Mr. Hill to Mr.
Choate.
Department of State,
Washington, April 14,
1902.
No. 895.]Sir: Referring to previous correspondence, and
particularly to the Department’s No. 735, of September 30, 1901, and to
your Nos. 687 and 692, of October 19 and 28, 1901, touching the reported
release on parole of certain prisoners at Ceylon and their return to
their homes in Germany, and the refusal of the British Government to
consider applications for release other than those in which the
prisoners are certified to be seriously ill, I have now to inclose a
further dispatch from Consul Morey at Colombo in which, adverting again
to the release of the four German prisoners, he reported the grave
condition of health of one of the American prisoners, F. M. Hearn.
The Department leaves it to your discretion whether, in view of the facts
already in your possession and of the consul’s present report of the
illness of one of the American prisoners, you will again bring the
matter to the attention of His Majesty’s Government.
I am, etc.,
David J. Hill,
Acting Secretary.
[Inclosure.]
Mr. Morey to
Mr. Hill.
Consulate of the United States,
Colombo, February 28, 1902.
No. 618.]Sir: Department instructions No. 251, dated
November 11, 1901, regarding liberated German prisoners of war, have
been received, and I have to further report on the subject.
I note that the British Government allows that prisoners of war,
Lavino and Walkie,
[Page 489]
referred to in my letter No. 599 of August 27 last, were released
for special reasons, and I am assured that the same was the case
with respect to John Winburg or Wynburg, another German liberated
last year.
Thus it appears that the said three men were not ill, neither was
Lieut. Thilo Von Trother, whom I mentioned in my letter to
Ambassador Choate, and to the Department in my No. 611 of November
20, 1901. Accordingly, so far as I can learn, four prisoners of war
of German nationality have been liberated here when not seriously
ill.
Since the liberation of the four men aforesaid, F. M. Hearn, one of
the Americans referred to in my letter No. 599 of August 27, 1901,
has been for three months seriously ill in the Colombo General
Hospital, of enteric fever, from which he is now convalescing. The
first physician of the hospital (Dr. H. M. Fernando) is of opinion
that this man’s recovery will be permanent, and that his life will
not be endangered by a continuation of his local captivity. I,
however, with all due respect for Dr. Fernando’s judgment, think
differently, and believe that if Hearn is returned to the prisoners’
camp he will be again ill and probably die, for he is very feeble
constitutionally.
I am, etc.,
