Mr. Conger to Mr.
Hay.
American Legation,
Peking,
China, July 13,
1904.
No. 1659.]
Sir: I have the honor to confirm your telegram
of the 8th instant. I inclose copies of notes exchanged with the foreign
office since.
Consul-General Ragsdale informs me that the money has already been paid
to him, and he has remitted it to the Department of State to be paid
over to the family.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1.]
Mr. Lien-fang
to Mr. Conger.
I have the honor to address your excellency on the subject of our
conversation yesterday, the case of the killing of the American, Mr.
Lewis L. Etzel, in settlement of which it was proposed that the
district commander, Chu Ch’ing-lan, should be cashiered and the
corporal, P’an Tse, should be cashiered and imprisoned for five
years, and that a payment of 25,000 dragon dollars should be made to
the family of Mr. Etzel by way of indemnity. This proposal I
reported to the Prince of Ch’ing, who has agreed to it.
The board of foreign affairs has telegraphed to the superintendent of
trade for the north, directing him to memorialize and take action
accordingly and to pay the indemnity mentioned to the United States
consul-general at Tientsin, to be receipted for by him and by him
forwarded. On receiving a reply from the superintendent of trade for
the north I shall communicate with your excellency again. In the
meantime, as in duty bound, I send this note for your excellency’s
information and that it may serve to settle the case.
I avail, etc.,
Cards inclosed.
Fifth moon, 20th day (July 8,
1904).
[Inclosure 2.]
Mr. Conger to
Prince Ch’ing.
American Legation, Peking, July 9,
1904.
Your Imperial Highness: I have the honor to
state that I have received a communication from His Excellency
Lien-fang, minister of the board of foreign affairs, saying that
your imperial highness had agreed to the proposition of settlement
of the Etzel case as proposed to me by him on the day previous. His
excellency proposed that the district commander, Chu Ch’ing-lan,
should be cashiered and the corporal, P’an Tse, should be cashiered
and imprisoned for five years, and that a payment of 25,000 dragon
dollars should be made to the family of Mr. Etzel by way of
indemnity. His Excellency Lien-fang informs me in his letter that
the board of foreign affairs had telegraphed to the superintendent
of trade for the north, directing him to memorialize and take action
accordingly and to pay the indemnity mentioned to the American
consul-general at Tientsin, to be received and forwarded by him.
I have the honor to state that upon the receipt of this letter I at
once telegraphed the facts to the Department of State that they
might consider the matter and send me instructions. I recommended
that this manner of settling the case be accepted, and as soon as I
have received a reply to my telegram I shall communicate again with
your imperial highness in the hope that we may be able to settle the
case up finally and satisfactory without delay.
I avail myself, etc.,
[Page 176]
[Inclosure 3.]
Mr. Conger to
Prince Ch’ing.
American Legation, Peking, July 9,
1904.
Your Imperial Highness: With reference to
the proposal of the Chinese Government to settle the case of the
killing by Chinese soldiers of the American citizen, Mr. Lewis
Etzel, at T’ien Chuang t’ai, I have the honor to inform your
imperial highness that I at once telegraphed the proposal to my
Government, and have now received a reply saying that such a
proposal will be accepted as a satisfactory settlement.
The proposal as accepted is that the district commander, Chu
Ch’ing-lan, shall be cashiered, the corporal, P’an Tse, cashiered
and imprisoned for five years, and that an indemnity of $25,000,
Mexican, shall be paid to the American consul-general at Tientsin,
to be by him receipted for and forwarded to the family of Mr. Etzel,
the punishment to be carried out and the indemnity paid at once.
The prompt and satisfactory settlement of this unfortunate case is a
matter of mutual gratification, and I wish to thank your imperial
highness for the friendly part you have taken.
If your highness will kindly forward me a copy of the imperial edict,
when it is published, which decrees the above-mentioned punishment,
I shall be obliged.
I improve this occasion, etc.,
[Inclosure 4.]
Prince Ch’ing
to Mr. Conger.
I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s
letter of the 9th instant.
* * * * * * *
I have the honor to state that on the 10th instant the superintendent
of northern trade, together with the Tartar general of Shengking,
and the department magistrate of Mukden, memorialized the Throne,
and upon the same day they received an edict from the Throne saying:
“The memorial of Tseng Ch’i and others has been carefully perused.
Let the subprefect in command of the garrison, Chu Ch’ing-lan by
name, be cashiered at once; also let the corporal, P’an Tse, be
cashiered and imprisoned for five years.
The accidental killing of this American citizen, Mr. Etzel, was a
most unfortunate affair, and the family shall be indemnified as
proposed.
Respect this.
My board at once gave instructions that this edict should be
respectfully obeyed, and as a result we have received from the
superintendent of northern trade a telegram saying that the
twenty-five thousand Dragon dollars ($25,000 Mexican), being the
amount of the indemnity decided upon in the Etzel case, had already
been paid over personally to the American consul-general at Tientsin
by a deputy and had been counted anad received by him, and a receipt
given.
It therefore becomes my duty to write and inform your excellency of
the matter that you may transmit the information to the Department
of State, and close up the case.
I avail, etc.,
Cards inclosed.
Fifth moon, 28th day (July 11,
1904).
