Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-12-13
Letter from Mrs. Thrasher.
From the Picayune.

HAVANA, Nov. %, 1851.
| To his Excellency Millard Fillmore, President Of
the United States:
Honored Sir.--The undersigned mother Of
Mr.. John s. Thrasher, begs leave to call your
attention to the following facts respecting her
son. / would, in the first place, state that he
was born in Portland, Maine, the native place
of his parents, and is therefore an American citi-
zen. On the 10th of October, while in the usual
pursuits of his business he was arrested and de-
tanned by the police his property and papers
seized, and on the 21st Of said month he was
placed in solitary confinement in the city prison,
and on the 18th, in adnngeon at the Punta Cas-
tie and during all this time, and until the 18th
inst, | was not permitted to see him. On the
18th, he was allowed to see his friends two
hours each day, when, to my surprise, he was
not able tos,inform me Of the cause of his arrest
and Imprisonment. On the 18th he was told that
on the following day he would be brought up
for sentence. On the 10Th, a court-martial as
sembled, consisting of seven military officers,
one of them being the President before whom
the fiscal prosecuting attorney read the sever
al charges against him, and without evidence.
He not being present, but under a guard ofsol-
diers in another part of the building, did not
hear the charges, to know their substance.
After the reading, he was brought before the
court and asked by the president what he had
to say for himself in defence. To which he
replied that he had been denied a copy Of the
charges, and had not been allowed counsel in
his defence; that he asked time to enable him
to bring evidence to prove his innocence OF all
crimes or charges against him. But all in vain;
and, after various questions were asked in an
insulting manner, he was again sent to his dun
geon, where, on the 2lst, the fiscal accompa-
MED only by his clerk, appeared before his gra-
ting and read to him the sentence approved by
the Auditor of War: "because the criminal had
done nothing to disprove the accusations against
him." and signed by the Captain General, with
out remark. The sentence is seight years, hard
labor at Ceuta, in Africa, with payment of
for the "crime Of treason" {" del'to de
infdencia.") He was not sent to the Moro Cas-
tie, and two days after, when | called on the
Captain General to ask that he might not be
sent away while the illness of his father pre-
vented his seeing him, | was abruptly told that
he would sail in thirty-six hours time for Spain,
and he has sailed this day for Cadiz in the ship
Hispano Cubano, there to have his sentence
put into execution. The undersigned most
earnestly duplicates your Exeellency, as the
head of the Government of my nation, to hear
ken to the entreaties Of a mother, that justice
may be done. ask not for mercy; but that
the rights of my son, an American citizen, may
be promptly attended to, and that such %instr"c-
tons he sent to our Minister in Spain and
at Cadiz to procure his immediate re-
lease, and his return to his country. My many
years residence here gives me a knowledge of
character, and the indecent haste to
send my son away before the arrival Of steam
BIS from the United States, adds to my fears of
he consequences of even a fewhours delay lit
having frequently occurred that on a pardon or
elcase being granted, it was pretended that
he prisoner had died, or could not be found,
md he was left to lisger his life in a dungeon.
also beg that a copy of all the proceedings,
which were denied to my son, may be deman-
led, and that should it prove he has been most
dealt with Gas | firmly believe) that
here may be also demanded pecuniary salts
action for the loss of his property and his bu-
mess, from this Government, which, against
realty stipulations, have committed this gross
utrage upon him, IN American citizen.
l humbly ask your kind attention to this APP
cal, which | cannot make in person in conse-
uence of the illness of my husband. Having
le fullest confidence that it will not be made
!, vain, | subscribe myself your Excellency's
umble servant,
FANNY P. THRAsHER.