Office of the Historian

Mr. Loomis to Mr. Hay.

Legation of the United States,
Caracas, December 29, 1900.
No. 538.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose a statement from Mr. Russell in reference to the arrest and imprisonment of our consular agent at Barcelona, who is not a citizen of this country, but a Danish subject. Mr. Russell says that no apology was ever made to Mr. Balz, and that his telegram to him, filed with the Government telegraph company here, was never delivered. Mr. Balz has been imprisoned before without cause and made to pay forced loans to local military leaders.

I have, etc.,

Francis B. Loomis.
[Inclosure.]

Statement of Mr. Russell.

On the night of October 22 I received a cable from our consular agent at Barcelona stating that he was in prison “incomunicado” by order from Caracas, and knew nothing of the cause of his arrest. I went the next morning to the foreign office and was informed that the consul had been arrested by mistake, but had been released with due apologies. The consul telegraphed me that he had been released without any explanation. On the 24th I sent a telegram as follows:

“Government has informed me that you were arrested by mistake, but on discovering the error you had been released with due apologies. Answer.”

This telegram was sent on the 24th of October, but was never received in Barcelona.