The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-09
PIERCE TAKES UP
GOODNOW'S CASE.
Charges Against Consul General
to Shanghai Considered IN
State Department.

Washington, Aug. 9.-Formal pre-
sentation of charges against Consul
General John GoodnoW at Shanghai
was made at the state department to-
day before Assistant Secretary Pierce
by George #. Curtis, an attorney rep
resenting interests in the Orient.
The matter will be taken up again
later by Assistant Secretary Pierce, at
which time it may be determined
whether the department will invite a
fuller statement of the charges and an
answer on the part of the consul gen.
eral. Secretary Pierce recently re-
turned from the Orient, and it has
been assumed here that he devoted
some time to an investigation of the.
charges against Mr.. Goodnow, which
are of long standing and were known.
to the department at the time of Mr..
Goodnow's visit here last winter, when,
the commercial treaty with China was
ratified.
Petition Was Filed.
When he was in the Orient a num-
Der Of American residents at Shang-.
hal presented to Mr.. Pierce a petition
signed by Americans, mainly mission
aries and representatives of religious
publishing houses. Fifty or sixty per-
sons Of this class attached their sigma
lures. The character of the charges
| brought to the attention of Mr.. Pierce
WAS Ill CllCCI ludC' COHSul SclleId
GoodnOWs standing as an official is
not good and the petitioners assert
that they do not feel safe under his
administration, but allege only in gen.
eral terms.
| 1.-THE official standing of the consul
general" the petition asserts, sis not
| good, and his course here has not in
spired the confidence Of the substan-
1 tial foreign residents of this port.
| Other petitions have been filed ask
ing the president to separate the judi
cia1 powers from the consulate under
Mr.. Goodnow. The documents by At
torney Curtis are said to be volumin-
Gus, and, it is claimed, go into the
public and private life Of Consul Gen
eral Goodnow in Shanghai and in his
home at Minneapolis. They are also
said to include an accusation made by
Mrs. Virginia Cary Of New York re-
garding certain jewelry said to have
| General Goodnow with the under
standing that they were to be re-
| deemed and which jewelry the COM
| plainant says was sold in violation OF
| the agreement. There were charges
1 also of alleged fraudulent issuances Of
! Identification and other papers on be-
! half Of foreigners at Shanghai.
Embezzlement Charge. 80 s's
| There is also a charge of embezzle-
| ment. in which it is claimed that the
! consul general compelled an attorney
in Shanghai to surrender a power OF
attorney Attorney Curtis makes the
| charge also, it is claimed, that he was
subjected to blackmail by the consul
general, and a large number of charges
are also presented here by Mr.. Curtis,
many of which are said to be support
! ed by affidavits complaining that Con-
| sui General Goodnow extorted money
unlawfully from a Chinese firm In re-
gard to the fictitious registering of a
| Chinese owned ship in the American
| consulate. The allegation Is that Mr..
l Goodnow received 500 taels In connec-
ton with this case, which he claims
A was an attorneys fee.
4 There is also filed an affidavit OF
one Zimmerman, an American mer-
chant at Chi-fu, charging GopdnoW
! with rendering two fraudulent judg-
! ments between the same parties.G An
!. other charge is that Mr.. Goodnow
compelled the Chinese government to
pay $4,000 for the loss Of a circus
during the Boxer uprising, when. a
bill Of sale was then said to be in ex.
istence showing that the supposed
owner of the property valued it al
$4,000.
Assistant Secretary Pierce Of state
department today continued the hear
ing. 1t is expected that Curtis will
conclude his presentation Of the case
by tomorrow. Mr.. Pierce will no
, make anything public regarding the
!. case, however, until October or No
:, vember, when he presents the full re.
port to Secretary Hay for transmission
, to the president Goodnow presented
.. Fl O. Stevens