No. 36.
Mr. Heap to Mr. Hunter.
Tunis, March 16, 1874. (Received April 10.)
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that in consequence of my demand of the 20th ultimo, repeated more energetically on the 7th [Page 53] instant, the three murderers of the dragoman of the consular agency at Bizerta, who had been released by the Bey, have been recaptured and placed in jail.
The prime minister sent me an official communication yesterday to that effect.
It appears that the least guilty one of the four criminals, but who is at the same time the poorest, was not released with the others. He was their servant, and is the one who was sentenced to the bastinado and hard labor in chains in the galleys.
3. The minister sent Mr. Conti to me twice to express his regret for the release of these men, which he attributed to a “mistake” in one of the bureaus.
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I am, &c.,