Baron Fava to Mr Blaine.
Washington, March 31, 1891.
Mr. Secretary of State: By my two notes of the 15th and 18th instant I had the honor to call your excellency’s serious attention to the occurrences of exceptional gravity which took place at New Orleans on the 14th, whereby four subjects of the King of Italy, who were confined in the prison of that city, were massacred by the mob under the leadership of two American citizens.
After having formally protested against the unjustifiable conduct of the local authorities, which were evidently recreant to all their duties on that occasion, I reserved to the Government of His Majesty the right to demand such satisfaction as it might think proper, since the occurrences in question constituted a patent violation of the stipulations of the treaty in force between our two countries which secures [Page 676] to Italian subjects residing in the United States the same protection that is enjoyed by American citizens, and which has always been extended to the latter in Italian territory.
The reparation demanded by the Government of the King, as I have had the honor to inform you in our interviews held during the last few days, was to consist of the following points:
- (1)
- The official assurance by the Federal Government that the guilty parties should be brought to trial.
- (2)
- The recognition, in principle, that an indemnity is due to the relatives of the victims.
Your excellency was pleased to declare to me that, as the Federal Government did not think it could take this view of the case, it declined to take the two aforesaid demands into consideration.
Under these circumstances, the Government of His Majesty, considering that the legitimate action of the King’s minister at Washington becomes inefficacious, has ordered me to take my departure on leave.
In obedience to the instructions which I have received, I have the honor to announce to your excellency that I am going to leave Washington as speedily as possible, leaving the Marquis Imperiali, His Majesty’s secretary of legation, in charge of the current business of the royal legation.
Be pleased to accept, etc.,