for news.
The message as resolved from the
cipher, was as follows:
"Pekin news of July 7th says that
Gen Tuan Fuh Slang, in disobedience
of imperial orders, was about 10 use
guus. Legations and the government
will be in peril"
IT,, news is corroborative of that
contained in q recent cablegram from
Consul General Goodnow at Shang-
hal, although the consul generals
dispatch gave his Pekin news the
date of the 9th, saying that the final
attack upon the Legations with guns
was about to begin on the 7th of
July. 1t is surmised here that Mr.
Goodnow got his news from Sheng,
who is certainly in position to secure
the first news from Pekin. Aside
from the gloomy forecast given of
the end of the terrible struggle of the
legations against the inevitable, the
significant feature of the message is
the coupling of the fate of the impe.
rial government with that of the for
eign ministers Officials here derive
come satisfaction from this position
of the dispatch as it sus:ains them in
the position they have held from the
first, that the Chinese government is
not at war with Christendom, but
is confronting formidable insurrec-
tion.
There still remains suspicion
that, while Mr. WI is undoubtedly
actiug with sincerity, that SheDg,
who is represented to be clever
and adroit man, may know more of
the actual happenings at Pekin than
he is willing to reveal at once. 1t is
feared that he is trying to prepare
the way for the disclosure of terrible
news, hoping that by letting it come
out gradually. the blow will not fall
with such severity and, perhaps. with
such disastrous results to his own
people as might be the case if the
whole story were impaired to the
world at once This news, it may
be noted, comes entirely from Chinese
sources
1t is now 81 days since word has
come directly from any of the uofor
Inmates besieged in the legations at
Pekin. The last message from there
was from Sir Robert Hart, the Eng
lishman in charge of the Chinese
customs service, and was of undo1bt
ed authenticity 1t represented the
situation of the legationers as des-
perate and implored help The last
word from Minister Conger came to
the state department from Pekin
rnder date of June 18th. At that
time he asked that Seymour's inter
national relief column, which was
even then doomed to fail, should Gig.
nal i.s approach when near Pekin.
That was just one month and thee
days ago, and it would be an unpre
cedeuted defense for sucn an made
quate and i'll fitted and provisloned
force az was at the command of the
foreign ministers to bold out for that
leogth of time.
,iinistsr Wu's cablegram frow
sbeng. above given. should rot be
taken as ali answer to the cipher
message be forwarded at Secretary
Hays request 70 China ia effort to
ge, it through TO Minister Conge..
Tnss message went to 1onan shia
ha:. the govern9c CT the province OF
sasa Tang That official has replied
informally that be has no news hin
self bns !; is assumed that be viii
take prompt steps 20 forward the
cipher message His status at this
critica; iuuctu7e is unfortunately uot
beyond suspicion, though Dir Er
retains full confidence in him
Secretary Loag had two cable
grams today from China, cut he vas
incliped to set negative value upon
them because they made 10 men,ici!
OF massacre Of the iega:ioners III
Peki2
Minister Wa feels a natural ;r.ii;a
tion st the statements printed IN soii.a