Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President, Transmitted to Congress December 2, 1895, Part I
Mr. Wetter to Mr. Uhl.
Tamatave, September 23, 1895. (Received October 31.)
Sir: I have the honor to hand you herewith an open letter for Mr. Paul H. Bray, stepson of Mr. Waller. This letter contains the extracts mentioned in my dispatch, No. 88, of April 20, 1895, paragraph 3, and is thus forwarded to Mr. Bray to enable the Department to peruse same before they come into other hands.
I think these extracts were made with the connivance or consent of Mr. Le Garrec, then barrister at law, now municipal administrateur (lawyer), as on the 5th of April I received a letter from Mr. Le Garrec, which I inclose, with the request that it be returned for the files of this consulate.
I am, etc.,
United States Consul
Mr. Garrec to Mr. Wetter.
Sir: I beg to ask you to be kind enough to inform me whether you found, or not, in the late Mr. J. Dublin’s papers, a document from Mr. Waller or Mr. Paul Bray giving him power of attorney in order to pay me a certain sum for reward of my assisting Mr. Waller before the military tribunal on the 18th and 23d March last.
Of course, as I was desired by the French authorities to defend Mr. Waller, I asked him nothing, especially as I knew that he was penniless. But Mr. Waller and Mr. Paul Bray told me that a power was given to J. Dublin in order that he might pay me at least $100 for my assistance. That sum was to be taken on the amount of a good deal of money which Mr. Waller or Mr. Bray was expecting by the next mail.
Should you have found such a document in J. Dublin’s papers, I hope, sir, you would have no objection to comply with Mr. Waller’s wishes toward me, as very likely the letters for Mr. Waller and Mr. Bray are to be sent in the future to your consulate.
I will feel very obliged to you if you could favor me with some information about that matter.
I have, etc.,
Barrister at Law
Mr. Wetter to Mr. Bray.
Tamatave, September 23, 1895.
Mr. Paul H.
Bray,
316 A Street NE.,
Washington, D. C.
Sir: Your letter of July 27 came to hand September 10. Your mail, it is claimed at the post-office, has been all duly forwarded, also that of your stepfather and his entire family.
I have not yet received word of “the allowance,” or, more correctly speaking, auditing of the fees in the N. O. B. C. case; hence I do not at present feel warranted in transmitting to you, or your sister, the fees allowed for services in said case, and deposited with me as security, until the Department should have passed on same, but will at once do so, as soon as I find same “allowed.”
I am, etc.,
review of the record of the preliminary examination.
First hearing—Waller.
He said: “The passage quoted from the letter of Ratsimanana (Rosmania) had a reference to ordering a revolver from me, the purchase thereof to be made by Bray, who was then at Mauritius.” (Such is the apparent meaning of the original of the foregoing paragraph. It is in very bad shape, as are sundry other portions of these French papers.)
[Translation.]
He said that in his letter to his wife he alluded to certain persons named Draper and Prudy, who had deceived him and told him to — them to the chief of police, whom he calls his friends.
Pudy (?) and Draper—miners from South Africa, whom he had known at the capital.
Hearing of Poupard.
He left in order to go to Tananarivo on the 12th of January. He said that Waller bore him no good will, having threatened to have him expelled from Madagascar in 1893, when he was consul.
[Page 331]Hearing of P. Bray.
He declined to state when his father-in-law sent his last letter to Tananarivo. After having said that it was late in December or early in January he declared that he remembered nothing about it, and said that he did not see all the letters that Waller wrote.
There are two rooms in the house which they jointly occupy.
Hearing of Waller.
He considered the two letters of January 23 as being so important that he did not even show them to his son-in-law. He took them on board all by himself. As to Draper and Prudy, he was unable to say under what circumstances he had known hem. He wrote to friends the two letters were not sent by him, because he thought that it would be of no use. His son-in-law had known nothing of them. He generally locked up his letters.
Those whom he called “secretaries” in his letter to his wife were Tessier’s secretaries.
Harvey-Panett (he does not know him) Ratsimanana (Rosmania) not the right spelling yet (matimeux); when he called him Ratsimanana by his right name, and wrote it; that was because he had his letter before him.
(Our friends) means when it does not refer to the chiefs of police, Waller’s friends at Tamatave.
(Indorsed Exhibit A.) Extracts from examination.
Extracts from letters.
- 1.
- He speaks of several persons who have applied for places on his Fort Dauphin concession, especially of one to whom he refers as “that friend of mine who called on you with me the other night.”
- 2.
- Various details—hopes of the Hovas that England will intervene, and expression of their intention to resist the protectorate.
- 3.
- Order for cha. (probably chapeaux—hats).
Directions as to the quality. Request that they may be sent before Christmas. Payment to be made to Mr. Waller. List inclosed.
[Letter from Waller to his wife, written in December, 1894.]
“Tamatave is now under military law and no one is allowed to leave here for the capital. I can not, therefore, tell when we shall meet again, but I hope that our separation will be brief.
“Let me caution you, my dear, to have nothing to do in the troubles between the Hova and French Government [sic], as such would only tend to embarrass you. Of course this does not prevent you from keeping up our friendly relations with our friends among the missionaries and Hovas, being careful always to refrain from any discussion on the present difficulty.”
[Letter from Waller to Mr. Chalom French, resident, dated December 20, 1894.]
He requests that “very important letter” may be delivered to his wife. It is the above letter, judging from injunctions which it contains. There is no record of any other. He offers to send it open, “if this is desired.”
[Letter from Ratsimanana to Waller, dated December 30, 1894.]
It contains a long account of the steps taken by him in order to procure the funds necessary to get Waller out of the hands of his enemies.
He immediately asks for news with regard to the situation of the French at Tamatave, and says that he has offered his services to his — for the war.
“Now, as you will be off to London and America, I beg to remind you of those things which I ordered, a list of which I herewith inclose, for fear yon will not find my first letter.”
“As to the revolver you promised to my father, he will be very glad indeed to have it as soon as possible [a passage cut out].
“I also beg you to send me five more, if possible, for me and my brothers.” * * *
[Page 332][Letter from Waller to his wife, dated January 20, 1895.]
He says that he fears lest the French have seized his last letter, and adds: “It was a godsend that they did not open Ratsimanana’s letter. If they had, Paul would have been shot on suspicion. Let me warn you to be careful.”
[Letter from Waller to Ratsimanana, dated January 20, 1895.]
Returns his thanks for the trouble that he has taken to get him the money which he needs. Says: “I will remember my friends who have stood by me in this trouble. I dare not write you on matters about the French and Hovas here, and when you write do not mention any matter as to the war, but only friendly and business matters, as all letters are opened and read by an officer in the French army here. Therefore, be very careful what you write. I will find you the things you ask for as soon as I arrive.”
[Letter from Waller to his wife, dated January 23, 1895.]
1. The matter of Geldard and Lyons. Reference to his own.
2. Geldart, Duder, and Poupard are as thick now as three in a bed, and Wetter is their god. I will inform you that D. and P. are on their way to Antananarivo, and they will likely reach there long before this letter leaves Tamatave.
Please inform M. Tessier and our friends that both of these men have been sent up there by the French to find out secretly all the movements of the Hova Government, which they will send to the French authorities from time to time. Therefore the Government had better keep a strict watch of these men and order them from the capital as soon as possible. Both of them are for the French. I shall slip this letter out by English steamer via Natal; then it will not be read by the French, as all letters are here at this time. I shall be anxious to learn that you have received this letter; therefore, when you get it do not mention anything you find in it, but simply say: Your No. 44 received. And please destroy it as soon as you and Mr. Tessier have read it, and not mention to anyone but Mr. Tessier and secretaries about the information which I send you.
3. Smallpox. Numerous rapes committed by the soldiers, which have been witnessed by him.
4. May God grant that the money shall have been raised and forwarded by you and our friends before this time.
5. Details concerning the material difficulties (hardships) of life at Tamatave. He proposes, moreover, to go up to Tananarivo as quickly as possible.
6. Let me know whether you received the passports or not, as it is a very important matter. They were sent through the French admiral here, and I want to know whether you have got them or not.
7. Tells the men having charge of his business at Washington that they must demand $20,000 damages of Mr. Wetter for having compelled him to remain here in the midst of such annoyances, both mental and physical.
8. Says that no reference must be made in the reply to what he writes.
[Letter from Waller to Tessier, dated January 23, 1894.]
1. I send an important letter, under cover to you, to my wife, which I will be pleased to have you hand her in person, on account of its importance.
I need not inform you that she will call your attention to a certain matter therein contained, the importance of which will at once challenge your most careful attention, and place our friends on their guard. This matter is strictly confidential, and I can assure you that our friends can not afford to lose any time in attending to it, etc.
Smallpox, rape, destruction of embles, wretchedness. Supplies of beeves.
Letter sent by British steamer, so that it might not be seen by the colonel.
He maintains that D. and P. are not Duder and Poupard. Explains that if he seems to be afraid of being shot, this is because he has been threatened several times by soldiers. He did not think, when he wrote about D. and P., that he could get them into trouble, for they are Englishmen; he merely wished to be revenged for the mean tricks which they had played on him by getting them expelled from the capital.
The promise made to Ratsimanana to send him what he wanted had reference simply to his order for hats and clothes. Bray did not bring a revolver from Mauritius because of this request to Bray by Ratsimanana, that he (Waller) put in his letter to his wife, “It was a godsend.”
His intention is still to sail for America, and if he speaks of going to Tananarivo first, this is in order to get his family.
Waller has already written two letters to Tessier, which have been viséed by the military commandant and sent, of which they do not —, not even Mrs. Waller, much less —.
[Page 333]As to Ratsimanana, he writes to him on business only, and even declines to give him the information concerning the situation which he asks for.
Intention. Result.
I have not wished to treat the report as a partial one, but merely to remark that it took no notice of the side.