Mr. Harris to Mr. Hay.
Vienna, September 29, 1899.
Sir: I beg to report that I have this day cancelled passport No. 25, issued by this legation to John Wilson on June 6, 1899.
He made personal application for this passport, produced his passport No. 284, issued to him by the embassy in Paris on September 27, 1898, which he surrendered (and is now on file in the Department of State), swore he was born and still resided in Virginia City, Nev., and that he desired the passport for traveling in Russia. He also produced other papers which seemed to prove his citizenship and identity, but which were returned to him at the time.
Shortly afterwards he was arrested at Lemberg for violating some of the provisions of the criminal code, and wrote to this legation for assistance and protection. The idiomatic character of these letters led me to doubt that he was a native-born American, and I wrote the authorities having him in arrest to hold his passport until I could investigate the question.
It appears that in Paris he swore he was born at Bloomington, Ill., and resided at Brooklyn, N. Y., while the officers of the court at Lemberg write, under date of September 21, that Wilson now states he was born in Chicago. They also add that this same man, under the name of Julius Wilson, alias John Walker, alias Jules Barden, alias Julius Walker, was, on February 11, 1887, in the criminal court in Vienna, convicted of the crimes of fraud and theft, sentenced to one year’s imprisonment and to exile from Austria; nevertheless he has returned and is held and will be tried for other offenses against the criminal code.
On the 14th instant, I sent by registered post a letter to Wilson, asking for an explanation of the contradictory statements found in his applications, as above shown, but have received no answer.
The canceled passport which was taken from Wilson by the district court at Lemberg and which, upon my request, was returned to this legation, is herewith inclosed.
I have, etc.,