The evening times., 1897-12-04
THE CASE OF DR.. LUEDERs.

Statement C0ncerning the derman
NOss an Prison In Haiti.
New ycfk ,Hefs s.-Dr. Richard, f. Yahr,
| a German piiy5cisn, who arrived here re-
Gently from Haki. 10 an intimate friend or
Herr Lucdsrs. who war Imprisoned by tbr
| Haitian government. DR.. Yahr Was in
Port au Prince Sheu th- trouble which led
to LuederS Imprisonment and expulsion
from Haiti. occurred. He said yesterday
that many9 9or the articles which had ap-
peared in fhe American newspapers in ref
ercnce to tbs matter were inaccurate.
"AmonlSptier things, said he, lit was
stated in these articles that Lueders had
| married a native woman. Lueders has
| never beer. married and Is bachelor. Fur
thermore, it was said that Lueders was a
citizen of Haiti aud changed his na.iol-
ality only because he had become involved
in a n unber OF duels. Lueeiers never wasa
citizen of HBiti. His father was German
| merchant. who lived for many years at Port
| au Prince and married a native H.iitiin
woman, When young Lueders waseightcen
months old he was taken to Germany to
| be educated. At twenty he entered the
army to perform his military duties. Two
Years later hf returned to Haiti and entered
his fathers business. From 1893 to 1 s97
he lived at Port au Prince, butnever became
q citizen.
'Lueders WAS arrested and sentenced TO
one months Imprisonment on September
81 by the police OF Port au Prince, for All
alleged assault on a caiinan. He appealed
frcm the decision, and expected that In
the meantime he would be allowed to leave
the prison. The Haitian government,
however, paid no attention to his request
for liberation, and he therefore appalled,
tc the German minister, Count Schwerin, for
redress. Count 2chwerin sent a note 70 the
minister or foreign affairs, s. Menros, le-
| manding Lueder s Immediate release. The
Haitian government declined To comply
with the German minister's request, and
Luetlers was Compelled TO remain in prison.
On September 2S Lueders was brougii;
up for trial. The leading foreign citizens
of Haiti were in the courtroom and followed
he proceedings with intense interest.
Luetlers was defended by Maitre Ed xlri
Lespinasse, a naturaiiZed Haitian, al
though Frenchman by birth, the ablest
and most brilliant lawyer in the Ha ytial
republic, and at one time the minister II
justice. Eleven reputable witnesses teSti-
fied that on September 81 they had bean
attracted by loud noise which came from
the stables belonging to Lueders. They
said tnat they saw number Of policemen
on the scene endeavOring to arrest Lueders'
coachnan, who was clinging to n "a
riage. Near by stood Lueders, who was
greatly excited, and was gesticulaiing
wildly. Lueders commando! the policemen
to leave his premises, which they refused
to do. Every witness was asked by the
presiding Judge: Did you see the defendant
assa ut the pnliccmen? All of them :es,i-
fled posit iyeI y hat Lueders did not put his
hands or thp men.
The states attorney, in asking for Lu-
eders con fiction, said that tie defendant
was an ex6ftabfe character. who had not
only assaulted officers of the re public. bu.
had also created open rebellion against the
state. lie therefore asked the court t. i'm.
pose upon Lueders Il avy fine and i'm pris-
onmcnt fer two years. Maitre Lespi
nasse. Lu7lers' lawyer, said I'm reply, that
the most lreput3bIe and respectable Wit
nesses had testified that his client had com.
mitted no overt act. and that the police had
entered the house of the defendant without
authority ifnd contrary to the Haitian law.
On October II the court finally rendered
its decision. To the surprise OF the foreign
Residents, Lueders was sentenced to one
years Imprisonment and to pay a fine of
$500 and costs. Soon after the Geman
minister made his demand for Luedcrs'
release and obtained IT.
DIR. Yanr also said that the treatmen; re-
ceived by Lneters was merely an outburst
OF the bitter hatred which the Halt la ms feel
for all the foreign residents of the island oi
every nationality.
4 Haitian. Eigh in the confidence of the
Haitian government. when he read this
statement yesterday, reiterated what had
been printed. Lue,iers' mother. h said,
was Haitian. ard he himself was born
in Haiti. II he had spent twenty year in
Germany. and Considered himself a German
citizen. II was not generally known, and
Lneders was considered a Haitian by all
his neishhors.
But do not think" said this gentleman.
that III. Yahr is 30 well Informed as lie
profcsses TO bc. Everybody who lives In
I.ai,i knows that Maitre Edward Lespi-
nasse, the man vino defended Lueders. Is a
native born Haitian. Lespinassc has
brother who is a naturaliZed Frenchm IN.
People who know Haiti do not confound
them. Further, l can say that | myself
have read an interview Lueders arau.,d
to the most famous newspaper man in the
republic. and in that interview LuetierS .id-
nitted that lie had been very harsh indeed
with the Police. So far us the last s,4re-
Inent ~ nr. Yahr is concerned, anyone
WHO has been in Haiti knows that Their. is
no feeling there against any foreign esi-
dent. Foreign residents are welcome, and
when they settle i'll the county and
gage earnestly in business thew are uSl llly
successful