St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-05
FIRST DETAILED STATEMENT otr
HIS TREATMENT WHILE
FRENCH PRISONER.
CONVICTED IN AN HOUR,
GIVEN SMALL CHANCE TO DEEENls
HIMSELF BEFORE THE MILL
TARY TRIBUNAL.
WAS JEERED AT BY HIS GUARDS,
Nothing Was Done to Protect Him
Against Insults and Brutality
of All Kinds.

LONDON, April 4.-John L. Waller, former
ly United States consul at Madagascar ar
rived in this city short time ago. after his
release at the instance Of the United States
gov ernment, from the French prison in which
he had been confined under the sentence of
twenty years Imprisonment imposed upon
him by court-martial fer having correspond
| ed with the Hovas. He has been living in
retirement since his arrival, and upon the
| advice of his attorneys, has not received any
| Representatives os the English press. How
| ever, Mr.. Waller, who sailed for New York
today, made the following statement. 1t is
the first time he has told his story to a re-
! porter:
| You will remember that Tamatave was
bombarded by the French in December 1893,"
he began. II was then living at TamataYe
| Shortly after the bombardment I wrote to my
wife, who was living in the country. In my
| letter I described the event. referred to the
sanitary condition Of the town and the number
of French soldiers there. On March g. 1895, I
was arrested at Tamatave. 1 asked for time
to obtain witnesses and to know on what the
charges against me were based. 1 was told
they were two in number.
First, for violcation of an order Of Jan.
49, 1S93 regarding sending any letters except
through the French port.
Second, violation Of one Of the articles OF
the French military code by corresponding
with the enemy regarding French operations
in Tamatave.
Il was at first refused counsel, but after
wards obtained the services Of M. La Gray.
He had only 4S hours in which to look into
my case. The trial was held on March 20
1885, and only lasted one hour. My lawyer
frequently told the court that such charges
as were adduced would be laughed at in
civil court. However, 1 was condemned to
twenty years solitary confinement.
On the 23d of March / was placed ON a
steamer bound for Marseiles. I was told that
l would be given a stateroom for the VOYAGE
When L reached the boat was conducted to
the hold and made to sit down on the plat
form, which is just underneath the hatchway
for lowering freight. My guard, who was a
brutal French soldier simply said in reply to
my question regarding room, You sit there
A few moments afterward a huge iron bed
was brought and placed on the floor in front
OF me. To this my ankles were chained.
was then unable to change my position even
enough to lie on my side. The rabble of Tama-
tave had followed me from the Jail to the
steamer. They came on board, and, standing
on the deck, spat down upon me. l was soon
completely covered with their saliva. / ap-
pealed to my guard and to several of the
French soldiers, but they only laughed at me-"
81 was only released from my chains twice
a day, ten minutes in the morning and ten
in the afternoon. A few French officers came
on board at Zanzibar One of them remon-
strated with my guard, and was released
from my chains Going through the Suez
canal was again chained. and again as We
approached Marseilles. AT Marseilles 1 was
conducted to a filthy prison. I only remained
there a Few days, and then handcuffed to two
other prisoners, was taken to the military
prison at Claravaux. Here the food was so
bad that I could not retain it my stom-
ach. 1 appealed to the governor of the prison
and he sent the doctor to examine me. From
Claravaux I was transferred to the prison at
Mines. On Feb. 90 1896, a prison official
| arrived and told me that my pardon had
been received. With it came message from
Mr. Eusts, in Paris directing me to draw
on him for money. l wish particularly to
state that in making my application for par
don, made no agreement whatsoever to
waive my claims for damages against the
French government