The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-07-21

minister today received n cipher
dispatch from United states Min
lister Conger. Ii is in the state de-
pnrtment cipher and was Transmits
ted through the tsung Ii yamen and
the Shanghai taotni. II contains |
about fifty words and is signed in
English with the name "CouEer."
At u quarter to 10 o'clock Minister
Wu handed the dispatch to secre-
tary Hay, who Immediately called
vate secretary, and work was be-
gum In ira nslating the cipher.
Mr.. ConGer's telegram is as fol-
lows, ain British legation. under
continued shot and she'll by Chinese
troops. Quick relief. only can pre-
vent general massacre"
The message liz not dated. but 1T
liz Understood was sent from PeIsin
on the 18th.
The following statement was given QUE
at the state department:
"on the 18th of this month the state
department communicated brief message
asking tidings of Minister Conger in
the state department code Minister WI
undertook to get this into Minister Con-
egrs hands. II he were alive He has
succeeded in doing SO. This morning tho
state department received telegram
from Consul General Gcodnow at shaug-.
hal saying:
The governor OF Shanghai informs me
that he has received today cipher mes
sage from Conger of the 18th"
few minutes laters Minister WI ap-
/ peared at the state department with
telegram from the taota at sheng, dated
| the Goth OF July, which had beenyreceiyed
by Minister WI at $3.50 o'clock this morn
| ing. reading as follows:
Your telegram was forwarded and as
requested send reply from the tsung
Ii yamen as follows:
Your telegram of the 18th date o.
this month (11th of July, our caleudarl
received. The state department. telegram
has been handed to Minister Conger.
Herewith Minister conger's reply to the
state department
Hay Gets the Cable.
After hope had almost been abandoned
of hearing from the legations in Pekln,
two cablegrams bearing tidings of the un-
fortunates beset in the British legation
were received this morning. First came
a short worded one from Consul Goodnow
at Shanghai He gave notice that Minister
Conger had at last been heard from d.
rectly, and that his words were on the
way to the state department. Scarcely had
the cheering news reached Secretary Hay
before Minister WI came bearing in his
own hands the precious message from Min
lister Conger. The minister was almost
speeches. witch pleasurable excitement,
and even the swift new elevator in the
state department could not make haste
enough in reaching the secretary's depart
ment.
The secretary had already prepared him
self for the minister's appearance. but not
knowing the nature of Mr. Conger's CON-
munication. he sat in suppressed anxiety
to receive It, Mr., WI himself was in
ignorance OF what he had in his hands
= because the message was in the state de-
partment cipher. Secretary Hay ao once
called for Second Assistant Secretary Adee
and the two distinguished officials them.
selves set to work translatng the cipher
into English. This occupied nearly hal
an hour. The nrst movement of Secretary
Hay upon deciphering was to make copy
and dispatch it by messenger In haste t.
the White House, with request to tbs
, telegrapher there to forward 1t at the
earliest moment 70 President Mckinley
for his information. Then Secretary Hay
2 remembering the intense public anxiety Il
, have tidings of the Americans in Pekin
;, caused his private secretary TO prepare
copies OF the messages he had recsived
thoughtfully accompanying them with al
explanatory statement and these copiei
were given to the newspaper men, who b!
4 this time seeming the fact that news o
, the greatest Importance had come. bega
: crowding the corridor before the secre
= tary's office. Then Secretary Hay betool
d himself to the war department to convey
n the news in person 10 Secretaries Ron
and Long. who were together az the time
After q short consultation in Secrets-'
: Roots office, Secretary Long, upon emer .
: ing into the corridor. was showered wit
r congratulations by large throng OF de
partmeut employees ana newspaper mea
q who had congneggted there. AS the on
member of the eibinet who has oonsis,