The evening times., 1900-07-13

a message from llc SecretaF- OF STATE,
IN the cipher OF the State Department. ad-
dressed to Minister Conger at PekIn, was
despatched at 10 o'clock this morning from
the Chinese Legation in this city. This
message will be received within a few
hours by a correspondent at Shanghai of
WI Ting-fang, the Chinese Minister to the
United States, and will then be delivered
TO the Taotai OF Shanghai who is urgently
requested to forward it by the quickest
practicable means to the Treasurer Of the
Province OF Chilli at Paoting-fu, who is
in turn urgently requested TO forward the
despatch to Pekin, there TO be delivered
to the Emperor or Empress.
Accompanying the code message Is a
message from Minister WI in which he
saws that prompt delivery OF the despatch
to Mr.. Conger and the prompt IranSmis-
sion Of a reply is of gEeat Importance 10
China. 1t will. the minister says, alisy
TO a great extent the growing hostile at
titude OF the people OF the United S;a es
toward the people of China. and wiz set
kt rest the grave fears for the safety o.
Minister Conger. his family, aai Official
household which possess nearly all
Americans The Chinese Minister tells his
friends on whom he relies for the trans
mission Of the despatch, that it will relieve
the tension which is beginning TO be ran
ifested between him and tie officials Of he
State Department. The despatch from ttc
Secretary of State to Minister Concer IS
very brief It consisted of three fgues
which. it Is said, when translated, read:
as all weIl?"
II this message travels at the same rate
9f speed as did the recent edict handed
by Minister WI to Secretary Hay. twenty
days Will have elapsed before an answer
Will be received at Washington The
transmission Of the edict from Pekin to
Shanghai required ten days. The distance
between these cities over the usual lines
Of travel, it is said. is about goo miles.
The message. it is expected. will be trans
mitted he major part of the way be-
tween Shanghai and Paoting-fu by teIe-
graph, and between Paoting-fu and Pekin
~ courier.
Edict Not Satisfactory.
According to one Of the accounts as to
how the cipher message to Mr. Conger
tame to be sent. it is narrated that when
Minister WI presented to Secretary Hay
the latest Chinese Imperial edict under
date OF June %. Mr. Hay said after having
read 1t:
This is agreeable to the American Gov
ernment so far as it goes, but it does net
20 quite far enough to be altogether salts
factory II would be considered a friendly
act on the part OF the Government Of China
If the authorities at Pekin would forward
to Washington a message from Minister
Conger"
Mr.. WI replied that even IL it were pos
sible for the Imperial authorities to COM
municate with Mr.. Conger. who was re-
ported to be in the British Legation which
was said to be hemmed iu by surging
mObs Of Boxers, he. AIR Conger could
have no assurance that the request that he
communicate with Washington was au-
thentic. Mr.. WI asked that Secretary Hav
prepare brief message in cipher. so that
when delivered TO Mr.. Conger, that gentle
man would know that it must have come
from Washington. The Chinese Minister
said:
Il will do all that lies within my power
to forward the message 10 Pekin. and il
its delivery to Mr. Conger be possible. TO
have message from him brought 20 some
point on the coast Of China whence it NAV
be transmitted to the United States"
The cipher message was prepared at the
State Department yesterday. handed to
Minister WI yesterday afternoon. and "a
already stated. was forwarded by Minister
WI this morning.
WI Criticises the Powers
Minister WI expressed himself tod, in
q different manner than be has sinee the
Chinese troubles began lie said:
TO an evil mind the failure o. the al
lied forces TO go to the relief OF the for
eign legations in PekIn would look as II
the nations represented do rot wish -
rescue their representatives. The death CT
the foreigners IN Pekin wouli mean a very
grave crisis for China. An evil miad would
think that the powers of the world want
this crisis, even at such a cost 1t is tor-
rible to think of and, of course. l do not
believe that this can be so. Understand
me, that an evil mind might thiuk SO.
In regard to the news TODAY that the
legations fell and their defenders were
massacred July 6, il is possible. They
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