The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-12-31
FIR. Thrasher's Last Address to his C0un
trymem.l .aT
... Received frsm Havana by tie PrcmotlCus)
Is A DUNGEON oFTuE PUSTA CASTLE
HAVANA Nov 81 1851, {

/ 81
Received frsm Havana by tie PrcmotLCus) ...
Is DUNGEON orTuE PUSrA CAsTLE,
HAVANA, Nov. 81 1851, )
To THE GovERxMESr OF THE UNITEDSTArEs OF
| AMERICA, ANDTo MY Fellow CoUSrRYMES
An American citizen, deprived Of liberty and
denied Justice. respectfully begs leave to lav he
fnrc you the following facts and appeal Upon
leaving the steamer Georgia, on the l6,h OF
October last, was suddenly, and without pre-
vious accusation, arrested and taken to the
office of the police. On searching my person
and that OF gentleman who accompanied me,
NJ papers or letters Of any kind we're found
upon either Of us. We were then taken to the
hotel where | boarded accompanied by tho
Chief Of Police, who demanded to he shown my
room. On ascertaining that | had no room
! there, we were taken to my residence, and ali
| my papers seized. The gentleman who accom-
panied me was then put at liberty. Myself and
all my books and papers were taken TO the resi-
drnce of one of tie police commissaries, where
four days were oecapicd by two government
Interpreters in reading my letters. On the 81
October, was thrown into a dungeon Of the
CITY prison, and all communication nfmy friends
strictly prohibited. On the Goth, I was remov.
cd to my present dungeon. and the Fiscal of
M;litarv Tribune made his appearance, and be-
gan judicial examination. On the 2)ih this
was continued, and then | saw no one. until the
! 4 II INST, when the questioning was proceeded
with ; and on the Oh again questioned,
and finally Informed that was accused Of trea-
son. AT tne same time, | was required to Sc
lect one from list Of officers that was present
ed to me, who should conduct my defence
! Not knowing any of them, chose one at ran
dom, surprising he would consult me and with
my legal advisers, as is usual in such cases, in
/ Il ~, ID l., I
for ,hc first time allowed to see my friends, and
to consult with them as 10 the best course tc
pursue. conferred with our Consul, and he
passed several communica ions in my behalf tc
the government here, all of which have beer
utterly d;sregardcd and not replied to. On the
lth, was informed that was to Ee brought
u? the next day for sentence. l immcdiately
wrote to my nominal defence to come at one,
to cousn't with me, and to bring with him thu
rr,co cd:ngs which where in writing. He rcpi
f cd, verbally, that he would come in the after
mon. He did not come, and entered at once
prntr ST against the proceedings, aledgng tha
! had not been heard, and that neither mysel
n,r legal advisers he'd been consulted for
proper defence. sent this to tie President o
The Military Commission that night, who refused
to receive it, saying that it could only be admit
ted by the Captain General. Tie American
Consul, Mr.. Owen, as soon as informed of this
proceeded to the balaEce, and protested agans
sentence being pronounced as | had not ye
| been heard n de cncp.
In the morning, my nominal defender cam
! to nv prison to inform me that he had been al
lowed by the court only twenty-iour hours
prepare my defence; that he had been occupie
t till that mcmcnt examining the proceed n :
/. r;ch were vouminous, and that within an hou
| he must return them to the Fiscal. On til
1 I t,t- l,cfo fi,1
posed of brgadicr general and six officers {
Y the army. The testimony and proceedings wcr
: read before was brought into court, which
h contrary to law and to custom; and whe
brought in, was asked what had to say I
! the charges against me- / replied that ha
y not been furnished with copy of the charge
), that had been denied access to the proceed
t inrs and testimony-that my nominal defend,
d had neither consulted with me nor with IN
:, tc,unsci--and that now asked that my prote
d and petition for stay of proceedings should
r admitted. | was told by the President Of tt
IS court that 1t should be considered. | was RI
t, manlc! ta my dungeon. and heard nothing mol
n of the proceedings until to day, when l ha,
been f,rnal.y notified that have been SCI
l. fenced to eight years, labor, in chains at Ccut
<, in Africa, with payment Of costs
Is 1t is unn'C cssary for me to enlarge upon ii
n. innpr pviety Of bringing me before court ma
$, ial in time of profound peace: on the injusti
y o. sentencing me without hearing: on the U
rs ter contempt ofnternational law, civil rights a,
te reaiv stipulations, in my trial; or upon t
wilful disregard, n the manner Of proccedin
ne Of the constitution and rules Of the very CO,
IL which has assumed a jurisdiction over me wit
out ri ,h, has tried me withoat crime, and Sc
~ fenced me without defence. The goyernme
Y. tha, has the power and the will to commit the
,cts is bpyoud tho reach ~ reason and my on
g. recourse is to appeal 10 the physical power
,,c our own government for that protection viii
ir ITS moral power has not been able to extc
he over me, and to ask from my fellow countl
l. g men sIch countenance as will encourage I
executive in the manifestation of firmness, 4
he carry some appreciation of na'ional rights a
Nv national duties to the Il arts of the unscrupulc
ny rult rs of Cuba 1 socmny affi N That ha
~, never had any come ction with the parties W
ne invaded this island, and that the only groun
Ii for hatred to me, on the part Of the governmt
ed and Spanish portion Of the population here, n
rs that | am an American; that | refused to ahj'
rs my nationality one year since, when reqni
nd by this government to do sn or to abandon
he business was then engaged in: that suceor
S. g, far as ! able, those Of my unfnr'nn
lr cnun'rymen who were captiyes here; and that
,rk the court, had the independent spirit dl
i'm call it andacty) to rely upon my innocence {
may rights an American citizen. liav
ned been denied just,c | ask at the hands
i've ihc American government and the Amer
;fc people, that liberty Of which am so iniquitou
Ise, d. pr we'd. AL the horrors Of the Spanish gall
md b, fore nc, and my only hopes are i'll the s,
,sc. pathies ofmy countrymcn, and the prompt act
iial Of our national government.
J. S. TiIRASHER
VI