| Show PERSECUTION HERZ State Department Will Demand Indemnity demnity From France London June Documents proving the American citizenship of Dr Cor nelius Hers who was prominently connected con-nected with Panama canal matters are now on their way to Washington It Is said that Secretary Day has informed In-formed Dr Her that If he can show he has done all possible without avail through his lawyers to obtain compensation compen-sation from France for his seeming persecution the United States will take up his case It was announced In January 1897 that counsel for Dr Her presented at Washington a claim for Indemnity In the sum of 5000000 against the French government for the alleged illegal attempt at-tempt to persecute Dr Herz Dr Herz whn f > names ctnnds very hlcrh In scien tific circles as an electrician and physician phy-sician was born in France of French parentage was educated In New York and at the age of 16 years served In the United States army He married an American woman and when his children were born In Paris he caused them to be registered at the American consulate Jan 10 1893 while he was stopping at Bournemouth England with his wife he was arrested under extradition proceedings on a warrant from the French government charging him with fraud and embezzlement growing out of the Panama canal scandal Under the law a prisoner wanted for extradition extra-dition must appear at the Bow street police court Dr Herz was confined to his bed and so was unable to appear The case was kept open and he was kept under arrest In his bed for four years Then the British parliament came to his aid and passed an act for the magistrate to proceed to the bedside bed-side and take his testimony This was done and the magistrate promptly declared de-clared that the charges were Invalid and scarcely deserving of notice Her vas thereupon released from arrest Meanwhile the French government had Instituted numerous proceedings against him in France and confiscated all his property and that of his wife Dr Herz alleged that this was persecution perse-cution pure and simple and that the French government knew even before his trial that the charges against him were baseless Therefore claiming to have been injured In name and In health and in other ways he demanded that the state department should are sent a claim against the government of France Although he mentioned no sum the brief showed that he demanded the sum of 5000000 in a letter he sent to the president of the French republic which was never answered |
