  SMITH: Sightless, but not senseless to the cries of Chinese
women  The daring escape of Chinese legal advocate Chen Guang-
cheng after 1 1/2 years of illegal home confinement was nothing
short of miraculous. It took the world - not to mention Chinese
officials and Mr. Chen's guards - by complete surprise.  It was
with great relief that I learned of his escape and his reaching
safety at the American Embassy in Beijing, a few days before
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary
Timothy F. Geithner landed in Beijing for meetings on economics
and security. While Mr. Chen was at the embassy, the Chinese
government admitted that his confinement had been improper and
said he was free and could attend a university in China.  My
relief soon turned to dismay, however. Those understandings
apparently were not written down. The embassy never arranged for
him to speak with me as he requested. After he moved from the
embassy to a Beijing hospital, no one from the embassy remained
with him, and no A