The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-07
TO ASK A MILLION
AND THE CHANCES ARE THAT JOHN
WALLER WILL GET II.

Interesting Details Never Before PUP
lished, Showing the Outrages on Native
Women and Other Atrocities which
First Led the Kansas Colored Man to
Take a Hand In the Materials Trip to
France on a Couple of Blankets, Chained
to the Deck of a Ship.
New York. Sep. 6.-The New YORK
World publishes the following review
of the Waller case:
1t is impossible to make at the pres
ent time a full statement of the facts
in the case of John L. Waller, former
ly United States consul at Tamatave,
Madagascar, now held in solitary con-
finement in the prison at ClalrVauX, IN
France, under the sentence OF twenty
years imprisonment at hard labor i'm
nosed by the French court martial
that tried him on a charge of giving
information about the French military
operations TO the Hovas. One reason
is that the French government still
delays presenting its side of the case,
although called upon twice by Min
lister Eustis to produce the evidence
upon which Mr.. Waller was convicted.
Another reason is the secrecy with
which the proceedings were conducted.
Still another reason is the impossibility
of doing more than guess at the motive
that is alleged to have prompted his
prosecution and conviction. But
enough facts are known to make a
narrative tolera bly, complete. Some OF
rnem have been published in discon-
.a.l7e n n rxrxa
enranated from the state department at
Washington. Others have never been
made public before.
The last previous time the French
went to war in Madagascar in 1893,
something happened that resembled the
Waller case a good deal 1t is of in
terest now, not only because it in
stances the recless disregard of the
rights Of foreigners, of which the French
military officers are accused in their
treatment of Mr.. Waller, but also be-
cause it seems to indicate that a diff
ferent recetion is given in France to re-
quests from the United States and those
from Great Britain. When the French
fleet arrived at Tamatave, before bonn
harding the town the French admiral
ordered all foreigners to evacuate the
place One of the foreigners was an
English missionary, George Edward
Shaw In his absence French marines
broke into his house, stole his claret
and drank it. The claret disa greed
with them, and they said they had been
poisoned. Thereupon Mr.. Shaw was ar
rested on a charge of poisoning French
marines, and the specification was ad-
tIed that he had disposed his claret
I'm bottles upon his lawn in fashion
peculiarly tempting TO French marines
When news of the arrest reached Eng
land 1t excited Indignation Questions
Mere asked in parliament, explanations
were demanded of the French govern
ment, and Admiral Hewitt, with seven
warships was set in motion toward
NADIA gascar- So soon as word could
be got TO Madagascar. the French
government ordered Mr.. Shaw to be set
at liberty. and Furthermore, of its own
motion without having been asked to
administer pecuniary balm, bestowed
& 900 upon him as an Indemnity.
QUESTION OF COLOR.
One opinion about the Waller case IS
that his color had its share in bringing
his present TROUBLES upon him. He is a
negro. When the war broke out he was
a slave in Missouri, and he owed his
freedom to the Federal troops. He re-
moved to Kansas. studied law, and
made a place for himself He was an
EDITOR once, and his wife learned to set
type to help him along when times
were hard. He was an elector at large
In the presidential year Of 1888 and ran
ahead of his ticket When General
Harrison appointed him consul at Ia
matave, he was an assistant district
"a attorney. He has labored to elevate
his race, and one of the plans he had
In view faor the development OF his
concession in Madagascar was to in
duce negroes to migrate from the Uni
ted States and settle there.
The concession had been repeatedly
stated to be the real, underlying cause
of his prosecution by the French; but
he had given offense to them in other
ways. When he arrived in Madagas-
Ear he applied to the queens govern
ment for his eXequtaur. The French
claim that the application should have
been made through them, as they as
serted the right to represent Madagas-
car in foreign diplomatic matters by
virtue of the treaty of 1885. The United
States have never agreed to this claim
of the French, and the state depart
ment approved Mr. Walters course. In
any event. il is claimed that a consul
is not a diplomatic officers. The present
United States consul at Tamatave. Ed
ward Telfair Weller, of Georgia, made
his application through the French. and
the HoVa government refused to recog-
nize MN so that he is only acting consul
now. As has been said, Mr.. Walters
troubles are attributed in part to his
color. 1t is reasonable to suppose that
the French authorities. accustomed to
deal with a high hand with the colored
natives of Madagascar, might overlook
the privileges possessed by Mr.. Waller
as an American citizen. The opinion
has also been expressed that il is fur
fhermore unfortunate for Mr.. Waller
that the American representative at
Tamatave a [ the time Of his need should
have been a native of Georgia. The
swo did not get along well together
when Mr.. Waller arrived at Tamatave.
He made charges against Mr.. Waller
in connection with the management Of
en- estate in his official capacity. and
the charges dragged along and detain-
ed Mr.. Waller in the island long after
ne was ready to leave and until the
French got a chance. which they are
alleged to have been waiting for. to
lock him up.
GRANT To WALLER.
The fact that Mr.. Waller obtained -
concession became known generally
along about March. 1894, and from th,s
time until his arrest a year later Ne
was the object of various forms of s,-
tack by the French authorities. Th-tr
eefA-ofhciai organ is entitled Madac-e-
car. 1t promptly opened fire on sne
validity Of the concession. The Fre1rh
eutAorltles pronounced the grant worth
aess, as in contravontion Of the treaty
q. iSN'' although just such concessions
ere provided in the treaties of 1857 and
I>so between the United States and
Madagascar. The territory granted
10 nm is near Fort Dauphin. in the
southeastern part of the island. II is
eoout htteen miles square and contains
70 square miles, or about IA. goo acres.