The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-08-14
THE CALIFORNIAN.
For Me CaLedOnian.
TOT WC JUTtUONtWN'
The 95 Instances Of""Humbuggery,
TO THE EDITOR OF THE VERMONT


war; concerning biSSO S"uoSS H"FS low
remarks to make.
And the first thing,I confess, Sir, which
occurred to me, on going from your really fe-
TociouS title into the body of the sheet, was
the tremendous falling off, not only in Capt.
tails and Italics, but in the excuse for them.
treaty reminded me of case | once heard
Of where, by binders blunder, the flaming
ltOntispece of "History Of Pirates and the
most HOOdy Murders" was pasted upon the
NOdy of harmless "COOk BOOk !" BY the
general appearance of the types, was led to
Hicipntc that at least half of the 'nnety five
instances" would be "WANToN MURDERS
and, Gtbcing about tea time), that | might
"sup full with horrors" Accordingly, having
fortified my nerves with young Hyson, l be-
gan to read. / read the document carefully
through, and (will you believe it, SIR, 1 could
find only t'oo cases, and these not quite up to
my standard. What were they? Why, in
the first case, No 25.) it seems, that in 1882,
the Schooner Topaz contracted to transport
$50 Mexican soldiers from Matnmoras to Gal
weston Nothing was heard from her, until
some months after, one of her crew reached
teun officers had killed the master and mate,
divided some $4,000, to $4 900, of their mon.
ey, and forced the crew TO run her into Ana
huac where the crclo were imprisoned, on the
charge of Killing the ships officers, and were
only liberated on their agreement to be bound
to service for thsee years from which this
one escaped to tell the tale. The presumption
%, I, At 10 hat a, ~,
ed, and knowing what we do of mutiny and
i'racy in those seas, it would be presumption
indeed, to feel sure, until we see the evidence,
that the McXicans and not the ships crew
themselves, committed these crimes The
other ease is No. G7. 1t seems the Brig John
iyng at anchor in Tobasco, in 1882, was
bearded and taken by an armed force, on
pretcxt 1--WE are told) altogether unfoundcd.-
Can't. Hupcs was knocked down, cruelty beat
Zen and imprisoned and we arc assured that
he Subsequently died from the wounds rccciv-
led on this OCCASION. Noiv, lift was onlyprOr-
3D. that the prctext on which this brig was
boarded was altogether "untoundcd,' this
would scarcely be a case in point. a candid
man, however, who has had cxpcrtcn &c enough
" w y J'IS w liil'r IlHb 'liN SIoil - s7''''
until another is told" cannot help thinking
how would alter the case if Capt. Hughes
~as smuggling, rs Captains sometimes do, and
received the aforesaid wounds in n contest
with the legal Revenue ofTiccrs,-on the
whole, then, Sir, as only tara, out of the nine
ty.Gvc are murder at ALL and neither of these,
pro'cd to be so, except by cx-parte evidences
JbiS ia cprIoin1,, E,lI Of
nj the beginning! Thus much of the "RiRcty.
,prc instances IF acanto@ murdcr."
Let us now look little, Mr.. Patriot, at your
cases of "ROLJery, aggression, and Oatrogc,"
And here, am not about,to pretend that there
has not been too much cause for these cpithcts,
for know the Mcxicans have wrongcd us. | !
wish simply to examine your argument, as
serting that these 95 cases, arc the causes of
Fthe present War. Now, to begin with, you
'mqst acknowledge that the whole %, arc moth
Ing but claims after all; that is, they are on,
'dc OF the mattcr-the story told by the men
Fnsulted and injured in the occurrences NAM
ed; without, in any instance, the counterbal- |
Fncmg testimony on the other side. Claims
pm Governments always loom up large at first
NotEhg, not even dropscal patient under n
lhompsonian Doctor pines array so fast, as
Nhey do, under the Commissioners hands An
fAngry man just out of the heat of contest, and
Smartlng under injuries, always tells large
ls'orIes and needs to be, as every LAWYER
KNOWS, closely cross-q questioned to get at the
real truth This fact throws a shade of doubt
over the whole 95. We involuntary feel, of
'ach' as IT, ''it may be so, and may not-Jpt asc
should like TO see it prooed."
Dut, Sir, how you have stretched and thin
"cu out your facts, to make out the talismanic
"'hety-hve." 1t is somewhere related that the
''"ous Dr. Emmons, of Franklin, Mass OK
pressed the wish that he might die at ninety
, because, said hc-"ninoty.f1o SOulsds
"'" You are probably, of the same opin-
'"' Ono seventh, at least of the whole num-
vi, are claims of less than thousand dollars
'"'"' Two of them, mos 36 and S6,) are
""Vie ships Captains (whcther sober or not,
~ ucPonent saith pot,) were careless enourh
I ioSe overheard bundle of invoices, for the
al winch, three or four boxes ofmcrchan- s
L., "''e' very properly, condemned; for
-, periectiy legal transaction on the part !
'' "heNican authorities, it is asked that we ,
s.'o war with Mexico Inanotber case mo
$'1N seems that the master ola scbooner ;
's 10 pay promptly his port charges and G
uutesi the Collector of Customs took h
7' measures TO make him do so: for which. :
~ we are asked to 20 to war. In another
Al. S'o' o4) the grievous complaint is, that t
\ -, 'lAtangelo, nuturalizcd citizen of the Il
.0 states, the Editor ola newspaper in f
,,. ..0' and the accomplished master ofan in Il
Jung young ladies' school; having, by an Il
-"I0I, offended The Government. wnn nr |,