Evening star., 1940-12-06
j. ). Acts 10 Protect
Embassy Clerk Held
By Nazis in Paris
Mrs. Deegun Questioned; !;
Granddaughter Of Late
Senator Pritchurd

The State Department announced
today that the American Embassy
in Paris is taking appropriate ac-
ton" to protect the rights of Mrs
Elizabeth Deegan, an Embassy clerk
detained by German police under
mysterious circumstances after being
invited to visit British prisoners at
Paris prison.
The department was not informed
whether any charges have been
placed against Mrs. Deegan, or
whether the Embassy omcials had
been able to ascertain her present
whereabouts.
There was no official confirmation
OF news reports from Vichy that
Mrs. Deegen was accused by the
Germans of conniving to help Brit
iSh officers escape from occupied
France. 1t was believed here she
might have been detained for ques-
tioning about British citizens with
whom she had come in contact as
reception clerk at the American
Embassy in Paris, which looks after
British diplomatic interests there.
The last official word concerning
Mrs. Deegan, granddaughter of a
former Senator from North Carolina,
who also served as a District Su-
preme Court justice, was that she
left her apartment Sunday under
German escort and that her friends
were notified anonymously that she
would not be at work Monday. but
doubtless would report for duty
Tuesday. She did not report Tues
day. The State Department has re-
ceived no report from Paris since
Tuesday, communications from there
being routed through Berlin and sub
ject to considerable delay.
A brief official announcement said ::
THE Department of State has re-
ceived report from the American
Embassy in Paris concerning the de-
tention by German police of Mrs.
Elizabeth Deegan, q clerk in the
American Embassy. Paris is under
a military government.
Visited Britons in Prison.
ION the morning of December
l, two German civilians, presumably
members of the German secret
police, called at the apartment of
Mrs. Deegan and invited her to go
to the Cherche Midi Prison to visit
one or more British prisoners. This
was the second time within a week
that Mrs. Deegan had been invited
by the German authorities to visit
acquaintance at the prison.
"On December l she accompanied
the officers. Later in the day she
returned under escort to her apart
ment to obtain warm clothing. In
the evening friend of hers re-
ceived message from an unspeci-
fed source that she was comfortably
lodged and that while it would be
impossible to be at the Embassy for
work on December 2, she would
doubtless report for duty December
3. Mrs. Deegan did not report for
work on the morning of Deem
ber 3.
appropriate action is being taken
by the American Embassy in Paris"
Granddaughter of Senator. 81
Mrs. Deegan, a longtime resi-
dent of Paris. was employed by the
Embassy there on June 16, 1896.
Previously she had been employed
IN Paris by Thomas Cook g. Sons
and by the Paramount Film Co. u
A native of Biltmore. N. c., Mrs.
Deegan was educated in Asheville.
Her mother, Mrs. Thomas Rollins,
widow of prominent Asheville
attorney. lives in Asheville. Mrs.
Rollins is a daughter of the late
Jeter c. Pritchard, who served as
Republican Senator from North
Carolina from 1895 until 1903, when
he was appointed to the District
Supreme Court. He was appointed
to the Fourth Circuit Court of Ap-
peals the following year and served
until his death in 1921.
George Pritchard, an uncle of
Mrs. Deegan, served in Congress as
North Carolina Representative
in l929-3l.