File No. 351.622a/48a
The Secretary of State the Ambassador in France (Sharp)
1248. Reference Department’s telegram March 2 last. Piepenbrink case. Department advised that French cruiser Descartes to has stopped three American vessels of Steamship Line, and taken off on the certain persons as follows German chief steward, Schade, taken, oft steamer Carolina six miles off Port of San Juan; J. Lusor Rutter, Antion F. Doliorch, Austrians, of the engine-room force, and H. Krüger, a German of the steward’s taken off steamer Coamo about twenty miles off shore;1 William Guntherodt and Fritsch Lothar, two German steamer passengers, taken off steamer San Juan six miles northeast of Arecibo, Porto Rico. In the circumstances as known and understood by the Department the action of French cruiser in removing these persons from American vessels on the high seas is deemed to have been without right. Please ay matter before French Government and request their immediate release. Report by cable.
- Should read J. Lusoi, Antonio Rutter, F. Doliorch, and F. Krüger (File No. 351.622a/22a).↩