Two foreigners, Jules Paty Louis and Regis Pral were kidnapped in Artizo. The kidnapping of Regis Pral, the son of a very rich industrialist from Valence, created a diplomatic incident between the one-time Prime Minister, Francesco Crispi, and the Sardinian authorities. Crispi ordered that the affair should be resolved; Regis Pral got his freedom without the ransom being paid, thanks to Giovanni Corbeddu Salis, one of the most ruthless bandits in the region.