No. 344.
Mr. Frelinghuysen to
Mr. Langston.
Department
of State,
Washington, January 2,
1885.
No. 321.]Sir: I have to acknowledge, with approval, the
receipt of your No. 692 of the 4th ultimo in regard to the imprisonment of
Mr. C. A. Van Bokkelen, at Port-au-Prince, for debt, and to say that a copy
of your dispatch has been transmitted to his father, Mr. W. K. Van Bokkelen,
at New York, in response to his letter of the 25th ultimo, a copy of which,
as a matter of record, I herewith inclose.
You will continue to exert every proper effort in Mr. Van Bokkelen’s behalf
to secure his early release.
I am, &c.,
[Inclosure in No. 321.]
Mr. W. K. Van
Bokkelen to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
155 Broadway,
New
York, December 25,
1884.
Mr. Secretary: I again call your serious
attention to the case of my son, Mr. C. A. Van Bokkelen. I have dates
from Port-au-Prince up to the 9th instant. I cannot too strongly praise
the energy shown by Mr. J. Mercer Langston, our minister resident, in
the case.
On the 3d he went with my son’s lawyer before the court, and his presence
made the judges say that in a week or two they would act; of course you
know what this means.
[Page 482]
On the 5th our minister made an official demand for my son’s release, and
received a reply stating that the matter had been referred to minister
of justice (same old story). Is it usual for your Department to refer
foreign ministers to our Attorney-General? To this reference, as before,
no reply had been received.
If I am correctly informed as to steps taken and demands made by our
minister in this matter, I do not hesitate to say that in the case of my
son all civilized rules have been violated, treaty obligations thrown
aside, and a determination shown upon the part of the Haytian Government
to do as they please, and to sustain to the extreme the first gross
violation of law in my son’s case.
I now ask that at once my son’s case receive, not in words, but by force,
the assistance of his Government, and that the steps taken will let the
bigoted, uncivilized Haytians know that passion shall not rule.
Thanking you for what has been done, I pray the administration will not
allow this case to pass over to the incoming one.
I am, &c.,
[Indorsement.]
Mr. Niles to Mr.
Frelinghuysen.
Dear Sir: The strength of this case is its
merits. From what I know of it, I cannot too strongly urge upon the
Department positive and prompt steps to obtain at once Mr. Van
Bokkelen’s release and indemnity for damages.
I am, &c.,
