Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 7, 1896, and the Annual Report of the Secretary of State

Mr. Uhl to Mr. Olney.

Embassy of the United States,
Berlin, December 31, 1896. (Received January 15, 1897.)

No. 228.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit hereto appended a memorandum report of certain military cases, particularly mentioned below, which have not been referred to before in my correspondence with the Department.

Military cases of: 1, Nicholas C. and Samuel P. Nissen; 2, Emil Seyller; 3, Wendel Gillen; 4, Emil Weller, and 5, Alphonse Berchem.

Your obedient servant,

Edwin F. Uhl.

[Inclosure in No. 228.]

Memorandum military case report.

• No. 1. Nicholas C. Nissen and Samuel P. Nissen, brothers, born in Schleswig-Holstein, emigrated to the United States, where they became naturalized as citizens, and returned with their families on a visit to their native place in the spring of 1896. The embassy first heard from them in May last, when they wrote to say that they were expecting to be ordered to leave Prussia. In reply to this letter they were informed that no action could be taken in anticipation of possible trouble, but that they should communicate with the embassy at once in case they were in anyway molested. Nothing more was heard of the matter until July 25 last, when a letter was received from them to say that they had been ordered to leave by the 1st of August and that it was impossible for them to be ready to go before the 6th of that month. Intervention was at once made in their behalf, and on the 2d of August the embassy was informed that they might remain in Prussia until the 7th without molestation.
• No. 2. Emil Seyller was born in Alsace-Lorraine and emigrated to the United States, where he became naturalized as a citizen. In September last he returned to Germany in order to settle some business matters, and upon his own request permission to spend two weeks at his native place was granted him. Subsequently, upon application to the embassy to interest itself in his behalf, permission to remain in Alsace for an additional month was obtained for him.
• No. 3. Wendel Gillen was born at Heisterberg, in the Rhine Provinces, in 1870, and emigrated in 1889 to the United States, where he became naturalized, at Carlyle, Ill., February 27, 1896. In August last he returned to Germany on a visit to his parents, intending to go back to the United States about October 15. On the 19th of August he was compelled, in order to avoid arrest, to pay a fine of 200 marks, on account of his having failed to report for military duty and subsequently, on the 4th of September, he was ordered to leave Heisterberg within ten days. He then brought his case to the attention of the embassy, and on September 14 intervention was made in his behalf, the result of which was that the money paid by him as a fine was ordered to be returned to him. He also was able to carry out his original intention as to the length of his visit, for although the foreign office informed the embassy on the 13th of November that the Prussian Government did not find itself in a position to cancel the order of expulsion in the case, Gillen had, as a matter of fact, not been molested further, and had of his own accord left for the United States about the middle of October.
• No. 4. Emil Weller, an American citizen of Würtemberg origin, a resident of the State of Michigan, caused the embassy to be informed that an attachment upon certain property coming to him by inheritance had been made on account of his failure to perform military service in his native country. Upon intervention made in his behalf in September last, the foreign office replied to the embassy by indicating a course which if followed by Weller would result in the removal of the attachment complained of.
• No. 5. Alphonse Berchem, formerly a German subject, now an American citizen, residing in England, who had already been expelled from Prussia, applied to the embassy to obtain permission for him to come to Germany for fourteen days. The embassy made intervention in his behalf in September last, and in reply was informed that the permission desired would be granted him upon his addressing the request, as usual in such cases, to the local police authorities.