New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-08-05
THOSE TALES FROM SHANGHAI

Recent news from China conveys an interest
ing sequel TO the agonizing anxiety ana acIual
horrors of the, Boxer outbreak OF two years ago
II will he remembered that at that time there
emanated from Shanghai most extraordinary
series of false reports. That city had for years
been notorious as a source of instrumentation,
but on this occasion all records and precedehts
were incomparabIy surpassed, so that the world
when If found out the truth. with impressive
unanimity declared that if the devil were the
Father of Lies. Shanghai must be his dear
native home These false reports were to the
effect that the legations at Picking had been
stormed and all the inmates had been slain with
indescribable tortures and outrages. They gave
TO the world through the agency Of London
newspaper the most appalling tale it had heard
since Cawnpore, and they gave 1t with multi
tude of details and with every assurance that
it was all true beyond the shadow of doubt
The mischief thus done was great In the aD-
sence of immediate contradiction these reports
were widely believed, and almost acted upon.
The anguish which they caused was great ana
widespread The civilized world was plunged
into mourning Every government save our
own so far accepted the reports as true as to
think it was too late to rescue the legations, and
to incline to what would have been the fatal
step of abandoning the relief expedition ana
contenting themselves with some work of Ven
peance When The Tribune secured from Ii
Hung Chang assurance of the safety of the
LEGATIONS and the United States Government
through Mr.. WI received a similar assurance
from Mr. Conger, both the paper and the gov
eminent were rallied at and ridiculed for being
dupes of Boxer duplicity, Happily, however
the powers were persuaded to continue in what
they regarded as a hopeless quest, with the re-
suit that the legations We're rescued. and The
Tribune's and the governments information
was proved to have been absolutely correct.
Thereupon denunciations Of the sOcalled
Shanghai liar' were fierce and hot and the
London paper which had printed the false re-
ports was bitterly criticised, though it strove to
defend itself on the ground that it had received
the news from presumably trustworthy CORE
spondent. and had published IT as received in
good faith. A rival newspaper man at Shang-
hal however, took the matter up strenuously.
He publicly arraigned by name the supposed
author of the dispatches, and declared that he
had. deliberately and with malice afore-
thought" set himself TO the task of connecting
.sIurid warns out of his own heated Imagination
knowingly drawing his inspiration from the
Hnoisome recesses of his own diseased BRAIN"
and that he had deliberately refrained from
sending: reassuring tidings when it was pos
sible to do So That was coming it pretty
strong" and the man thus piiloried as the
shanghai liar" considered himself aggrieved
and nbelled and brought suit for 10000 taels
indemnity The defendant replied that his criti-
cisms were true and just, and the case was ac-
cordingly tried in the British Supreme Court at
Shanghai The result was that the jury brought
in verdict for the plaintiff, fixing the dam
ages. however, at only 100 taels, or, say, $50.
The grounds on which the verdict was rem
dered are perhaps the most interesting feature
of the case There was no disputing the utter
falsity of the reports as published in London.
But the Shanghai correspondent declared, and
the Jury apparently believed, that he did not
send them all. but that some of the worst OF
them were presumably written up in the
London office of the paper which printed them;
and also that he did send some sort OF reas-
surfing dispatch when the falsity of the mas
sacre stories was made manifest Those con-
siderations were held to be certain technical
vindication of the correspondent. emitting him
10 favorable verdict though the damage to
his credit and reputation through being pill
loried as the Shanghai liar was estimated at
only $50 That outcome or more especially the
ground on which it WIS reached, can scarcely