Mr. Eustis to Mr. Olney.
Paris, December 12, 1895. (Received December 23.)
Sir: Your telegraphic instructions, received November 30, to inspect the Waller record, if the present cabinet maintained the offer made by the preceding one, was acted upon at once, but owing to the illness of Mr. Berthelot I could not ascertain immediately what his intentions were. Mr. Ricard, who during three or four days acted in his stead, had at first declined to take any action in the matter, but after an interview I had with him on the 4th instant he consented to submit the whole record to my inspection, and gave instructions to that effect. On the 5th I was informed that the papers were at my disposal, and on the next day I examined them at the foreign office.
The Waller record consists mainly of the following papers: The sentence of the court, embracing part of the proceedings already communicated; reports of various officials charged with collecting the evidence; interrogatories of the accused and witnesses in the secret preliminary proceedings, called in French l’instruction; two letters of Waller, written at Tamatave under date of January 23, 1895, and addressed, one to Mr. Tessier, an agent of the Hovas, the other to his wife, both of whom were then at Antananarivo.
In order to understand the significance of the information communicated, it must be borne in mind that the French had a garrison at Tamatave and the Hovas had one at Farafate. These two points were distant from each other a few miles. In the letter to Tessier he describes the condition at Tamatave—that smallpox is raging; that many are dying; that there are more than 100 French soldiers in the hospitals; that they have dysentery and fever, and unless there should be a change in the weather very soon the fatality of both soldiers and citizens will be very great. Then he speaks of the scarcity of provisions; of the arrest of several Hovas who were reported to have been shot.
To have communicated the enfeebled and straightened condition of the garrison at Tamatave might certainly have provoked an attack by the Hovas from Farafate, the information being given to an agent of the Hovas.
He described the rapes and outrages committed by French soldiers upon Malagasy women, and says that it seems strange that civilized men should commit such crimes upon poor Malagasy women, and speaks of much Malagasy property having been destroyed by the French troops. Whether these statements were true or false, they were certainly calculated to increase the horrors of war by provoking retaliation on the part of the Hovas.
He writes that all mail leaving Tamatave for Antananarivo is read by the colonel of the French army before it can pass; that he has a chance to send this letter by the English steamer via Natal, because it will escape the eyes of the officials.
In his letter to his wife he denounced D. and P., who were identified as Draper and Purdy, as French spies, and asks her to inform Tessier and friends of the fact. It is true that he advises that they may be sent away from the capital, but he doubtless knew that spies in time of war are not banished, but are usually shot; and when asked by the presiding officer why he exposed these two men to be executed, he replied that he did it from motives of revenge. I am credibly informed that these two men were American citizens.
[Page 304]He says that he will slip this letter out by English steamer via Natal. Then it will not be seen or read by the French. That if she acknowledges receipt of this letter not to mention anything in it, but simply say “your 44 received,” and after she and Tessier have read it to destroy it, and not to mention its contents except to Tessier and secretaries; the latter are interpreted as meaning secretaries of the Hovas government.
He details outrages committed by French soldiers upon Malagasy women, giving a terrible account of it. He adds that no one will know what he is suffering for the Malagasy, and that he is liable to be shot at any moment.
These letters are in the handwriting of Waller, and at the trial he acknowledged having written them.
I inclose herewith copies of your telegram of the 7th and of mine of same date with reference to inspection.
I have, etc.,