Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-18

John l.. Waller.
city. and Quinn of Baltimore, in reference
to the matter. The report has gained cur
rency that Mr.. Waller will call on Secre-
tary Olney and lay before him a number
Of facts connected with his treatment on
shipboard which he told the reporter and
some of which were so extremely bad as to
that Mr.. Olney has been grossly misIed in
reference to his case, and that had he
heard both sides he would not have ex-
pressed the opinion, the Secretary of
State has done. that Mr.. Waller was well
treated on the voyage from Tamatave to
Marseilles, and while in the military prison
in the latter city
Il was Informed" said Mr. Waller, "by
Ambassador Eustis our representative in
France. that, under the arrangement made
by Secretary Olney with the French for
eign office. which resulted in my release
from prison, l was precluded from trying
to recover anything from the French gov
eminent for my Imprisonment, but that he
had been authorized by the Secretary of
State to say that the United States govern
ment would go my security for the costs If
L saw proper to sue the French government
through the French courts for ill-treating
me on the way from Tamatave to France
and during my Imprisonment in that coun-
try
Il am not going to express any opinion as
to whether or not there would be any use
In my taking that means to try to recover
Sio,oD or $lO,oO damages. but l will say
that some time ago had long conversa-
ton with a member Of the English parlia-
ment, who Is great authority on inter-
rational law, and after hearing nv account
of the way 1 was treated by the French hs
said: Mr. Waller, I am sorry for you and
sympathize deeply in what you have suf-
Tered. but l regret to inform you that my
experience In French courts leads me to the
conviction that 1T Is useless for an Amerl-
can citizen. English citizen, or the
citizen OF any other country than France.
from gaining a suit, no matter how lust
may be the demand
His Treatment.
Secretary Olney has stated officially
that was we'll treated, both on the voy-
age and in prison. and gave as his reason
for 50 stating that 1 received medical treat
ment upon reaching Marseilles, l being sick
at the time, and that If 1t had been other
wise l would have said more about 1t to
the commission sent by Mr. Eustis to take
my deposition in reference to the case and
also informed my wife fully.
Before going into details, / want to re-
mark that when the commission came to
see me the members seemed to be in a
great hurry, and although l begged them
to let me testify as to my ill-treatment
they refused to do SO and said they would
inform the ambassador privately. l could
not tell my wife while she was in France
because. as the State Department author
tiles well know, the French authorities
would not let me her.
Horrible Recital.
"a plain statement of facts will demon
strate this. 1 was arrested in Tamatave
on March 20 and placed in prison at once.
AS this was tropical climate 1 was dress
ed in very thin clothing. 1 had put this
clothing on the day previous, and from
that time until one month after INV
rival at Marseilles, two months after I
was arrested, 1 was not allowed to change
my clothing or to take a bath.
Il sick with dysentery when the
steamship upon which l was carried TO
France left Tamatave; but Notwithstanding
this l. was for seven days kept in irons
and chained fiat on my back to the floor Of
the vessel, from which l was released but
for ten minutes in the morning and the
same length Of time in the evening. When
the exigencies Of my disease compelled me
to ask for temporary release from my
irons the guard replied: You will bs re-
leased for ten minutes at $50 in the morn
ing and ten minutes at 4:3O in the evening
and on no other OCCASION
"At the end of the seventh day. however,
and upon reaching Zanzibar, two French
ccrpora!s, who saw how intensely I was
suffering. interceded for me and had me
released from my PROSTATE position on the
floor. The authorities still, however, kept
me in irons and chained whenever we were
in harbor, and also while passing through
the SueZ canal
we reached Marseilles on the morning
OF April 49, and 1 was kept in chains in
the harbor until about o'clock on the after
noon of the next day. was still suffering
from the dysentery. When 1 found l was
to be taken ashore l begged my jailers for
two boxes Of Of, clothing hi,1g which I had on
them (and they afterward confiscated
them. nor would they allow me any fan
mel underwear. although cold piercing
wind was blowing at the time.
AFTER getting me on shore they fastened
me to a guard with a pair Of steel nippers
around one of my wrists, and in this way
they carried me all about Marseilles from
one office to another. and so on, do not
know the exact number. at each of which
I signed my name, until about pm,
when I was put in the military prison, at
which time / was chilled to the bone. The
stone floor. with not a single article of
furniture. and the only place provided for
the admission Of daylight was window
about a foot square, which was located
close to the ceiling.
Letter Not Delivered.
1.-THE next day I asked my guard to get
me some writing material, SO that 1 could
communicate with the United States consul.
and he brought me pen, ink and paper, but
said I would have to write on the floor.
This did as best could. and in my letter
I told the consul OF my desperate condition,
and begged him, in the name of the govern
ment and people Of the United States, to
send me medical aid. as was very sick.
and to come and see me and do what he
could. The guard took the letter and said
he would send 1t to the consul by a mes
serger.
II waited day after day until was trans
ferred to the prison at Clarivaux for the
consul and medical aid to arrive, but
neither came, and as ! was leaving the
Marseillee prison was handed the letter /
had written to the consul eight days before.