Mobile register and journal., 1845-08-14
THE MASSACRE OF DAHARA.-The Heraldo

THE MASSACRE OF DAHARA.-The Heraldo of Madrid, publishes letter from it's correspon dent in Algeria, who is of the officers sent b, the Spanish Government 10 attend the operations o the French army in that quarter. The writer had witnessed the horrible destruction of the Riah Ka by tribe of the Dahara, and, whilst striving to justi fy the attrocious deed, fully confirms fea lures. We can afford room but for the following extract from his communication :-
 ''At half past four I proceeded to he grotto, with two officers of the Engineers, officer of the Artillery, and detachment of between fifty and SIX ty men of those corps. At the entrance there were dead animals, already in state Of purefaction, and enyeloped in woollen coverings, which were still burning. We reached the entrance amidst a foot high of ashes and dust and thence penetrated into cavity of about 32 steps, Nothing can convey m idea of ihe horrible aspect the presented. All the dead bodies naked. and in rosi ions denot- ing the convasons they had endured before the poor creatures expired; the blood dropped from ther mouths, owing to their putre!uctoD; but what made one shudder most was to see the number of infants at the breast lying amidst the wrecks of sheep, bags of heans. &c. One also beheld earhenwars vases which had contained water, boxes nf papers, and large number Of various other things; despite all the efforts of the officers, the soldiers could not he prevented from seizing upon them, searching for jewellery, ahd carrying away bouraouses all covered with blood. have bought a necklace taken from one of the corpses, and shall keep it, we'll as two yaiagans the colonel has sent us, memorials of this fearful Nobody tell what has passed in he groito-whether the Arabs, stihed by the smoke, resigned themselves to death with the Stoicsm they glory in, their leaders and the lana- tic Marabouts opposed their leaving the cavern. Be this as it may, the drama has been truly horrible, and never was more barbarous bravery displayed at Sagunium and Nunana The dead bodies amounted 10 between eight hundred and thousand. The colonel would not believe report, and | c sent other soldiers to count the dead. About 6t 0 were drawn of the groto not including all those heaped over one another, and the infants at tn :. breast, who were almost all concealed in teir mo thers' clothes.'
 APARALLEL A IN 15I0.-"A party Of citize and of inhabitants of tle neig ghborin5 plains h td chosen another place of refuge. In ihe mouDtaln', at whose base Vcenza is situated, IS cave, named the Grotto of Massano, or Songara.
 The cave, having narrow entrance, is easy of de- fence, and m the preceding camp"ign II had served us refuge for the neighhoring people. 5000 unor- tunate beings had retired there with all their goods the women and children at the back of the grot- 10, and the men guarded its entrance. A captain of French adventurers, named L'iIerissop, discov- cred this retreat, and with his troops made vain ef forts to penetrate into il but foiled by it's obscurty and it's wndings, he resolved sufocate all within il. He filled with aggois the part he had occupied, and set hre to them. Some nobes of Vicenza who were among the refugees, now entreaied the French 10 make an exception in their favor, and 10 let them ransom themselves, their wives and their children, and all of noble blood. But the peasants their com panions in misfortune, exclaimed that they should all perish or be saved together. The whole cavern in flames, and it's entrance resembIed lhe mouth of furnace. The adyenturers waited till lhe fire had finished its terrible ravages, 10 enter the cave and withdraw the booty winch they had pur- chased by such horrible cruelty. All had perished by sufocation, except one young man, who had pia- ced himself near chink through which little air had reached him None of llie bodies were dsh- gured by the fire, but their attitudes sufficiently ndi- cated the agonies they had undergone before death Several women were delivered in these torments, and their nlsnls died with them When the adven- turers brought back their booty to the camp, and recounted the mode of their obtaining it, they exct- ed universal indignation. The Chevalier Bayard went himself to the cavern with the Provost Mar. sha and caused him to hang in his presence, and in the midst of this scene Of horror two of the wretch es who had kindled the lire. But this punishment was not sufficient to efiace from the minds of ,he Italians the memory of so great barbarity. mondi's Hist. Rep. Ital., vol. l, page 47.