Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-09
MRS. Won CLAUSSEN DENIED
REFUSED AN INTERVIEW BY
THE PRESIDENT.
Evidently She Expected This, for She
Left Statement With the Officials
and Gave a Copy to the Press.

Mrs. Ida Won ClauSSen, the beautiful New
York woman who wanted to get the ear of
President Roosevelt to complain of alleged
unfair treatment she received at the hands
of Charles H. Graves, United States min
lister to Sweden, was formally~refused au-
dience with the President today. In most
dignifed. even pleasant way, without rails
ing her voice above a conversational tone.
she said, on departing: II sent my card to
the President. He failed to see me: he
failed to protect me, as 1 hoped would be
protected as citizen Of America. What
ever the result is he must take"
Then she handed to newspaper men the
following statement she had prepared in
advance of going to the White House,
showing that she had reason to expect that
she would not be received:
Mrs. Won Claussen's Statement.
WASHINGTON. D. c., April 0, 1907.
ITO the Right Hon. Theodore Roosevelt
President Of the United States:
''Sir: Mrs. Won Claussen is in receipt Of
President RoOsevelt's refusal to see her and
redress the insults offered her by his rep
resentatives in Sweden, Mr.. and Mrs.
Graves. She cannot appeal again to the
State Department. as she received it's final
decision before she left Sweden.
Mrs. Won Claussen begs President Roose-
welt to at once appoint a committee Of ex-
perts to make sure that she Is Of sound
mind before she proceeds further in this
case. for she knows well, from previous re-
ports, that when President Roosevelt is
'cornered' he has a habit of appointing such
committees to help him out Of his diff
cultes.
Therefore. not caring to lay herself open
to further criticism Mrs. Won Claussen de-
mands that such committee be appointed
at once, otherwise she will call the ex-
perts in herself.
IDA NJ. Won CLAUssEN."
Her Visit Today.
Mrs. Claussen drove up to the White
House about 1890 o'clock. She was elab-
orately and beautifully dressed for the
occasion. Covering a dainty blue dress
of the finest silk was cream colored coat.
of cream color. ornamented with ostrich
plumes of the same shade. Beneath the
silk skirt when she raised it to protect it
ming of the finest sort.
Wearing a smile that carried the fat
policeman at the door Off his feet, she
over to John Hans, the doorkeeper of Sec
rotary Loeb. Hans, like the fat policeman,
failed to daily oyer the card, and fairly
1t. Everybody watched the outcome.
In a few minutes Assistant Secretary
Forster, with his true Virginia courtliness.
veaied to the caller that her business was
entirely with the State Department, and
that Secretary Loeb regretted that 1t
from the hands Of the Secretary of State.
"Of course, do not want to force my
presence upon Secretary Loeb" she said
to Mr.. Forster, but I cannot conceive 1t
possible that an American citizen with a
complaint to make Of ill-treatment at the
hands Of an American minister should not
be received by the President. I beg to
say good-day," and Mrs. Claussen quickly
entered her carriage after handing out the
statement.
Mrs. Claussen had been appraised yestev-
day that having made her complaint to
the State Department, she could not be
received at the White House. She had
sent a note to the White House seeking
an appointment with the President in or
der to make a verbal statement.
Mrs. Claussen Is Of the opinion that the
State Department will not give her the
'justice" she seeks.