The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-07
HIGHLY sPICED.
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN OIL
NEY AND THIELsIANN.
1t Grew Ont of the Harsh Treatment
Accorded Louis Stern, an Ameri-
can Citizen, at Kissengen.

WASHINGTON May 6.-Some high
ly-spiced correspondence passed, last
summer, between Secretary Olney and
the German ambassador at Washing
ton, Baron Thielmann, growing out of
the harsh treatment accorded to New
York business man, Louis Stern, by
the Bayarian authorities, and. while
the case was not of great Importance
seemed for time TO put a strain be-
tween relations all around. AS was
shown at the time, z1r. Stern was at
KisSingen and resented what he re-
garded as an insolent exhibition by g.
petty police officer of the Kissingen
baths, and was arrested therefor, sem
fenced to two weeks imprisonment, and
fined 600 marks. The case terminated
by the forfeiture of the excessive bail
Of 5000 marks exacted of Mr.. Stern by
the Bavarian government and the re-
fusdl of Mr. Stern TO return to Germany
to serve sentence. From the beginning,
the state department eXerted itself
with great vigor, first to insure jus
tice to Mr.. Stern, and after the passage
of sentence to secure clemency for him.
In the course of the latter attempt,
Secretary Olney addressed a note to
Baron Thielmann. German ambasSa-
dor here, in which he said that pro-
ceedfngs against Stern seemed to have
been gratuitouS and undeservedly en-
erCrls from the beginning From the i'm
position of the excessive bail, then the
final sentence which added to the fine
the humiliation of personal imprison-
ment. From the latter Stern should
be relieved and in no possible view of
his case was any such chastisement
justified. Mr. Olney received the fol-
lowing from the ambassador, dated
Lenox, Mass, October 1, last:
Mr. Secretary of State-I have the
honor to respectfully acknowledge the
receipt Of your note, No. AZ, September
&C. ult., with regard to the case Of
American citizen, Louis Stern at Kis-
singer.
In reply to the views contained in
your note, l hasten to say that l re-
ject, as entirely unjustified, your ex-
cellencys criticisms of the justice in
the Stern case at Kissingen. Especially
must decline to see the administration
OF justice within a state of the German
federal union, and the right of pardon
which belongs to the princes of the
German federal union discussed in this
way and treated in the form of a
diplomatic claim
So far as the United States govern
--AOAAS oOSAiCo " dppIOdCH the govern
ment of his majesty, the German en-
peror, in this matter, touching one of
its citizens, it must be left to it fhe
United States government to make
such approach through the United
States embassy at Berlin.
Accept, ETC., THIELMANN."
Said Secretary Olney in his reply:
1t only remains to notice the sugges-
ton, expressed with quite unnecessary
curtness, that a diplomatic claim was
involved which, therefore, should have
been presented to the imperial govern
ment of Germany through the United
States ambassador at Berlin. This
proposition will not bear examination
unless, indeed, as is wholly improba be
the powers of the representative of the
government at this capital are stlniec5
10 novel and unknown limitations
Inc correspondence closed i'm this ner-
sonaI feature with brief note from
the German ambassador, formally stat
ing that the imperial government re-
ceives complaints and suggestions from
friendly governments only when thew
are presented by the diplomatic repre-
sentatives of such governments ac-
credited to it.