New-York tribune., 1898-01-11
DIR. HERR WANTS FIVE MILLIONS
HE ASKS THE STATE DEPARTMENT TO
PUSH Ills CLAIM AGAINST FRANCE.


PUSH Ills CLAIM AGAINST FRANCE.
Washington Jan. 10.--Messrs Dittenhoefer,
Lau;erbach and Limburger. counsel for DR.. Cor
nelius Herr to-day appeared before Solicitor
Penield, at the State Department. and pre-
sented claim for indemnity In the sum Of
S5OOOOOO against the French Government for
an alleged illegal attempt to persecute DR.. Herr.
The case is remarkable In many ways. and Is
said at the Department to be without pre-
cedent.
The facts in brief are that Dr. Herr, whose
name stands very high in scientific circles as an
electrician and physicist, although born In
France Of French parents. is an American citi-
zen. When he about three years OF age his
parents came to New-York and acquired Amer-
can citizenship. Young Herr was educated in
the New-York Free Academy. now the College
Of the City OF NewYorl and received two de-
grees. He rounded this out By courses in Heidel-
berg and other great European universities.
At the age OF sixteen he was a lieutenant In
the United States Amy In 1871 he was
charged by the municipal authorities OF Chi
cago with mission In connection with the re
construction Of the city after the fire.
He afterward held posts OF responsibility and
honor in San Francisco and New-York. Mean
while his fame as an electrician had spread
and ne did much to extend the study OF this
branch Of science, besides establishing. as his
brief claims the forerunner Of one Of the larges
OF the great electrical corporations now in exist
ence IN this country. lie married an American
woman. and when his children we're born IN
Paris he caused them 10 be registered as Amerl-
can citizens at the consulate.
On January 10 1893. his troubles began. He
was stopping at Bournomouth, England. with his
wife. in bad health, when he was arrested under
extradition proceedings a warrant from the
French Government charging him with fraud
and embezzement growing out Of the Panama
scandal Under the law. a prisoner wanted for
extradition must appear at the Bow Street
Police Court. Herr was confined to his bed and
so unable to appear. The case was kept open
and he was continued under arrest in his bed
four years. during 1893. "a. 90 and '9G Then
the British Parliament came TO the rellef ana
passed a special act that permitted the mags-
trate to attend Hers bedside and take his teStl-
,nony This YVES done, and the magistrate
promptly declared that the charges were utterly
invalid and scarcely deserving OF notice. That
was on May ., 1896, and Herr was released from
arrest.
In the interval the French Government had In
stituted numerous proceedings against nm ~
France and cOnfiscated all OF the properly OF
this was persecution pure and simple. and that
the French Government knew that the charges
against him baseless before MS trlal'
Therefore. claiming TO have been injured III
name and health and in other ways. he demands
that the State Department shall prefer claim
against the French Government in full Al
though he names no special sum. the briei SHOWS
that he demanded S5.OOo,OOO in letter Whlcn ne
sent to the President Of the French Republic.
but which was never answered The state De
partment has taken the case under Amusement.