The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 1, 1900, Page 1

" This Paper not to be taken from the Library.**** The VOLUME LXXXVIII-NO., 62, SAN FRANCISCO, WEDNES_]?AY, AUGUST 1, 1900. PRICE FIVE CENTS. CHINESE DECLARE A T UCE AND STOP FIRING ON THE LEGATIONS Messages From Peking State That Minister Conger and Family Are Safe and Well, but if the Mongols Resume the Attack Foreigners Can- not Hold Out Much Lon- ger— Japanese Marines Doing Good Work. Epecial Dispatch to the Call. ONDON, August 1.—The Daily Mail publishes the following from its special correspondent: SUANG HAl, July 31.—A telegram from Tientsin states that a courier has just arrived there bringing advices from Peking up to July 21. Messages from the British, German, Japa- nese and American Ministers were brought, besides private let- ters. In substance these messages contain the following infor- mation: The Chinese declared a truce on July 16 and stopped firing on the legations. The defenders have very little ammunition, and if the shelling should be resumed they will not be able to hold out long. Europeans hoped for speedy relief when they heard of the Tientsin victory. The American Minister states that his family are all safe and well. Sir Robert Hart notifies Commissioner Drew that Bre- don of the Customs staff and his family are well. ASHINGTON, July 31.—The War Department this \V afternoon received two cablegrams from China. The first reads: “CHEFU (undated).—Corbin, Washington: Tientsin, July ~Message just received from Conger says since 16th by nt no firing. Have provisions several weeks; little am- All safe, well. 1ggett) report allied forces soon advance. Practically looting by Americans; no unnecessary killing. India arrived Order McCann, Sladen, both Allens, Mitchell, Brice join DAGGETT.” ent here. The second reads: ‘ EFU.—Corbin, Washington: Tientsin, July 30.— rire arrived 27th. Two hundred and fifty-seven Ninth In- sick, two doctors, one hundred Hospital Corps men, 3 nal men needed. Unavoidable delay unloading trans- ports. Foreign troops arriving. DAGGETT.” Ad General Corbin to-day received a dispatch from Lieutenant Colonel Coolidge, commanding the Ninth Infantry at Tientsin. It came by way of Chefu, and is as follows: “TIENTSIN, July 2z7.—Following letter of Lieutenant iba itary attache at the legation of Peking, dated Colonel St July 22, arrived at Tientsin on July 23, at 9 o’clock in the even- ing: “‘PEKING, July 22, evening.—We are all awaiting impa- tiently arrival of reinforcing army. When are you coming? All legations e been bleckaded since the 13th of last month, and since the 20th we have been attacked continually night and day by the Chinese soldiers from more than ten encampments. 3y supreme efforts we are still defending. We are daily wait- ing with the greatest anxiety the arrival of reinforcing army, and if you can’t reach here in less than a week’s time it is probable that we will be unable to held out any longer. The Emperor and Empress Dowager appear to be still at Peking. Were our reinforcements to arrive it is very probable that thew would flee to Wan Shoshan. Killed and wounded up to date—Eight killed, one a captain of infantry and an Embassador’s attache; seven seriously wounded, the first secretary of legation being one of twenty slightly wounded. The number of Europeans killed is sixty in all. COOLIDGE.” ” ROME, July 31.—The commander of the Italian cruiser Fibe at Tientsin received the following telegram to-day from the J ese military attache at Peking, dated July 22: he legations are eagerly awaiting relief. Cannot hold Sixty Europeans killed.” @+ e ibeieies *0*‘0‘*0"‘0"“-*@-0%60_9_._.4%. GREAT BRITAIN WILL JAPANESE MARINES NOT CAUSE DELAY RESIST ALL ATTACKS 21.—United States ¥m-| WASHINGTON, July 31.—The Japanese saw Lord Salisbury \bis | Consul at Tientsin telegraphed on the 27t 1 his views with regird | inst. a dispatch dated the 19th from the in the Chinese situathn | Japanese Minister at Peking to the For. by the direct stches | eign Office at Tokio, which had reached y Lord Salisbury assurdl|Tlentsin by special courier on the 2th, ¢ that Great Britain had no in | The Minister says: § aying the advance on Pekin, ““The Japanese marines and others con- as he knew, had any otier| tinue under command of the military at. tache, Lieutenant Colone) Shiba, to resist entirely acquiesced in|\the repeated attacks of Tung Fuh Siang’s desire to advance on Pe- \roops. 1 think we can hold out, thou h le. He had 1o in- (iha task is by N0 means an easy one, unit} with China In any ‘\ e are relieved by the division of Japa- out long DON, July wHEeA Y orasy » until the Ministery | poge (roops which 1 hear through a spe- were safe unde r own military escorly ¢/, messenger will arrive at Tientsin by - the eng })‘f‘! is momt;]. ;i;hg Chinese have st ppe ring since the th, and the Chi- SHANHAIKWAN IS ne 2 ‘uthorities are apparéntiy dispored OCCUPIED BY RUSSMNS . )\[;::c{:slloéé?!‘r‘:é&Capuln Ando of the l \mperfal anmy, H. Nakamura and five arines have been killed, while Narabara, TFFT, July 2.—The Russians have nd secretary of the legution. a stu- oecupled Shanbeikwan, after having | dnt and six marines have been wounded, given the Chinese notice. The Chinese | thugh not mottally. Many others have evacuated the place without firing a shot. ' ako Eeen slightly wounded.” | | By JOHN F. BASS. Special Cable to The Call and. New York Herald. Copyright, 1900, by the Herald Publishing Company. IENTSIN (via Chefu), July 29.—Despite the perilous situation in Peking no active move is being made by the military forces here. This causes a strong feeling among the citizens. The foreign forces are occupied with international jealousies. They lack one head to take the di- rection of affairs. Officers are giving garden parties, while ninety miles away their countrymen are in danger of massacre. They exaggerate the difficulties of the advance to Peking, instead of active- ly overcoming them. 3 I believe that a rapid advance after the taking of Tientsin would have found the Chinese demoralized and ready to surrender. Peking could then have been easily relieved. Time has now been afforded them for recuperation.. More than twenty thousand men are doing nothing in Tientsin. Officers say that forty thou- sand troops are necessary in order to hold the little line of communication, and that it will be no use starting unless they caa push through. Others say that the great plains on the way to Peking have been artificially flooded by the Boxers; that the roads are impassable for transportation and that they must wait for rains for river transportation, a large amount of which is necessary for the wounded, who cannot be left behind on account of the barbarous character of the enemy. Two views are held here about the recent news of Viceroy Yuan Shi Kai respecting the safety of the Ministers in Peking. The first is this: The fact that Yuan said “My Emperor has is- sued a decree that the Ministers are safe” indicates that the Chinese Government is re-established in Peking and that Kwang Hsu is again in power. This means the rapid extinction of the war party. The Ministers now ‘held there will buy cheap peace from the powers. The second view is that if the Ministers are safe under the protection of the Chinese Government the first act of the latter wotld be to forward the Ministers' messages, instead of vicarious information about their safetv. Recent code dispatches which come undated contradict Chinese reports regarding the pro- tection given. These messages are merely means to hoodwink forcigners into inaction while Pek- ing is being evacuated and all the treasure removed. A curious question is how Yuan Shi Kai, a rebel, who has refused to obey the order to take his troops to Peking, can have constant communication with the capital. L e S e e S S ) B e e o e e e e e S 2 joofoeforfosforfoofertodi T L x5 i % i o 2 2 0 e e REGULAR TROOPS OF THE IMPERIAL ARMY AT PEKING. From Le Petit Parisien. B e R e S S S o2 B o e e L SUMMARY OF THE LATEST NEWS FROM CHINA. “All safe and well.”” So runs the report from United States Minister Conger, which was sent off from Peking presumably on July 21. The messags, in view of Sir Claude Macdonald’s and other reports of casualties among the besieged, can refer only to th: Americans besieged in Peking, and may refer merely to the embassy staff and Minister’s family. An urgent appea! for relie! comes from the Japanese legation in Pe- king. This message, dated July 238, says that the d:fense cannot be main- tained for longer than a week. It is difiicult to understand the Japanese statement, which indicates a continuance oi active hostilities, except on the assumption that the Japancse legation was not comprised in the armis- tice which Sir Claude Macdonald said began on July 16. General Gaselee, British commander at the mouth of the Peiho, noti- fied his Government that he would advance on Peking without delay, while General Chafiee on his side has instructions to move forward with all pos- sible speed. ltpis believed in London that the advance for the relief of Peking has probably begun. Advices from Tientsin report scouting in the direction of the capital, doubtless preliminary to a general movement of the allied forces. That the movement for the relief of Peking would have been begun already had the allied troops been under one supreme head is the opinion prevailing at Tientsin, as refiected in dispatches from The Cail’s special correspondent there, John F. Bass. Colonel Daggett, comranding the Fourteenth Regiment, in a report conveying Minister Conger’s dispatch, states that 257 men oi the Ninth Infantry are on the sick list. 0 20 a2 2 e e o e e o S R BP0 4900000000900 e e0 eV eieideie ?iedtdeideidededsdedodedeiedeie Apparent Safety of the Minis- ters at Peking Will Not Change the Determina- tion of the Powers toMarch ' on the Chinese Capital . and Dictate a Permanent Settlement of the Present Troubles. Special Dispatch to The Call. | ALL BUREAU, WELLINGTON HOTEL, WA INGTON, July 31.—China’s rulers are believed to | nave awakened to a realization of thé dangers in which they have become involved through their treatment of the Ministers in Peking. Their whole object now seems to be to prevent, if possible, the advance of the international forces, and it is not | believed here that there is any immediate danger of the Minis- | ters and those under their protection being maltreated. however, is all conjecture built upon the brief messages th: | have come from the legations. | The report from private sources in Peking that China offi- cially declared war on June 20 is not credited by the administra- tion for the reason that no mention of such action is made in any of the reports from the legations. It is thought to ! probable, however, that Chinese officials construed the attz o At be ¢ ACK Oon the Taku forts by all the powers except the United States as the practical beginning of war, and that this may account in some measure for the subsequent events in Peking. Some comment has been caused by the delay in the trans- mission of the message which .\Iajnr' Waller of the Marine Corps received from Minister Conger. According to private messages which have been made public Conger’s message ca in a package delivered to Major Waller, presumably by some messenger that he succeeded in getting into Peking and out again. The only explanation that can be made is that Major Wal- ler’s dispatch has been delaved by red tape from being transmit- ted through the regular official channels to Rear Admiral Remey to be forwarded by him to Washington. The Ministers apparently see no danger to themselves and to the women and children under their protection in aggressive action by the powers. All their messages urge early relief they probably have full confidence in the ability of the little band of marines who so gallantly resisted the attacks of the Chinese for a month to keep up the fight long enough to enable the re- lieving column to reach Peking. For these reasons it is not he- lieved that if the Chinese open up telegraphic communication with the Ministers any advice received from them will change the determination of the powers to march on Peking and dictate a permanent settlement of the Chinese question with that city under their guns. 2 e —_— e — All of the American Forces Not Yet Ready for the Advance on Peking, but This Is a Matter Left to General Chaffee’s Discretion. “‘ v alive on July 22 but in all probability are still alive and likely to re 50 until they are released from their state of siege. The officials here feel ¢ tain that the attack by the Chinese on the legations will not be renewed. They are convinced that the counsels of the Viceroys In the great southern and cen- tral provinces and the advice of Li Hung Chang have had effect, and that who- ever is still In power In Peking, whether Emperor, Empress, Shing. Tuan Tung, now have been made to see the necessity for the preservation bf the le. tions. The officials here, while anxious that the movement on Peking b once, do not attach credence to the rumor mentioned by General Chaff. the forward march was to begin to-day. There are two reasons for thei credulity. In the first place, Chaffee’s force, his splendid cavalry and his talion of artillery, are exactly what are needed to strengthen a weak spot the international column. ASHINGTON, July 31.—Doubt has given way to a feeling akin to cer tainty that the legationers at Peking and the it marines who m. in In the second place (and information on this point comes through European channels), some of the foreign commanders are still of the opinion that they cannot begin the campalgn before the last week in Au- gust at the earliest. The United States Government has not acceded to this view and is relaxing no effort to bring about a change of plans on this point But our representations have been met by the almost unanswerable argument that the decision of this important question properly should be left to the mili- tary commanders on the spot, who must bear the responsibility’ for the outcome of the expedition. A rather startling proposition was advanced to-day which, if adopted. mi put at once to test the Chinese profession that the Boxers, and not the Ch Government, are responsible for what has happened in Peking. This w effect that the Chinese Government should be informed that the inte force was prepared to take the Government at its word and to join fo it in crushing out the insurrection. The Kernel of just such a proposi be found in the last condition laid down by the President in his reply & appeal of the Emperor, Kwang Hsu, and there may be a development in th: rection speedily. Secretary Root says that nothing has been received from ( a. either officially or unofficially, which necessitates any change in the instructions given Major General Chaffee. If there is any advance on Peking, it is presumed that such of the United States forces as are now ready will participate in the movement. If dispatches are received at Tientsin from Minister Conger or others in tne legation at Pe- King which change the existiag conditions, Maior General Chaffee will act in accordance with cuch Information. The Secretary says General Chaffee has full wers and has been Intrusted with the command of the United States for. ecause of the confidence the Government has in his ability to meet any sit tlon that may arise. 1t is evident from the dispatches recefved from General Chaffee that only ortion of his force can be utilized if an immediate advance is made. It Is no Pofieved that all of the equipments of the last expedition sent from Manila been landed, and it is of course apparent that the horses and most of the e ment of the Sixth Cavalry are still at sea. The Ninth Infantry and the two talions of the Fourteenth In!an!rf. together with the marines, are the only troops of the United States actually avallable on Chinese service at this time. D T . CHINESE SHELLED THE PASSING RAILROAD TRAINS Special Cable to The Call and New York Her- | ald. Copyright. 190, by the Herald Pub-| It turns out that the soldiers were lishing Comvany. P | guard of the Taotali of Newchwang. who CHEFU, July 25.—The Chinese shelled | were protecting the settlements. Th\: passing trains on the Newchwang-Port fore the attatk was a mistake. The Crui- Arthur line Thursday morning, twenty | N°S¢ brought their dead to the yamen of A e Newchweng. A Russian offi.| the Taotai, and on complaining were com- a t qutp- bat- yThey were informed that they were in Un camp three miles from Newchwang. arriving there they demanded the eva ation of the place. The Chinese refus. ana the Russians attacking, killed and wounded twelve. They themsel had six men wounded. | pensated by being paid 100 taeis for the cer sent to make Inquiries never returned. | dead and 40 tacls for the wounded, After walting a considerable time the| Much bitter feeling prevails there. Three Russtans bombarded and razed the forts | hundred natives immediately fled and and then proceeding to Newchwang in- | boarded the Benclutha and have arrived quired for the soldiers who had run away. | at Chefu.