The sun., 1900-07-19
FATE OF THE MINISTER'S,
HOPE FOR THEIR SAFETY REVIVED
~ WASHINGTON.

II Was Inspired by . Despatch to the Jap.
aacse Legation That the Ministers Were
Holding Out on June 10 Thinks They
Have Been Taken 10 q Place Of Safety.
| WAsHISGToS. July s-With the question
Of an extra session disposed Of for the time
being. al least. interest in Official circles was
| revived to-day In the fate Of the fore gners Of
| Pekin. and while some high officials are posi-
tive that all Of them have been slain. and others
| hold that no mans opinion on the subject Is
| worth anything. there prevails a very strong
| and almost confident feeling that the chances
! OF rescue have not entirely disappeared. This
| hopefulness Is based principally on two pieces
| Of information. the first definite and convinc-
| ing. and the o,her to cert ain extent involved
| in theory, The first piece Of news came to
| the Japanese Legation in a telegram from the
Government at Toxic. the contents Of which
were furnished to the press in the following
| statement:
The Japanese Legation has received cable
despatch giving the contents OF letter received
at Tien-rsin on July u from the Japanese
Minister at Pekin. The letter Is dated June 70
and was brought by secret messenger. II
says that the legation was daily bombarded;
that ammunition was running short; that the
danger Of massacre was imminent and that
prompt relief WAS earnestly desired. The
messenger who brought the letter said that
the foreign Ministers considered 1t impossible
to secure provisions after July l."
There appears TO be no doubt as to the gen.
uineness of this information. 1t came hey ond
doubt from Baron Nishi, the japanese Minister
at Pekin. Its importance lies not only in the
fact Of It's reliability. but In that IL contains
news Of the Pekin situation OF date four days
later than the last message from Sir Robert
Hart, Inspector General OF the Chinese
Imperial Customs Al the time Sir Roberts
message was sent the Chinese had trained
artillery on the legations. but had not
used it, Government officials, as indi-
yiduals. have placed practically no
faith in the messages from Chinese Official
sources alleging to give news Of conditions
in Pekin. but tie message from Baron Nishi
suggests that some OF these may be true. In one
message from Chinese sources II was asserted
that the Boxers had been repulsed by the lega-
ton guards and. apparently disheartened at
their losses, were not renewing their attacks.
II was said also that they had adopted starvation
methods. Baron Nishi's message shows that
the legations were able % hold out against the
bombardment of the Chinese artillery for some
days. and that in the scarcity of food and am
muntion lay the greatest danger. In view
Of his advioes the Chinese report Of later date
that the Boxers had been repulsed and had
suspended the attacks on the legations may be
authentic after all.
This matter Of the ability Of the Boxers and
the revolving troops 10 starve out the foreign
ers has direct bearing on the other informa-
tion which the Government has obtained The
authorities here have learned that the imperial
city, where the royol family live. contains i'm
menSe stores Of provisions, enough TO Supply
b,Sicsed army for many months. and per-
haps for years. The British legation, where
the foreigners took refuge after the burning Of
the other foreign establishments, Is right up
against the wall Of the imperial city. II
Is asserted by men who have been
in Pekin and who have been consulted by the
Government that IL would not be a hard matter
for the imperial authorities TO furnish food
to the besieged foreigners from the imperial
city, and tho hope is strong that this has been
and is being done. There may be- reasons why
the recognized Chinese Govern ment is unable
TO give open protection to the Ministers and
their charges; In fact II II believed here that
the recognized authorities are afraid to oppose
the Boxers and the revolving troops on account
OF the danger Of civil war that might come
from such course. There IL a general belief
In Government circles that the imperial au-
are more than willing TO protect the
foreigners, realizing that failure to do so
would probably mean war with the Powers
and the end of the dynasty.
With this belief uppermost In their minds, the |
officials are placing a great deal OF stress on |
their discovery that the imperial authorities
are able apparently to furnish the legation peo.
pie with provisions. IL Is felt also that thu |
Chinese Government may be assisting them In |
other ways probably going SO far as TO smuagls |
ammunition into the British compound By |
this time 1t must be known In Pekin that the |
Powers do not regard themselves as at war with |
the Chinese Government, but consider that the |
Government has revolt on Its hands and that
Il Is willing TO protect foreigners. The receipt |
of such information by those In the Imperial CITY
may have an important bearing on the fate Of |
The foreign Ministers. The officials can only |
hope that II reached the recognized Government |
before the foreigners were at the mercy OF the |
Boxers
Minister WI Ting Fang has No ingenious
dea about the situation at Pekin which he |
disclosed TO Secretary Hay, and the Secretary
N turn told the Cabinet at Yesterdays meet /
ng Mr. WI thinks IL not unlikely that the /
foreigners have been taken TO safe place by 1
Chinese officials. and this suggests as a reason l
Why the Ministers are unable TO communicate
With their Governments as any attempt to
,end dispatches might reveal their where
abouts.
The State Department had a despatch this
morning from John Fowler. United States
yonsul at Chefoo with reference to the latest
Chinese Official report that the foreign Ministers
we're safe Mr. Fowler said that the Governor
# Shantung wired that his courier left pekin
IN July 0. and the legations were stu holding
but then.
RUMORS or MINISTER'S SAFETY.
Governor Of shantunss Report That Legations