The Express.
London, England, 1856-11-05 00:00:00

CONFESSION OF A FILLIBIJSTER.

(From El Nicaragurnse. Sept. 10.)

At Ave o'clock on the evening of Friday, the 19th
test., Second-Lieutenant Jennings Estelle suffered the ex-
treme penalty of the low by being shot on the Plaza, for
the murder of Second-Lieutenant Charles Gordon, in the
guard-horse, In the city of Granada, while acting u officer
of the guard.
Estelle had been previously arrested for shooting lhomee
Edwards, and was when he committed the unfortunate act
for which be suffered death, • prisoner confined to his quer-
ten. He had a lair and impartial trial, sad the gentlemen
who sat in judgment upon him gave him every opportunity
to establish • defence, but in this he utterly failed. This
deed was committed without any provocation or without any
aggravating circumstance. He war sentenced to be hung,
but the commander in-chief caused it to be so far mitigated
as to allow him to be shot.

There waa • large concourse gathered to witness the els-
cation. Estelle walked with • firm step by the side of •
reverend father of the church, who prayed with him end
(or him from the guardhouse to the place of execution.
When he arrived at the spot where he was to breathe his
last he requested that his hands might be untied, as ho
wished to address the crowd. This request being granted,
be spike in a firm, unfaltering voice. In his speech ha
asked forgiveness of the dicers and soldiers of the Nicara-
guan army. Voices responded from the crowd, " God for.
give you I"
While in prison be wrote the following within, which
he requested to have published:—
" Granada, Sept. 15,1866.
"These are the dying declarations of Jennings Estelle :
"1 wee born is Marshall, Tennessee, in the year 1833.
and was raised frodi my infancy in Hinds County, Mamie-
eippi. I started to California in 1852. On the road I had
a thfficulgy with • man of the name of Howard, and shot
him. I afterwards shot a man of the name of Hays, bat
the wound did not happen to prove fatal. In the same
year I had a ottlftettity with Charles Robinsoo, and stabbed
him in three planes. My lust two dyficultiog while in
California Deceived at the State Prison, where I had bees
employed for the last two yean. After getting in the last
scrape I came to Nicaragua, and shut Thomas Edwards. I
afterwards shot Charles (indoci. I must ray that in all toy
difficulties I was not ones in my right mind. Twice I had
been forgives, and hope to be forgiven for them all. I think
there is • Gad in h that will and can forgive, and He
knows, and I know, that it was not I that killed Charles
Gordon. It was whiskey and my crony mind that did it. I
say that I was not in my right mind when I did the deed.
acid God knows it. Forgive me, officers and soldiers, and I
can die a happy man."

The Times says of the American Fitlibnater—
" The relation of touch-paper to gunpowder supplies his
only idea of the relation of man to man. Man was intended
to be shot as t►e spares fly upward—that is the design of
his creation. All intercourse of man with man that does
not produce this result is an anomaly to his eye, which
be hardly knows whether to charge most with folly, wicked-
noes, or blasphemy. The great Grecian philosopher de-
scribes heppiews as 'an energy ;* the Fillibuster adds to
this definition what the energy is—it is shooting your neigh-
bour theough the head. That is the bull's-eye of human
existence end duty. All other relatiowhips—pareutels
filial, or fraternal, public or priest*, commercial or social-.
give way to the relationship of the shooter to the shot.
That is the one fundamental and sacred connexion. Society
is valuable in so tar em it promotes this intimate tie. Did
sallies alone like hermits they could no shout one another.
but the social pinciple brings them together, and maims
this not only possible but easy."
The Austrian Gatefle hes a letter from Athena,
which says that the official journal of that capital had de-
clared that King Otho was neither thysictlly nor morally
in such a state of health as to render his presence at Athens
amasser, ! " This extraordinary language of the official
journal, says the letter, caused a scene of great violence is
the Senate. Senator Provelegis, who is personally devoted
to the King, tore up in the preselect, of the assembled Senate
the number of the paper containing the lints quoted, and
reproached the ministry for permitting such unbecoming
language to be used.

A letter from Constantinople, in the Gazette du
Mali, s►ys:—" The Persian Anitmerador, Ferronkb.Elnus.
brings to the Emperor of the French the decoration of the
order of the San of the Lion, worth 100,000 fr.; to the
Empress Begirds pearls and precious stones, worth
00,000 fr.; and to Prince Napoleon a rabre richly set with
precious steam, of the value of 60,000ir. He is also the
b f flee decorations, one of which is intended for
,Count Welewski."