Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1845-08-19
The Dahra Massacre.

A correspondent of the Madrid Heral.
do, at Algiers, who accompanied the ex-
| pediIon TO the Dahra, under Colonel Pal.
i issier, fully confirms the accounts given ia
the French papers Of the dreadful massacre
OF The Arabs in the Grotto Of Frecheh.-
the writer OF The letter is an officer Ia the
/ Spanish army, who was sen. out TO Algiers
10 witness the operations of of The French
against the Arabs, aud he was himself ar
eyewitness Of the whole of this dreadful
transaction ; and though the letter is writ
ten in spirit which shows the writer's
wish 10 paliate rather than to exaggerate
the ailais,it proves clearly tina, the account.
| published by the French papers, dreadful
| as hey are, do not come up to the full hor-
| ror of This shameful outrage on humanity
Phe following is the account given by this
| otfiear:-- tu ae M aHf
| '.On tho 18th Of June some Kabyls adj
adyanced,apon US by The left bank Of one
! ofihe streams which fall into the lake cal.
led the Ronjarah, or Bel-amria. They
fred upon US and did not cease their fire
even wien company of our men were
sent 10 cut down their fg-trees and other
fruit trees, and 10 burn down their houses
| went with this battalion, ard [ advanced
with some officers, fifteen soldiers of the
Gonum Cavalry and as many infantry, 10
reconnoitre the afoitoes, where il was
known that considerable portion of the
| tribe Of Oulad Riah and some Of the lead
ders Of the conspiracy had shut themselves
| up, with the intention of defending them
selves.
/ When we arrived within so or go yards
lofihe grotoes, we saw SO or go Kabyles
who ran away, no doubt with the intention
Of concealing themselves in the caverns.
Some Of them came towards, and fired al
us from a grea. disiance, which had the eff
lect, however, Of making the Gonum cav,
airy abandon US. One of The guides in
duced one otthe kabyles to approach as,
and he WAS told that il they they did not
surrender they would be burnt by the
French, who had fifty six mules loaded
with conbusiible materials. The Arab
answered that they were determined 10 de-
fcnd themselves. On The 18th we started
al an early hour with two battallions and
half, piece Of artillery, some cavalry,
and the regimen; of Gonum, to besiege
this famous grotto, or cavern, which we
had discovered the evening before on the
bapks OF the Frecheh river, and which is
called the Gharel Frecheh. After having
posted chasseurs before the openings, on
| the side which was most accessible, the
troops began TO cut wood and to gather
straw t. light the fire al the western en-
trance. and thus to obiige The Arabs to sur
render because any other Kind of attack
would have been very bloody and almost
impossible. Al ten O'Clock in the morning
we began TO throw faggots from the top Of
the Kanera, but the fire did not show it,
self till the forenoon, in consequence of
quantity Of wafer that was at the mouth of
the cave, which prevented the wood from
burning.
La the evening the sharpshooters advan-
ced and surrounded the entrances to the
cave, but Notwithstanding Ibis, one of the
Arabs succeeded in escaping on the east
| ern side. and seven others reached The river
where they supplied with water. About i
O'Clock we commenced TO place faggots as
eastern entrance, and this time they took
fire readily, and the smoke, driven bv tibet
wind, penetrated into the interior Of the
cave At the same time fire was lighted
at the two other entrances to the cave on
the other side, and by singular circum-
stance the wind thus drove the smoke and
the flames into the interior, without almost
any appearing outside, so that the soldiers
were able TO push the faggots and burning
straw into the mouth of The cavern, as it
they were feeding an oven. II is imposi
/ BILE to describe the violence of the fire -
The flames rose to the height Of the Kan
terra (about 10 yards and thick wreaths oil
smoke rolled into both mouths of the cav.
ern. The soldiers continued to feed the
fire during the whole night and did not
cease till daybIeak. But then the problem
was resolved. There was no longer any
noise from the inferior. At midnight how
ever. some shots had been heard in the in
terror, from which il is supposed that they
fought. At half past four | marched TO
wards the grotio with two officers of engi.
necrs, an officer Of artillery, and SO or &c
soldiers Al the entrance we found some
animals lying dead, already in state o.
putreiaction, and covered with wooler
4 cloths, which were still burning.
We arrived al the entrance Though &
heap or cinders and ashes foot deep, anC
from thence we penetrated into the greai
cavity to the distance Of perhaps thirty pa
ees. Nothing can give an idea Of The nor
rible spectacle which this cavern presen
ted. All The bodies were naked, and in
lpositions which showed the convulsicn:
they had gone through before expiring
and blood issued from DER mouths, owing
10 The putrefaciion. But what caused the
greatest horror was to see infants at their
mothers breasts, lying in the midst of the
remains Of sheep, sacks of corn, &c, &c
! There were also vessels which had con
tained water,boxes Of papers,a great quan.
| ,i;y of property. In spite Of the efforts Of
The officers. the soldiers could not be pre-
vented from taking everything they could
lay their hands on, or from searching foi
, Jewels, and wrenching them all covered
with blood from the dead bodies. | bough
a necklace taken from one OF the dead Tod
les. and i keep il and two yaiagans giver
10 IRE by the Colonel, as souvenirs or ihl
) dreadfuI scene. No one can know wha
, happened in The inieriar OF. the groiio du
, ring the night; whether the Arabs, sufoca
led bv the smoke, resigned themselves Il
/, death with the stoicism which is IT. cir elor,
/ or whether IT was their leaders and th'
jfar.,ic,l Marabotxts "a bo auncSSH their co