, 1900-09-05

dispatch was received today by the
war department from General Chaffee:
"Taku, (no date)-Adjutant General
Washington: Written report of opera
forwarded as soon as possible. Pres
ent conditions are hat hostilities have
practically ceased, only occasional
shots fired from cover, small party re-
pairing telegraph line and ~foraging,
No considerable body of Chinese troops
(BoXers) discovered here or along line
of communication.
I'VE hear Lii Hung Chang has full
power, but he is not here. Will Uni
ted States keep military force here
until terms of peace are arranged?
Now in China about 5000 effectives-
Sixth cavalry, light battery F, Fifth
artillery. batteries third, Ninth infan-
try. Fourteenth infantry, 1000 ma
rines. l think ample force for United
States unless political reasons, not APP
parent to me, demands larger force.
Shall take 5000 as basis Of my require
ment for supplies. 1t troops remain
must winter in tents, and conical wall
tents will be required. one tent ten
men. Escort wagons mentioned in -
= of 18th will be required Immediate
ly. Have mules for same shipped. No
more pack trains required; wagon
transportation best. Water falling in
river rapidly; must soon haul supplies
forty miles. Satisfied railroad will not
be repaired before river freezes.
"CHAFFEE."
All the transportation and tentage
asked for by General Chaffee has been
anticipated by the department and has
been shipped. Much of it is at Taku,
and the balance is due there very soon.
London, Sept. 4.-Shanghai reports
that an imperial edict issued at Tai
Yuan Flu appoints Ii Hung Chang.
Yung Lu, Hsu Tung (tutor of the heir,
apparently. and Prince Ching commits
sioners to negotiate peace.
Four German warships arrived at
Woo Sung September 3.
The unmistakable condemnation of
the proposal to Immediately withdraw
from Picking which is voiced from all
the foreign colonies in the far east is
taken in some quarters as a forecast of
the opinion which may be expected
from the ministers when their views
are obtainable. AS already suggested,
the Russian proposals are capable of
modification and it is thought in we'll
informed circles that Lord Salisbury is
striving to conform them more closely
to the terms first formulated by the
government at Washington.
According to a special dispatch from
st. Petersburg, dealing with the ques-
ton of M%anchuria, the Russian Of
ficials repudiate any intention to per-
manently occupy or annex Manchuria.
The dispatch adds that Russia will
claim no territorial concessions provid-
ing the other powers refrain from so
doing, and expresses the hope1hat the
question and indemnities can he set
| tied by the cooperation Of the allied
powers.
Shanghai, Sept. 4.-The Associated
Press representative learns from official
sources the facts of the killing of sew
eral American women and mission
aries.
At the request of the mission board
the details were withheld out of re-
gard for the feelings Of the relatives Of
the murdered women: but other PROM
inent Americans who have long an
tagonized the policy Of sending women
to isolated inland posts, think it i'm
The m of the victims are with
held by request. Two of these women
we've captured while attempting to
leave the stations where they were To-
Gated, were led about the country nak-
ed, repeatedly outraged and finally kill
ed by a method too revolving to be de-
scribed.
Two other American women were
coming to the coast with a party. which
a number Of Cinnamon followed and
stoned. The women fell exhausted and
were taken by the Cinnamon into the
presence Of local officials. They were
prostrated upon the execution block
and a feint was made Of beheading
them. One of them became hysterical
and laughed, and. thinking her insane,
the Chinese escorted her to the coast
because Of their superstition regarding
the insane. On the journey, however,
the woman was repeatedly criminally
assaulted by her escort. The other wo-
man, after being exhibited naked for
tsome days and suffering assault by sew
eral men, vas tortured to death by the
same shameful methods as were pracl
l ktood In ~. nkhnr nnoac T-a cr,.Jf,h