Ambassador Francis
to the Secretary of State.
American Embassy,
Vienna, November 20,
1906.
No. 97.]Sir: The department, in No. 199, dated February
12, 1906, addressed my predecessor in the case of Mrs. Nic. Roman, of
Chicago, Ill., who, returning to the United States, was arrested at
Budapest by the police authorities. A prepaid steamship ticket via
Rotterdam was taken from her and she was told that she could not proceed
to her destination except by way of Fiume and the Cunard Line.
[Page 50]
This embassy, under date of March 1, called the attention of the imperial
and royal minister of foreign affairs to the facts in the case,
requested an investigation as soon as possible, and that suitable
reparation be made to Mrs. Roman.
The inclosed tardy communication, received by me to-day from the ministry
of foreign affairs, is self-explanatory; and as no word has reached this
embassy to the contrary, it is believed that Mrs. Roman’s steamship
ticket was restored to her and that she was permitted to proceed on her
journey without further molestation.
I am, etc.,
[Inclosure.—Translation.]
Imperial and Royal Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
88.447/8.]Referring to the esteemed communication of March 1, 1906, F. O., No.
184, the undersigned has the honor to inform his excellency the
ambassador of the United States of America, Mr. Charles S. Francis,
of the result of the investigations made in the case of Mrs.
Nikolaus Roman, which has been communicated to this department by
the royal Hungarian ministry.
Mrs. Nikolaus Roman, when she arrived at Budapest on her journey to
the United States, did not produce an American, but a Hungarian,
passport; she also failed to mention the circumstance that her
husband had acquired American citizenship, and furthermore she was
not able to prove that the prepaid ticket which she held was sent to
her by her husband from America.
If, therefore, the Hungarian authorities have proceeded against Mrs.
Roman in accordance with the decree of the royal Hungarian ministry
of the interior, No. 40000 of the year 1904, which is based on the
Hungarian law of the year 1903, Article IV, the said lady has to
bear all the blame of the misfortune she has suffered.
The royal Hungarian ministry of the interior, as soon as it received
knowledge of the contents of the esteemed communication above
referred to, issued the necessary orders to have the confiscated
ship’s ticket returned to Mrs. Roman without delay in case the same
had not already been returned to her before.
The undersigned avails, etc.,
Vienna, November 16,
1906.
For the
Minister:
Lad
Müller.
