File No. 20362/20.
The German Ambassador to the Secretary of State.
Washington, March 4, 1910.
Mr. Secretary of State: I have the honor to inclose to your excellency a certified copy of two complaints against Mr. Alfred Clayton Johnson, vice consul general of the United States at Dresden. [Page 523] The complaints were made by Baron George de Crano and Mrs. Mary Humphrey de Crano, and relate to the settlement of an estate.
As vice consul of the United States Mr. Johnson has the privilege of inviolability of his dwelling, and it was impossible to serve notice of the complaints through the Royal Saxon authorities at Dresden in the usual manner, because Mr. Johnson would not give his consent to enter his dwelling for the purpose of serving the complaints. The Royal Saxon ministry of foreign affairs has therefore requested me to have the papers served through diplomatic channels.
I accordingly have the honor to request your excellency to have these papers transmitted to Mr. Johnson, and will call your excellency’s attention to the fact that the date fixed for the hearing of the case is April 23, and that it would be in the interest of both Mr. Johnson and the plaintiff to expedite the matter as much as possible.
I also take the liberty to request your excellency to kindly let me know when the papers have been served, in order that the official annotation of the fact may be made on the originals which are being held here temporarily and which are to be sent back to the Saxon authorities.
Please accept, etc.,