The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-08-25

at Havana. The steamer Empire City was
seen going in. on the l7th inst.
HAVANA, August i6--4t p. M.
The FSighyui Execution of nm Americans IN
Harana--Horribis Scenes-Ms,.h 10 The
American Flag Firing into The Stean,e,
Falcon
AIN TOO much all scted to write to you more
than TO shy that | have this day been witness
10 one OF the most brutal acts OF wanton inhu-
manity ever perpetrated in the anneals OF
histo.y. Not content, this government, in re.
venging themselves in the death Of these unfor.
tunate and, perhaps misguided men, and
which, it may even be said, was brought upon
themselves, but these Spanish authorities de-
serve to be most severely chastised for their
exceedingly reprehensible conduct in permitting
the dissertation, as they have done, of the sense
less clay OF our brave countrymen. This
morning
Forty Americans, One Italian,
Four Irish, One Philippine Islander,
One Scotch, Two Havaneros, and
Two Germans, or Hungarians
were shot at Ill o'clock--after which the troops
were ordered 10 retire and some hundreds of
the very viest rabble and negros, hired for the
purpose, commenced stripping the dead bodies,
WuthatiHR thCu IunDS ttdriit2 oub tHotT eyes,
cutting off their noses and fingers, and some of
the poor fellows (prvates) these wreteches
brought to the city on sticks, and paraded them
under the very walls of the palace Oh the
very remembrance of the sight s frightful.
never ssw men--and could scarcely have
supposed it ipossble--conduct themselves at
such an awful moment with the forttude these
men displayed under such trying circumstances.
They were shot six at time, i. e. twelve were
brought to the place Of execution, six made to
kneel down and receive the fire Of the soldiers,
after which the remaining six were made to
walk round their dead comrades, and kneel OPP
pOste TO them, when they also were shot. After
being stripped, ard their bodies mutilated in the
barbarlous manner | have described, they were
showed, SIX or seven together, bound they
were, into hearses, which were used last year
for cholera cases. No collins were allowed them ;
and think the manner they were put into the
hearses was equally as disgusting as their other
acts; the heads of some were almost dragging
on the ground, and it had more the appearance
of slaughter cart on its way to mark from the
slaughter house, than that of hearse conveying
the dead bodies of human beings.
finer looking set of young men | never
saw; they made not single complaint, not
murmur, against their sentence, and decency
should have been shown to their dead bodies, in
admiration for the heroism they displayed when
brought out for execution. Not muscle was
seen to move, and they proved to the miserable
rabble congregated to witness the horrid sr &C.
tacle, that, it being the fortune of war that they
fell into the power of this government, they
were not afraid To die. 1t would have been
great consolation to these poor fellows, as they
repeatedly asked, to see their consul and,
through him, to have sent their last adeus, and
such little mementos as they had, to their be-
loved relations in the States. One handsome
young fellow desired that his watch should be
sent TO his sweetheart But Mr.. Owens, the
American consul did not even make application
to the captain-general to see these unfortunate
countrymen in their distress, and their sacred
wishes in their last moments have been unat-
tended to- Lastly, at the very hour of their tri-
umph, when the people of the Spanish steamer
Habarero knew that the execution of the Ame-
rlcan prisoners, which they had taken to Ha-
vana, was about to take place, fired two shots
across, or at the steamer Falcon, off Bahia
Honda; and, Notwithstanding that this vessel
was well known to them, having, as she had,
the American flag hosted, &c, she was detained
and oyerhauled by these Spanish officers, who,
upon returning to their vessel commenced
cheering and Kissing Mt the Falcon, proud, no
doubt, of the impunty with which they had de-
tanned an American mail steamer on the high
seas, at their pleasure.