Mr. Wetter to
Mr. Uhl.
Consulate of the United States,
Tamatave, April 20, 1895. (Received May
31.)
No. 87.]
Sir: I had the honor in my dispatch, No.
82, of March 25 to state that as a sequel to the Waller trial and
case his stepson, Paul H. Bray, had been expelled from
Madagascar.
In further explanation of this statement and to enable you to have a
complete understanding of the case, I have inclosed herein copies of
all correspondence that has passed between myself and the French
authorities regarding this affair, as also of the letters that
passed between Mr. Bray and myself (the perusal whereof may be
interesting).
For nearly a week prior to his actual departure, with the exception
of one night, and that only because of John Dublin’s illness, Bray
sought shelter and food at my house. I offered Bray, when I received
Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna’s and Commandant Kiésel’s letters, an
asylum in the consular premises until such time as I should receive
instructions from you, or until the French authorities had satisfied
me that they were acting entirely within their right, not might, and
that his conduct warranted such action toward him.
Bray, however, wouldn’t hear of it, and besides he was anxious to get
on toward London to try and float the Waller concession, near Fort
Dauphin. Therefore I gave him such slight monetary assistance as I
could afford to spare, and confined my exertions in his behalf to
the protest against landing him at Zanzibar contained in my letter
to Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna.
I think the main reason for Bray’s expulsion was that he refused to
sign the evidence they tried to extract from him at a preliminary
hearing of the Waller affair, because same was not in English, but
in French, and Bray claimed not to know French.
I am, etc.,
[Inclosure 1 in No.
87—Translation.]
Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna to Mr. Wetter.
Tamatave, March 22, 1895.
No. 671A.]
Mr. Consul: I have the honor to inform
you that by a measure of high police on the part of the military
authority, Mr. Paul Bray, your countryman and stepson to Mr.
Waller, is expelled from Tamatave and will embark on board of
the Djeunah, expected here on the 25th
instant, for Zanzibar, where be will be handed by the French
consul to your colleague.
From the instructions I have received from the captain of
frigate, deputy of the chief of the naval squadron, you have not
in the least to care about the costs of this voyage, which will
be borne by the budget of the “occupation corps.”
Will you accept, etc.,
[Inclosure 2 in No.
87.]
Mr. Wetter
to Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna.
Consulate of the United States,
Tamatave, March 24, 1895.
No. 215.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform you
that your communication, No. 671, of March 22, 1895, was duly
received on the afternoon of the 22d instant.
The reason of this action against Mr. Paul Bray does not appear
in your communication, therefore I can only suggest that it
seems a very harsh measure to transport this young man to
Zanzibar, where he has no friends or acquaintances, and leave
him there without means of subsistence.
[Page 318]
I would also suggest that my colleagues there will in all
probability refuse to accept this man under such
circumstances.
Thanking you for your letter above mentioned, I am, etc.,
[Inclosure 3 in No.
87.]
Mr. Bray to
Mr. Wetter.
Tamatave, Madagascar, March 24, 1895.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you
formally that an order was served upon me about 4 p.m. on the
21st instant by a French gendarme, from which it appears that I
am to be expelled from Tamatave by the French military
authorities, per Messageries maritime steamer Djeunah destined for Zanzibar.
As the steamer is expected in a few hours whereon I am to leave,
I wish to make the formal statement to you that I have done
nothing that can in any way interfere with the French military
occupation of this place; but owing to the unfortunate position
of my stepfather, and the fact of my color and resemblance to
the Hovas, and of my having been previously arrested as a Hova
by the military authorities here, I consider that my life would
be seriously endangered by my remaining here after the receipt
of this order.
Under such circumstances I feel bound, for my own safety, to
submit and leave to-morrow as per the order aforementioned; but,
sir, I certainly feel that it is an outrage upon the rights of
an American citizen in this country for me to be thus driven out
of the country and forced to abandon my father’s family and
rights here.
As American consul I know that you would do your utmost to
protect me in all my rights, and I thank you gratefully for the
kind interest you have shown in your advice to me upon this
matter, but feel compelled by force of circumstances to request
that your efforts be confined to an impartial representation of
this case to the Department of State, as I honestly believe and
fear that any suspension of this order of expulsion demanded and
secured by you would only lead to my private assassination.
Although what I am to do in such a place as Zanzibar and how I
can in any way assist my poor father’s family I can not see, yet
any condition there will be preferable to my remaining here and
bearing the insults and the chances of being murdered by French
partisans.
However, on my arrival at Zanzibar I shall protest against being
landed there without means of subsistence.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 4 in No.
87.]
Mr. Wetter
to Mr. Bray.
Consulate of the United States,
Tamatave, March 24, 1895.
No. 217.]
Sir: Your letter of even date to hand
and contents noted. Agreeable to your request I will confine my
efforts in your case to a representation thereof to the
Department of State and to a representation to the military
authorities here of the injustice to you of landing you at
Zanzibar where you claim to have neither friends nor
acquaintances and will be without means of subsistence.
Remember you are welcome to an asylum here, and will meet with
every protection at my hands or in my power.
I am, etc.,
Edw. Telfair Wetter.
I certify this and the foregoing two pages to contain an accurate
copy of the originals on file and record in this consulate.
Edw. Telfair
Wetter,
United States
Consul
.
Tamatave, April 20, 1895.
[Inclosure 5 in No.
87—Translation.]
Commandant Kiesel to Mr. Wetter.
Mr. Consul: I have the honor to
acknowledge receipt of your letter, No. 216, of March 24,
received this morning, as also of a letter intended for
Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna.
[Page 319]
The letters written by the lieutenant-colonel are but notices
which may concern the inhabitants, and have, in my
correspondence, only an administrative and officious character
toward foreign consuls. I beg you to go back to my No. 85 of
March 22, in which I gave you notice that I must needs issue a
decree expelling Mr. Paul Bray. I therefore retain for myself
your letter addressed to Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna.
I regret that the first opportunity by sea presenting itself
should go northward, and also that the first foreign shore
should be Zanzibar. But it is absolutely necessary to defend
ourselves from hatred of too public a nature, the consequences
of which might be in all respects deplorable.
Assuming all the moderations compatible with the situation, I am
nevertheless resolved to rigidly enforce my right, which I hold
my strictest duty, against the abettors of hatred against us,
who, were they by a culpable weakness allowed to work secretly
in our midst, would to-morrow become our declared enemies. I
have requested from the administrative service an authenticated
copy of the decision of March 22 relative to P. Bray. I trust I
shall be able to forward it to you before the departure of the
Djeunah.
Will you accept, etc.,
[Inclosure 6 in No.
87—Translation.]
Decree expelling Paul Bray.
In virtue of the full military and civil powers which I have
received over Tamatave and the East Coast from the post captain
chief of the naval squadron by special decree dated December 28,
1894, I, the undersigned, Kiesel, frigate captain commanding the
Papin, on the report of
Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna, commanding the city of Tamatave in
the state of siege, and after acquainting myself with the
letters seized and produced before me relating to the John
Waller case, seeing that Mr. Paul Bray deceived the watchfulness
of the authority and dispatched letters, that he violated not
only article 3 of the regulations on correspondences, but also
the decree of January 26 relative to the postal service, and
that it results (from the letters seized) that he had previously
dispatched compromising information to Antananarivo, in view of
the necessity of defense, decide that Mr. Paul Bray shall be
expelled from Tamatave, and it is forbidden him to sojourn
anywhere in Madagascar.
This decree shall be immediately enforced by first opportunity.
He will therefore be placed on board of the Djeunah, of the Messageries maritimes, and landed at
Zanzibar, where he will be handed over to the United States
consul.
The lieutenant-colonel commanding of the place of Tamatave and
the chief of the administrative service are both charged, each
in his own jurisdiction, with the execution of the present
decree.
Issued at
Tamatave, March 22,
1895.
Kiesel
.
