John Bigelow to Monsieur Druyn de Lhuys, March 27, 1866

Mr. Bigelow. to Mr. Drouyn de Lhuys

Sir: I am sorry to be compelled to invite your excellency’s attention to another case of imprisonment of an American citizen in France, upon the pretext of the liability to military service.

From information derived through different sources, I am advised that Francis Pierre, a naturalized citizen of the United States, whither ho was taken by his parents sixteen years ago, when but sixteen years of age, has been arrested as a conscript at Sarreguemines, deprived of his passport and naturalization papers, and thrown into prison at Metz. From the evidence furnished me of the character of this person, I do not permit myself for an instant to suspect him of having incurred this degradation through any violation of the laws of France; neither can I understand. why an American citizen travelling under the usual passport of his government should be subjected to indignities which ought only to be visited upon criminals.

I trust your excellency will find it convenient to give to Pierre’s case your early attention, that neither his imprisonment nor his separation from his family and his affairs may be unnecessarily prolonged.

I am sure it would be a satisfaction to my government, also, to know upon what pretext Americans, armed with the presumptive evidences of their nationality, should be imprisoned while the authenticity of those evidences is being tested. This is the third case I have had occasion to bring to your excellency’s attention within the last seven months of American naturalized citizens seized, stripped of their naturalization papers and passports and thrown into prison.

The two other cases, one of a Mr. Schneider, and the other of a Mr. Cochener, were the subjects of communications to your excellency, dated respectively the 10th and 11th of August last. Your excellency replied that the law of 21st March, 1832, committed the decision of nationality to the tribunals to which the parties in question should address themselves. Since then I have been favored with no information of the fate of these men. No charges of crime against them have been communicated to me neither has the news of their liberation, if they have been liberated, transpired at this legation. I am far from supposing that there has been in either of these instances any deliberate intention on the part of the French authorities to treat with disrespect the protections of my government, but I fear from what has occurred, and is frequently occurring, that such protections do not possess the value in France that in the United States they are supposed to possess. They are supposed with us to furnish presumptive evidence of nationality; in France it appears that, practically, they do not. I would be glad to know if such is the view taken by the imperial government. If it is, I would wish to be authorized to correct the grave misapprehension which exists upon the subject in the United States; and if it is not, it would gratify me to be assured that measures were to be taken to prevent a repetition of mistakes similar to those with which it is so often my unwelcome duty to trouble your excellency.

I pray your excellency to accept renewed assurances of the high consideration with which I have the honor to be your very humble and very obedient servant,