The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-05-08
ENJOYS HURRY
ULT|MATUM
To CHINA
Demand Captives Be Freed
and Ransom Paid-State-
ment by Hughes.

Continued on Page 2, Column -
and that this action be fol.
lowed by prompt punitive
measures against the bri-
gands.
| Report By Hughes.
The formal demand that
the Picking government i'm
mediately produce the re-
quired ransom money, esti-
mated at from $1,0O0,000 tC
100000, and take punitive
steps at once, was conveyed
to the Chinese foreign office
this morning by DR.. Batalhs
de Freitas, the Portuguese
minister, who, as dean of the
diplomatic corps, is spokes-
man for the powers in mat
tiers of joint action.
Secretary of State Hughes
made full report on the Chinese
situation to the Cabinet meeting
at the White House today, anC
after considerable discussion il
was decided to await develop
ments before deciding upon any
drastic course of action.
| The expectation prevails here
that the Council of Diplomats will
frame a joint set of demands upor
the Picking government to effect
the immediate release of the. pris.
Oners held by the bandits, and sci
a time limit for this to be &C.
complished. The penalty of fail
lure on the part of the Chinese
government will be punitive actor
on the part of the powers them
selves with the troops now avail
able there, it is believed.
| Constitutes An Ultimatunl.
The ambassadors already have in
formed the Peking government tina
it will be expected to furnish TN
ransom demanded by the bandits
for the release Of the Americans
The action of the great powers
thus constitutes virtually an ulti
/ matum to Picking, the exact Ian
euage and its method of presenta
ton being left to the discretion o
1.-The mbassadors and ministers con
cerned.
The three most interested nations
are the United States, Great Brit
ain and Italy, the nationals o
these powers being among thos'
| held captive 1t is understood
however, that the diplomatic rep
resentatives of the other powers
France, Japan and The Neither
lands, are cooperating.
Exactly how much time has beel
allotted to the Chinese government
to comply with the demands is no
known here Apparently this ais
has been left to the judgment o
the diplomats on the ground, WIN
are in a better position to judg
conditions.
Fourteen Still Held.
! Fourteen men. including SOM
Americans, among whom are prob
ably Major Robert A Allen AM
Major Roland w, Pinger, arm!
officers, are still held by the bandit
to the State DEPARTMENT.
DIR. Schurman's dispatches to tn
Department today brought few ad
ditional details of the outrage, bu
conveyed the information that Mis-
Lucy Aldrich. sister of Mrs. JON
ID. Rockefeller. is safe at Tsin-an-fu
together with her maid, a Miss Min
ME McFadden, of Ogdensbure
". Y. and Miss Edith M. Schon
berg, Of Naugutuck, Conn.
The following statement. based Of
DIR. Schruman's advices, was issue
by the State Department:
I, The department has been advised
by Minister Schurman that at ;
conference with the dean of tn
diplomatic corps and the British
and Italian ministers, it was decided
that the dean on the morning o
May should make urgent repre-
sensations that the Chinese govern
ment should at once ransom all tn
nationals, and that punitive meas
ures could he taken against tn
bandits afterward.
ct. II. Day, of Ridgewood, y. J.
escaped from the bandits and ar
rived afely in Tien Tsien. Nh
Robert Scripps was not on tn
wrecked train and has arrived il
Picking. Henry Zimmerman and V
Hainovitch. Americans, ESCAPED
after the wreck and reached Tiel
Tsien May s.
Persons Still Prisoners.
The following men and children
have not been heard from and evi
IDENTIFY are still being held captive
Major Pinger and son; Mr.. Henley
Mr.. Levy, l. c. Solomon, J. e
Powell, l.. Friedman.
mr.. Lehrbas escaped and Thoma
Day, of Oliver & Co, New York city
has been released.
at is reported that all the womel
have been released while the mel
iare being held for ransom.
1.-The Department has received in
formation to the effect that Miss
AIdrich. Miss MacFadden and Mis-
eSchonberg are now safe in Tsin
an-fu
Fourteen men. including Ameri
cans. are still held by the bandits
according to advices to the STATE
Department today.
Jacob could Schurman, thu
American minister, cabled Secretar,
Hughes that the council of minis
tiers in Pekin had made urgent rep
reservations to the Chinese govern
ment that it should ransom tn,
Americans and other nationals, ant
that punitive measures against tn,
bandits should be taken subse
lquently.