The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-01-14
The Gold Robbery ON the Isthmus.

| The Gold Robbery the Isthmus.
The following interesting particulars of the gold
robbery on the Isthmus were officially communi-
Gated to the parties interested, in New York.
! WALTER X. JONES, esq,
| President Of the Board Of Underriiers, ". Y.
| PANAMA, Dec. u, 1880.
IL Is our disagreeabe duty TO advise you that the
specie train was attacked and robbed yesterday of
about 100000; the particulars as follows:
The last detachment had arrived yesterday about
| y. M, at spot named the Guayabal, when the
guard, Ramon Aras, suddenly ordered TO halt
| by five men, who appeared all at once on the side
| OF the road issuing from the woods; the guard,
| while looking at them, found his mules seized by
! the bride by five other men, who rushed forth
from the opposite side of the road. All ten were
armed; a double barreled pistol was presented at
him and fred but luckily only the percussion cap
went off One of the party, white man, then or
dered Arias, in English, to ego on" when he
clapped spurs to his mule, and escaped to house
some half three quarters of mile distant, to-
gether with the muleteers leaving four mule loads
of gold in the possession of the thieves
On arriving at the house of Mr.. Is. Quintero, MIR.
Aras found another part of the train waiting for
his arrival, to join the two attachments. The per-
sons composing that detachment-part of whom
were DIR. Paredes and a Mr.. Thompson-on hear
ing the news, at once returned to the scene Of the
robbery and found one mule still loaded, and that
three of the loads had been carried off by the rob
bers-the load of the mule left behind consisting
nent for them to carry The trail Of the robbers
was followed through the woods by the party until
| they came up with the thieves, when they com
menced firing on them with their revovers. The
thieves, who were calculated TO be sixteen III num-
ber then laid down their loads and advanced on the
party, returning their fire. The force OF the party
| being insufficient to contend with such number,
and their revovers being already discharged, they
were compelled to retreat speedily possible.
| despatch was at once sent to the writer in
| forming him of the circumstances just mentioned;
it received little past five. The writer at
once started full speed for the place where the
| robbery occurred leaving the Messrs. Hustado of
| this place to procure troops and send them after
him, which was done within an hour; but as they
| arrived long after dark it was impossible to
| follow the trail of the thieves; but guards
placed at different points the road to prevent the
| thieves from making their escape. With the sol
| ders arrived many of personal friends, con-
| sisting of Mr.. j. Hustado, MIR. h. Runneis Mr..
| Ziebelto, MIR. Mosquera, Captain Ackerman, Mr..
Follen, and others, making olerably large force,
for whose kind assistance you as well as ourselves
must feel deeply indebted
! At daylight this morning we all mustered at the
spot where the thieves had entered the woods, and,
as it had not rained during the night the trail
quite distinct and the brush being very thick, and
| almost impervious, we felt convinced should
soon track the robbers, from our having secured
the services OF Mr.. l.. Quntero one OF our best
woodsmen. On advancing some distance into THE
| woods, we found the trail divided, and there, at
| some little distance from the main one, we dis
| covered entire mule load, consisting OF seven
boxes alongside of two holes dug in the earth where
| the thieves doubtless intended to bury them and
| had perhaps been disturbed In the neighborhood
| we found several cartridges, two pairs Of white
cotton stockings, six barreled pistol, felt hat,
some pieces OF n California newspaper, and mo,
rocco leather slipper.
Captain Ackerinan, Mr. Follcn, and part of the
soldiers were left in charge OF the boxes, and to
convey them to Mr. Quintero's house, lille the
writer, Messrs. Runnes, Hustado, Ziebeo, Mos
guerra, Witty, Arias, and several soldiers pur-
sued the trail, guided by MIR. Quintero; we followed
the trail until II, NJ, finding the road sufficient
indications ofthe presence of the thieves to convince
| us that not far distant from them, such
cartridges, broken boxes, handkerchieis, &c. AT
II o'clock, wishing the gold under Mr.. Arias's
| charge to arrive tonight in Cruces, in order not
to delay the Crescent City, despatched MIR. Arias
back to Mr. Quintero's house to pack his loads and
go to Cruces
Our party followed on the trail for half an hour
longer when were suddenly hailed and ordered
to halt or would be fired at. | at ordered
the soldiers OF our party to fire. but before we could
do 50, blunderbuss was discharged at US, and
eral pistols shots. We then commenced firing at
them, when, fearing the thieves were drawing our
fire in order TO attack us when unloaded, ordered
the soldiers to reserve their fire and charge the
thieves. Messrs. Hustado, Runnels, Ziebelto, and
myself advanced on them leaving the soldiers, who
were encountered with their muskets, to follow
quickly as possible The thieves fled, leaving the
l gold they carried in their bundles scattered here
| and there in their flight.
| One Of the thieves being wounded, overlook
him some five hundred yards from the place we
! found them; his thigh bone was broken, and, in
credible it may appear, in this condition he run
| five hundred yards down the hill. The wounded
man was stout, powerful sambo, and, from his
voice, we recognised him as the person who hailed
US; and from his appearance we knew him TO be the
| fellow who snapped his pistol at Mr.. Arias. The
| salnbo refused to give any information for some
time, till by threatening him with instant death If
he refused, and promising him we would have him
conveyed to Panama if he informed, he at last told
us that he had arrived here some few days since
and had been led into this affair by friend OF his
who had escaped; that the party we overlook con-
sisted of six, viz: himself, his friend others,
and two Americans, whose descriptions he gave US;
that his companions had buried part of the gold,
| and that the six seated, waiting for the
arrival of another party concerned with them in
the robbery, when came up with them, and that
at first they misook us for their companions, until
undeceived On questioning him respecting the
rest OF the gold, he said the parties they were
awaiting had gone to house in the woods,
the Gorgona road, to bury part of the gold, and
that the house was kept by person named Bassi-
| enio.
We then returned to where the thieves had drop.
ped their plumber, and on examining their bundles
| found nine tin boxes (square,) weighing from ten
to twenty pounds each, black felt SLOUGH hat
pair of cashmere pantaloons with embroidered
penders; fine Panama hat worth twenty dol
lars wadding, consisting of California newspapers,
a double barreled holster pistol, and cavalry pis-
toll Alter searching for some mini tcs, and finding
nothing else in the neighborhood, we proceeded to
the house of Bassiento, but could find nothing sus-
| pcious there. We then went back to Mr. Quinte-
ro's house to procure men to send for the wounded
| robber. On arriving there we found MIR. Arias had
discovered three small boxes buried in the mud, on
the road, his return to Mr.. Quintero's house
The point of one of the boxes sticking up attracted
| his attention, and led to their discovery.
Having heard the firing, he delayed his depar
| ture to Cruces until hearing from US. We then
| despatched six men, some soldiers, Captain A. and
| Mr. f., with hammock to bring the wounded
man. and next, with the party of friends and
| Mr. A., went back where he had discovered the
| other half mule load, feeling convinced that the
missing half must be buried not very far distant.
| On searching the neighborhood we found small
pool, sounding which the part we were in search
| of, consisting of two packages, was discovered.
| All the boxes found entire will be despa tched
| from the Guayabal to morrow at ybreak TO Cru
| ces the tin cases we have brough back to Panama
as we cannot discover their owners. We shall have
them put up in wooden boxes, and sent to the agent
OF the underwriters by the next steamer.
/ The wounded man has just been brought in and
| lodged in the military hospital. The wound ia
very severe, and as We found piece of his thigh
| bone about the szc of dollar, which had been
broken and forced through the flesh, which VIC
picked up about hundred yards from where We