The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-02-14
WALLER TO co FREE
Must First Waive All Claims for
Damages Against France.
NEW FACTS IN THE CASE MADE PUBLIC
Fairly Convicted by French Tribunal-Na
Doubt of His Guilt-PrObably Con-
spired Also Against Property
and Lives of Americans.

Doubt of His GuiIt-Probably Com
spired Also Against Property
and Lives of Americans.
Washington, Feb. IA report from
Secretary Olney, sent to both houses
of congress by President Cleveland in
answer to resolutions of inquiry, shows
that John. L. Waller, formerly consul
Of the United States at Tamatave, Mad
agascar, and now in French prison
serving a sentence of twenty years i'm
prisonment for treason, will be imme'
diately released by the French govern
ment and given full pardon when he
complies with the agreement of the
United Sta tes to make no claim in his
behalf based on his arrest, conviction
or imprisonment. Mr.. Waller has not
consented to the agreement, but it will
undoubtedly be carried out, and Am
bassador Eustis has been instructed to
furnish him with means to reach the
United States. The message from the
president and Secretary Olney's report
q are accompanied by all the correspond
ence in this case. A full resume OF
Z that portion which pertains to Walters
arrest and imprisonment is contained
& In the report, which is devoted to- full
discussion of the whole affair, con-
8 sidered from legal and diplomatic
standpoint
New Facts in the Case.
The story leading up to Walters ar
rcst is of a character somewhat more
interesting than has hitherto been
made public. 1t begins with the death
of w. f. Crockett, a citizen of the
United States residing in Madagascar
In 1892. Waller, as United States con-
sui, assumed charge of the estate and
30 informed the state department, but,
Excepting late report that he had
converted the property into money,
nothing further on the subject was
hoard. The official documents state
that ''the present United States consul, g,
Edward T. Wetter, who took charge
Of the consulate at Tamatave the last
of January, 1894, found the records of
the consulate in a state of great con-
fusion. Waller had disappeared, the
consulate was in charge of an acting
vice-consul named Geldart, and there
NNdS AO dCCOuAO Ol O11C ICCOlOo AOLuOAA5
10 the Crockett estate subsequent to
November, 1892, when Waller took
tharge of it.
Convicted of Mismanag aging Funds.
Wetter called on Waller and Geldart
for an accounting of the Crockett es-
ate. Geldart answered that Waller
had not turned over any part to him,
md then Wetter entered a civil suit
a~ainst Waller in the name of the
Brit, States, based upon averments
81 his negligence and mismanagernent
"a tiduciary trusts, and took steps to
prevent his leaving Madagascar until
he had settled. The American citizen,
Duder Poupard, sat with Consul Wet
ter as associate judge, but Waller OBJ
iected to them and they were with
drawn and two other Americans were
nubstitnted. The court rendered a
1erdict that Mr.. Waller had been
Rnilty of gross mismanagement of the
Eunds of said estate; that Mr.. Waller
has been guilty of abuse and negligence
Of his fiduciary trusts, both as citizen
and an official; that we therefore ad-
1udge him unworthy of further conf
dAnce and order his removal from said
Hdpciary capacities; that he pay into
the United States consular court sitting
In probate jurisdiction at Tamatave,
within forty-five days hereof, the
0mount of the balance due said Crock
ett's heirs now in his hands, to wit,
&io61.67, in the currency of Madagas-
ear''
&tnerica Would Have Prosecuted Him.
consul Wetter asked the state de-
#trtment for permission to prosecute
IHller criminaliy, to which the de-
p8Etment replied that if the criminal
laH h ad been violated it was the con-
kaIs uty to take the proper measures
This eply was not received by Wetter
Nufl after Walters arrest for treason.
a Ietter from Consul Wetter to the de-
RNtfmcnt also contained an allusion to
the Waller rubber concession, or land
Efapt, near Fort Dauphin. After indi-
Nng various ways in which the
EINe1ctt money may have been con-
HN#ed by Waller, there is a suggestion
4NNt some of it may have been spent in
NEz4e to secure the concession. But
Ap ~ 4dence to that effect is reported,
4N8 heither is there any proof of the
re, extent, validity or value of the
1entession. That it was believed to
pass some value is shown by the ac-
N@HNt of Mrs. Waller's efforts to raise
10y on it for the payment of the
IN0M ent against Waller. ION the
ttNNH hand," says Mr.. OIney in his re-
E2EM 'the value may have been sup
posed to be dependent upon the issue
~ e contest then going on between
|E< rench and the natives, while it is
Ia that the French authorities
0HE& Always held the concessions to be
M'I|snt any validity"
EEN2 led To Provoke the Hovas to War.
IH order to understand the signifi-
< of the information communica-
Says Mr.. Eustis, ''it must be borne
Id that the French had garrison
natave and the Hovas had one at
hfe. These two points were dis
om each other few miles In a
to Tessier he describes the condi-
t Tamatave; that smallpox is
/; that many are dying; that
are more than one hundred
soldiers in the hospitals; that