[Sidenote: Consular officers suffer indignities.]
Various Consular officers have suffered indignities and humiliation at the hands of German frontier authorities. The following are illustrations:
Mr. Pike, Consul at St. Gall, Switzerland, on proceeding to his post with a passport duly indorsed by German officials in New York and Copenhagen, was on November 26, 1916, subjected to great indignities at Warnemünde on the German frontier. Mr. Pike refused to submit to search of his person, the removal of his clothing, or the seizure of his official reports and papers of a private and confidential nature. He was therefore obliged to return to Copenhagen.
Mr. Murphy, the Consul General at Sofia, and his wife, provided with passports from the German legations at The Hague and Copenhagen, were on two occasions stripped and searched and subjected to great humiliation at the same frontier station. No consideration was given them because of their official position.
[Sidenote: Outrageous behavior of German officials.]
Such has been the behavior on the part of German officials notwithstanding that Consular officials hold positions of dignity and responsibility under their Government and that during the present war Germany has been placed under deep obligation to American Consular officers by their efforts in the protection of German interests.
[Sidenote: Neutrals on the _Yarrowdale_ held as prisoners.]
On January 19, Mr. Gerard telegraphed that the evening papers contained a report that the English steamer _Yarrowdale_ had been brought to Swinemünde as prize with 469 prisoners on board taken from ships captured by German auxiliary cruisers; that among these prisoners were 103 neutrals.
After repeated inquiries Mr. Gerard learned that there were among the _Yarrowdale_ prisoners seventy-two men claiming American citizenship.
On February 4 Mr. Gerard was informed by Count Montgelas of the Foreign Office that the Americans taken on the _Yarrowdale_ would be released immediately on the ground that they could not have known at the time of sailing that it was Germany's intention to treat armed merchantmen as ships of war.
Despite this assurance, the prisoners were not released, but some time prior to February 17 the German Minister for Foreign Affairs told the Spanish Ambassador that the American prisoners from the _Yarrowdale_ would be liberated "in a very short time."