Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-07-21
tBy Telegraph to virgInlan-Pllot.)

(By Telegraph to Virginlan- Pilot.)
Washington. July 2O.-Like a flash of
sunlight out OF the dark sky came the
intelligence at an early hour to-day
that United States Minister Congcr
had sent u cipher cable dispatch from
Pekin to the State Department at
Washington. making 1t known that
two days ago he was alive, and that
the foreigners were fighting for their
lives The message was received by
the Chinese Minister, WI Ting Fang,
at $3.50 n. m. Within an hour the wei
come Intelligence that Congcr had
been heard from, after weeks of silence
and evil ereport, was Mashed through
the country, and indeed throughout
the world. dispelling the gloom which
had prevailed everywhere, and bring
ing To officials and to the public gen
orally II sense OF profound relief. The
dispatch was in reply to Secretary
Hays cable inquiry to Minister Con-
Ger on July IL, and az both messages
We're 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.
CABINET CONFERENCE.
MIR. WI promptly communicated the
dispatch to the State Department
where the translation was made from
the cipher figures, and soon all Wash
fnBton was aStir with the intelligence.
1t was telcgraphed by Secretary Hay
TO the President, who responded With
wholesome expression of gratiiicn-
ton, and word of it was sent to the
various cabinet officers. They gathered
In Secretary Hays Office, and an i'm
promptu cabinet conferences was held
In the diplomatic chamber, mainly for
the purpose of exchanging congratulate
tions. and of taking n survey of the
situation to see If 1t had been ma
tcrially changed by this important de-
velopmcnt. First of all from the stand
point of the Administration officials,
the most welcome feature of the mes
sage was its assurance that the Amer
lean minister himself was alive two
days ago. But with THIS cheering news
came the ominous statement OF Min
lister Conger that the besiegcd foreign
erS were in the British legation under
continued shot and shell from Chinese
troops and that only quick relief
could avert Il general massacre.
CHANGE OF POLICY.
After the first flush OF thankfuncss.
this Gravcr feature Of the message ne
gan 10 impress itself upon Cabinet Of
hcials most deeply, as one of them re-
marked: There are the poor crea-
lures, renned UP under fire OF shot and
shell. and appealing to us for help"
The consultation brought abou, no
pronounced change of policy, for it was
felt that already every energy had
been sent toward meeting the stua-
ticn, and that there was absolutely
nothing more that could be done. After
all, the Cabinet officials felt, and so
stated. that the message was an evil
Grncc of niendliness and good faith OF
the pro-foregn element of the Chinese,
end that wisdom dictated a course
whi'h would continue to utilize this
friendship.
STATE DEPARTMENT. ACTS.
The Government accepted the mes
sage as authentic and Secretary Hay
transmitted il TO all our Ambassadors
and Ministers abroad with instructions
to lay II before the respective Govern
lnents 10 which they are accredited and
TO urge upon them the necessity to CO.
operation for the immediate relief OF
the foreigners at Pekin. message
vas sent by Secretary Long to Ad-
miral Rcmey conveying the intelligence
of the desperate situation in Pekin and
lnstructing him to use and urge every
possible endeavor for relief" This
mcssaSe. Secretary Long explained.
meant for Admiral Remcy to himself
"use" and to urge" upon the COM
handing officers of the other Powers
the use OF every endeavor for the re-
lief of l ekn. Secretary Root sent
similar notification TO Colonel Cool
loge. The senior American officer ashore
at Ticn Tsin, but without injunction.
This action was the result of the con-
ference of Secretaries Hay. Long. and
Root. 1t was realized that the land
and naval forces OF the United States
now in China could not single handed
push on to Pelsin, and the other Powers
accordingly were appealed to on the
basis of Minister Conger's message to
cooperate for instant relief.
NOT BELIEVED IN LONDON.
Tho fact that the cablegram from
Minister Conger was given scant Gre
dence in London official circles, had no
dalnDening effect on the optimism of
the administrations officials 1t was
pointed out by one of the officials most
Interested that the weight OF Internal
evidence in the dispatch was in favor
of it's genuineness. Reside there were
the several strongly corroborative dis
patches from Consul General Goodnow
md Consul Fowler. The fact that Min
lister Conger mentioned the lombard
ment OF the British legation was con
sidcred good evidence that the dispatch
was written subsequent TO the 6th, as
the best information here is that the
bombardment OF the legations did not
begin prior to that date. 1t was said
ut the State Department that 1t was
not thought expedicnt tn give out
either the text or paraphrase OF the
message sent by the State Department
on July II to Minister Conger.
MESSAGE FROM CONGER.
Washington, d. c.. July 2o.-The
State Department this morning re-
ceived the following cablegram from
Minister Conger at Pekin:
In British legation. Under con-
tinued shot and shell from Chinese