The age-herald., 1902-03-29
His Attorney Says Secret Re-
 port is Outrageous
MADE FOR PERSONAL GAIN
State Department Will Take No Steps In the Matter, While Denmark Looks on the Whole Affair
 as a Joke. i


 New York, March 2S.-Carl Fischer Hansen of this city who was attorney for Walter Christmas, the representative of the Danish government in the over lures for the purchase of the Danish West Indian islands in 1900. was indignant at the conduct of his client shown in his se- cret report to the Danish ministry, lately published.
 Ordinarily, legal etiquette,'' said he, would prevent my speaking, but this re- port Is so defamatory and outrageous that feel justified in washing my hands of the whole affair.""
 MT. Fischer-FIansen described the course of the Danish report as 1t appeared to him.
 Christmas undertook according to MT. Fisher Hansen, to start the sale of the islands for the Horrng ministry. As far back as 1860 the sale had been almost con- summated, but at the last moment this government had drawn back.
 Thus Denmark could not make over lures any more than to suggest that overtures would be acceptable. This Christmas did. He conducted Secretary White of the American Embassy to Lon- don and Copenhagen. At that point" said Mr. Fischer, ''his services ended The negotiations were then carried for ward by the American Minister in Dem mark, anL then to an American Minister at Washington. The Horring Ministry had gone out of existence and in few months was succeeded by the Sehested Ministry, to which Christmas made his secret report, setting forth the alleged obligations he was under to various Americans"
 This report was evidently made" said the lawyer, with the belief that 1t could never see the light of day. But its publication has showed it's absurdity. l am quite sure that Christmas never saw the men he mentions and I believe the report was made for the purpose of per- sonal gain"
 Brown Denounces Report.
 New York, March 29.-Wilber c. Brown partner of Abner Mckinley. whose name was mentioned In connection with the Christmas charges made public in Con- gress yesterday in connection with the purchase of the Danish West Indies, sent a letter to Representative Dalzell, chair man of the Investigation committee which stated that the statements so far as they relate to Mckinley and himself are un- qualiiedly maliciously false in every par ticular. He is anxious, he says to appear before the committee any time.
 State Department Won't Act.
 Washington, March 2S.-The State de- partment will take no steps to bring to the attention of the Danish government the charges against the integrity of Am erican statesmen preferred by Captain Christmas and yesterday brought to the attention of the House of Representa- tives The department regards the charges as unworthy of its attention by reason of insufficient evidence and obvi- ous error in statements of alleged facts.
 The department is perfectly aware also that the Danish government does not intend to pay one cent of the $500000 claimed by Christmas as his commission so that course nothing of that money could be used to corrupt any American statesman and newspapers.
 Denmark Takes 1t Light.
 Copenhagen, March 2s.-The Christmas scandal Is not discussed here, nor are the facts in the case published in Copen- hagen. although full account of Con- gressman Richardson's statement in Con- gress was telegraphed to the semi-of- ficial news agencies in this city.
 Denmark, however, has heard from both Captain Walter Christmas and Niels Gron, who also has claimed to have acted as a Danish agent in negotiating the sale of the Danish West Indies. Each claimed a commission, but the govern ment has refused to recognize either of them, declaring that neither was ever connected with the negotiations in the slightest degree. A newspaper referred to the controversy during the latter part of February, but 1t did not take Gron or Christmas seriously. Gron started for America soon afterwards.