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Show AMERICAN HELD BY THE BRITISH Sailors Taken From Ship Flying Fly-ing the Stars and Stripes. New York, Jan. 4. Four American citizens were unlawfully deprived of their liberty by British officials when the American steamship Kankakee was seized by a British cruiser off Montevideo October 31 last. Two of these citizens are still aboard the Kankaboe, which, in charge of a British Brit-ish prize crew, has disappeared. jme otuci tv, nuu urriveu in icw York suddenly today, filed formal protest pro-test against their detention with R. G. Wagner, president of the American Transatlantic company, owners of the l Kankakee. The state department will be asked to demand reparation at once for the violation of their rights as citizens. It was learned today that the Kankakee Kan-kakee left Montevideo, flying the British Brit-ish flag, about November 25, ostensibly osten-sibly bound for England. She has not been heard from since. Efforts of the state department to locate the vessel have been met with announcement announce-ment that her whereabouts Is unknown. un-known. Agreement Violated. Tn taking the ship from Montevideo the British government violated an agreement made with the United States that the Kankakee would be released on bond pending a decision of the prize court In the cases of the Hocking and the Genesee. Alfred Mersburger. chief enelneer. and Charles Grecht. first assistant engineer, en-gineer, told the story today. Mersburger, Mers-burger, who was born in Germany, bc-oamo bc-oamo a citizen of the United States Grecht was born in Baltimore, Md., thirty-five years ago. The other Americans Amer-icans still on board are second and third engineers, Boyd and Cleary Boyd was a schoolmate of Grecht In Baltimore, deary's address Is not known. 'We left Norfolk laden with coal about October 4." said Chief Engineer Mersburger "On October 31, when we were in sight of Montevideo, the British cruiser Macedonia ordered us to come about A prize crew of ten men. one an officer and the others soldiers armed with rifles and revolvers, revol-vers, took charge of the ship. Refused to Answer. "We weire taken to the English bank, a shoal 100 miles out of Montevideo, Monte-video, and anchored The prize officers offi-cers refused to answer any questions Cnptain Ludwlg Thorsen " first made a verbal protest and later two more In writing, which all of the Kankakee's officers signed. No attention was paid to them. "Then we demanded the right to communicate with our owners. This Was also refused. All the engineer force of the ship protested that they were American citizens, but no attention atten-tion was paid to us. As It was apparent ap-parent T was German-born, they demanded de-manded to see my papers. I showed them to the captain of thr cruiser, but beyond saying they were satisfactory lie did nothing. "After lying at anchor for a week, we again demanded the right to com municate with our owners and friends We were told to write. Letters to our wives, as well as messages from the captain to Mr Wagner, wore handed hand-ed to the British officers. None wan sent for almost a month. "I wrote to my wife and gave the letter to a British officer. T returned return-ed to New York Sunday. It was not until Monday that my wife received the letter at our home In Brooklyn It came upon the ship Voltaire, which brought us home. Private Papers Taken. "Neither were we allowed to receive re-ceive mail All our private papers were taken on the Macedonia. An armed soldier was constantly on guard on the bridge and another in the engine en-gine room " "They seemed to have an Idea," said Engineer Grecht. "that we would attempt to escape inside the three-mile three-mile limit A British officer ordered Mensburger to disconnect the main steam pipe, which was to be taken on board the cruiser. He refused. After that all the fires were banked except one. 'Finally, on November 24, word was passed that orders had been received from the admiralty to take the ship to England. We were asked If we would sign new articles to sail under the British flag. I refused unless the American flag was to remain over the Kankakee. So did Mensburger. The Britishers said that wos impossible. Boyd and Cleary were practlcallv fore ed to sign. Captain Thorsen decided he would remain on board as a wit ness. "The remainder of us were put ashore next day at Montevideo, whence we were brought to New York after two weeks' delay." President Wagner said tonight: "There are 4000 tons of coal on board the Kankakee consigned to an American firm in Montevideo. This cargo Great Britain seems to have carried car-ried off. Of course I am notifying Washington." |