Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1900-08-02
HELD AS HOSTAGES.
Chinese Government Seeks Peace,
With Ministers Imprisoned.
GEN. TUNG FUH SIANGs THREAT.

Says He VIII XIII All Members of
the Legations III the International
eigners Permitted to Leave China.
London, July 3O.-The Shanghai cor
respondent of The Daily Express, tele-
graphing yesterday, says: A new i'm
perial edict promulgated this evening
urgently orders all viceroyS and pro-
vincial governors to endeavor to nego-
tiate peace with the powers, whose
ministers are held as hostages pend
ing the result of the overtures for the
abandonment of hostilities against
China"
The viceroys are also commanded to
guard their territories vigilantly
against attack and to prevent, by all
means in their power, the advance of
the foreign troops, especially along the
Yang Use Kiang. The decree says
that the officials will answer with their
lives for any failure to execute these
orders.
Commands are also given that not a
single foreigner shall be allowed to es-
cape from the interior, where there are
fully 1000 Europeans, connected with
missionary work in isolated situations.
When the governor of Shan Tung
communicated to the consuls the i'm
perial decree of July "a he omitted
these important passages addressed to
Ii Hung Chang:
1T is admittedly inadvisable to kill
Ill h,,t ip Luz
wise to send them to Tien Tsin. 1t will
be much wiser to keep the survivors
at Pekin as hostages.
"You are commanded to hasten to
Pekin. You are mourning imperial
displeasure by delay. You have been
appointed viceroy of Chi Ii because,
with your military experience, you will
successfully lead the imperial armies
against the foreigners in Chi Ii,
which Yu Lu, the present viceroy, is
unable to do, owing to his ignorance
of military affairs"
Ii Hung Chang replied to this edict
asking to be allowed to retire on ac-
count of his age.
Sheng now admits that he has had
kilograms since July 10 announcing
that every foreigner in Pao Ting Flu
was murdered, including 40 British,
French and American missionaries,
and announcing also that two French
Jesuits and a thousand converts have
been massacred at Kwang Ping Flu,
on the borders of Shan Tung and Chi
Lii majority of the consuls favor
strong measures against Sheng's du-
plicity.
Local officials assert that the Ital-
ian priests murdered in HUI Nan were
wrapped in cotton, which had been
soaked in kerosene, and were slowly
roasted to death. 1t is believed that
all foreigners in Chi Ii have by this
time been massacred, and the wave of
massacre is spreading toward Ming Pc
and Hong Chow, from which point 80
English and American missionaries
are endeavoring to escape in boats
down the river to Kiang Su. Officials
here anticipate general rising along
the Yang Use Kiang about Aug. /.
An astounding American intrigue
has been revealed to the consuls in the
shape Of a skillful attempt to get the
maritime customs placed in the hands
of an American missionary named Fer
gusson, who, although he was an ac-
tive ally of Sheng in the latter's en-
deavors to hoodwink the world with
regard to events in Pekin, was support
ed by the American officials in his
claim to the appointment of inspector
general.
The Chinese legation in Berlin has
received message from Sheng, di-
rector general Of railways and tele-
graphs, saying that he has received a
dispatch from Pekin announcing that
Gen. Tung Fuh Slang threatens to kill
all the members of the legations if the
international forces advance on Pekin
Evidently the legation is embarrassed
by the receipt Of this dispatch, as the
Chinese minister has not communi-
Gated it to the German government
The legation has cabled the viceroy of
Nankin requesting him to try to get
information as to whether the widow
of Baron Won Ketteler, the murdered
German minister, is still alive.