Mr. Hay to Mr.
Choate.
Department of State,
Washington
,
November 1,
1900
.
No. 482.]
Sir: I inclose copy of a correspondence the
Department has had with Hon. Frank E. Wilson, M. C, and Mr. Andrew J.
Mulcare, touching” the desired release on parole of the latter’s
relative, a deported Boer prisoner.
You may bring the matter informally to notice in the proper quarter, not
as a request of this Government, but rather by way of kindly personal
aid to an American citizen to enable him to bring his petition for
relief of a relative to attention for consideration and such action as
circumstances may make proper.
I am, etc.,
[Inclosure 1.]
Mr. Wilson to
Mr. Hay.
House of Representatives,
Brooklyn, N. Y.
,
October 15, 1900
.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose you
herewith a letter received from one of my constituents which will
explain itself. I would esteem it a great favor if you could secure
the desired parole for Mr. William Smith, if it be consistent with
the practice of your Department.
Very respectfully,
[Subinclosure.]
Mr. Mulcare to
Mr. Wilson.
Brooklyn
,
October 11,
1900
.
Dear Sir: I respectfully ask your
cooperation in an effort to secure the parole of a near relative who
is now a prisoner of war on the island of St. Helena. A word from
you addressed to the Department of State at Washington, D. C., may
aid him greatly, and, I hope, would not inconvenience you.
[Page 466]
The young man was a member of the civil service of the Transvaal, and
begs that we endeavor to secure parole, that he may return to the
Cape Colony in order that he may make provision for his family. His
state of mind is pitiful, as you may judge by the following, quoted
from his last letter to me:
“Life here is very monotonous and I feel the confinement very much,
having now been a prisoner since the early stages of the war. My
wife, thank God, is well, but the two little daughters and the son
are ill.
“The war may drag on for another six or eight months, and to stay
here all that time will drive me mad.
“It is simply a desire on my part to return to the Cape Colony to
make provision for my loved ones. Last year this time I was happy in
the possession of a loving wife and children and a pretty home in
Doornfontein, one of the suburbs of Johannesburg; now, how
different. My home is looted and the wife and children are refugees
among hundreds of others.”
He closes his letter with an appeal to “not forget your kinsman, who
is eating his heart out on the prison island of the South
Atlantic.”
This young man is about 30 years of age. His name is William Smith,
and he is my first cousin, being a son of my father’s sister.
I feel that I may approach you in this matter on the common ground of
humanity.
By granting my request you will not only confer a great favor on me,
which I earnestly appreciate, but also upon over a score of this
poor boy’s relatives, who are, with me, interested in this
matter.
Very truly, yours,
[Inclosure 2.]
Mr. Hay to Mr.
Wilson.
Department of State, Washington
,
October 16,
1900
.
Sir: I am in receipt of your letter of the
15th, in which, referring to the letter you transmit from a
constituent touching the release on parole of the deported Boer
prisoner, a relative of the writer, you ask the Department’s aid in
the matter.
Pending consideration of your request, I have the honor to inquire
whether the young man, Mr. William Smith, in whose behalf the
interposition of this Government is solicited to obtain his release
on parole from confinement on the island of St. Helena, is a citizen
of the United States or was ever domiciled in this country. The
statements in the letter of your constituent (Mr. Andrew J. Mulcare)
do not make it clear whether Mr. Smith was a citizen of the South
African Republic or an “outlander” employed at Johannesburg, who, on
the outbreak of the war, took refuge with his family in the Cape
Colony.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 3.]
Mr. Adee to Mr.
Mulcare.
Department of State, Washington
,
October 20,
1900
.
Sir: Your letter of the 11th instant
addressed to the President has been referred to this Department. It
refers to the case of William Smith, a deported Boer prisoner, whose
release you seek on parole, and is a replica of the letter addressed
by you to the Hon. Frank E. Wilson and by him sent hither with a
request for the Department’s aid in the matter.
Mr. Wilson has probably communicated to you the Department’s
replya of
October 16, but in case he has not I inclose a copy for your
information.
You will see that it is essential that Mr. Smith’s American
citizenship or domicile be established before the Department can
give the matter consideration.
I am, etc.,
Alvey A. Adee,
Acting Secretary.
[Page 467]
[Inclosure 4.]
Mr. Mulcare to
Mr. Adee.
Brooklyn, N. Y.
,
October 23, 1900
.
Sir: I have your esteemed favor of the 20th
instant in the matter of obtaining parole for William Smith. Also
copy of letter addressed to the Hon. Frank E. Wilson.
Prior to the receipt of your letter I had an interview with Mr.
Wilson regarding the information required.
My cousin, William Smith, is not a citizen of
the United States. He is a native of South Africa, but I do not know
just when he was born. His mother was a native of Ireland and his
father of Germany. He never resided here, and the only time he spent
in this country was on a visit of several months’ duration.
I am aware that his release can not be asked for in any sense as a
right, but I do earnestly request, in behalf of over a score of his
relatives who are citizens of this glorious
country, the good offices of our Government toward securing his
release.
I beg to emphasize the fact that he desires to return to the Cape
Colony and not to the late scenes of the war.
At the outbreak of the war Mr. Smith was employed in the post-office
department at Johannesburg, and was commandeered (believe that is
the term) into service.
I beg to express my sincere thanks for the prompt consideration which
the Department of State has given this matter, and I hope sincerely
that there is some way in which the desired end can be attained.
Yours, very truly,
