Mr. Rockhill to Mr.
Hay.
No. 35.]
Commissioner of
the United States to China,
Peking,
China, March 7,
1901.
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith copy of
a note from the Chinese plenipotentiaries reporting the carrying out of the
capital sentences on certain princes and ministers ordered by Imperial edict
of February 23, 1901.
Notwithstanding the assurances conveyed in the inclosed note, the foreign
representatives decided, as I have already informed you in my No. 32 of the
2d instant, to ask for an Imperial decree stating the carrying out of these
sentences.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
[Inclosure with dispatch No.
35.]
The Chinese
Plenipotentiaries to M. de
Cologan.
Peking, February 28,
1901.
Your Excellency: We have already addressed a
note to your excellency informing you that a decree had been issued
ordering Prince Chuang, Yü Hsien, Ying Nien,
[Page 99]
and Chao Shu-chiao to either commit suicide or
suffer death by decapitation. This is a matter of record.
We have now received a telegram from the Grand Council stating that Ko
Pao-hua had reported that he witnessed in person Prince Chuang
committing suicide on the 21st of February at Pu Chou.
Ho Fu-k’un reports that on the 22d of February, at the capital of Kansu,
he witnessed the decapitation of Yü Hsien, and Tsen Chun-hsuan reports
that on the 24th of February he was present, and establishes the fact,
that Ying Nien and Chao Shu-chiao committed suicide.
As Ch’i Hsiu and Hsü Cheng-yu were decapitated here, there appears no
need to again inform your excellency officially of this fact.
We therefore send your excellency the above particulars of the dates of
the suicide of Prince Chuang, Chao Shu-chiao, and Ying Nien, and the
decapitation of Yü Hsien, transmitted to us by telegram from Hsi An, and
beg that you will in turn communicate the same to the plenipotentiaries
of the powers. The case is therefore settled so far as the punishment of
the leaders of (the late) calamity is concerned.
Cards of Prince Ching and Li Hung-chang, with compliments.
