The National tribune., 1900-08-09
ASSURANCES OF SAFETY.

Cumulative testimony was not wanting
1uriDg the past week that the foreign
Ministers and those associated with them
were alive and safe. The most important
to us of the dispatches conveying this was
from Minister Conger, received at Tien
1sin July q, and reading:
Since July 16, by agreement, there has
been no firing. We have provisions for
several weeks, but little ammunition. If
they continue to shell us as they have
done, we cannot hold out long, and a com
plete massacre will follow. | hope relief
the victory at Tien Tsin, but regret the
terrible cost, All safe and we'll"
Messages, were sent by other foreign
representatives to their Governments.
Lieut. Col. 'Shiba, Of Japan, in his mes
sage, in dispatch, dated the 23d, saving
that they had been daily attacked by Chi
nese soldiers, but by supreme effort they
with great anxiety for the arrival of an
army. He said that 60 Europeans had
been killed,
Sir Claude. Macdonald, the British Min
lister at Pekin. states in letter under date
Of July "a, that they were then surround
ed by Imperial troops who were firing on
them continually, the enemy beirg enter
prising but cowardly. He said the Chinese
Government had done nothing to help the
LegatiOners,. No time was to be lost if
terrible massacre was to be avoided.
1t seems that the foreigners owed their
safety up to July 81 not to Government
protection, but apparently to the scarcity
of Chinese ammunition and to the fear
of the Tien Tsin victories.
An official telegram from the Tsung Ii
Yamen asserted that the Ministers were
all we'll July 80.
ORIGINAL CoNGER TELEGRAM.
Consul Fowler told the State Depart
rnent last week that he had obtained the
original copy of Mr.. Conger's first-received
dispatch. The dispatch was dated July
II, redated July 1S by the Chinese au-
thoritics, it having apparently been writ
ten on the former day and sent the next.
The Governor OF Shantung sent the dis
patch to Fowler. at his request, by cour-
ier, who made the journey in five days,
which ordinarily takes II. When Minister
wa received the cipher dispatch about the
21st instant he found that it contained
cipher within cipher. The Governor
of Shantung transmitted with the mes
sage message from the TSung Ii iamen,
which in turn transmitted Minister Con
gers message. The latter was in the
State Department cipher; the former in
the Chinese official cipher. When MIR. WI,
in lrciplIering the message, reached the
end % the Isung Ii Gamens message of
transmittai. he was unaware of the fac:
ana thought that the several groups oc
figures following were a portion Of thr
Tsung Ii Yamen message. AS a matter Of
fact, they were the initial words of Min
lister Conger's message, and they were un-
decipherable by Mr.. WI because they
were in the State Department cipher. In
stead of beginning ''In British legation
| etc, Mr.. Conger's message really began:
I'VE have been for a month in the British
Legation" etc.
INTEREST ING STORY FROM PEKIN.
The Pekin representative of the London
Times Is regarded as a very reliable cor
respondent, and his story of doings i'll
Pekin is most interesting. DR.. Morrison
| has been through the entire siege, and is
now reported quite. i'll as result or the
| hardships and fighting in which he took n
| nrnminent mart His message. is dated