Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1851-09-03
THE BUTCHERY IN HAVANA.

A desire having been shown in some quarters to
relieve the Spanish government in Havana from the
just odium and disgust naturally awakened in every
bosom by the revolving PROCLAMATION to which some of
the dead bodies were subjected after the massacre,
number of letters have been published in the New
York papers, dated Havana the 10th and 18th, all of
which confirm the butchery and mutilation as first
stated. These letters, it is stated of the most
liable characer-one of them from Spaniard himself
writing to his son in New York, and another from
gentleman known in the latter place to be man of
truth and high character. We make the following
extracts from these letters:
"The city of Havana has witnessed to-day the most
shocking spectacle which could have been presented
to the eyes of civilized world, and which even the
Kafirs would have beheld with horror. The pen
shrinks from describingit. The Roman people, when
it used to delight in its cruel entertainments remain
ed far beyond the Spanards here yesterday. After
the cowardly murder of 50 men, officers and soldiers.
they gave up certain number of them to unbrdled
rabbie, who, like vutures, divided the inanmate re-
mains of these unfortunate enthusiasts of liberty, who
fell, know not how, into the power of the forces
of the Government. We do not know how it occur
red. because there are so many different statements
that we do not know what to believe.
In their savage excitement, when they were re-
turning from the execution, with the members those
unfortunate men, the most horrible exclamaons
heard from them, and myself heard one who to
dine that day on the brains of Yankee. revolt from
continuing these accounts, and to conclude, will tell
you that the noise and cries presented faithful
minder of bull-6gh,ing arena on day of perform
ance."
"Whie rejoice in this success of our arms, [this
is from SPanard, and refers to the capture Of the
fifty men in the launches, l cannot but lament and
blush for the excesses which have been committed
by the rabble upon the corpses of those unfortunate
men, who perhaps have been deceived by onr ene-
mics to come here. I have seen pieces of the bodies
of those men, andparts Of their clothes shoes
in the hands of some of my countrymen, and have
been told that in front of the palace OF the General
There is situated the Dominica establishment. they
have been showing and triumphng over piece of
skull.''
The Spanish government has thus put ITSELF by its
own act, without the pale Of civilizations and has for
feed all claim to the forb earance of the people of
this country. 1t has, in all probability, sealed its
own doom 50 IA. as Cuba is concerned.
"VINDEX."
We ask the attention Of cur readers of both par
ties to the able Communication in paper to-day,
over the signature of q" Vindex.'
Our Correspondent is correct in his statement that
the doctrine of Secession held in this State has
been, that State secede only for just cause
,onal majority, and hope is left to the minority
but to fall back upon the reserved sovereign powers
of the States. This is the doctrine advanced in
the second Resolution of the celebrated Minority Re-
port submitted the last Legislature, and which has
been denounced by Whig leaders, for party purpos-
es. as embodying the most dangerous Disunion ten
dencies This is also the doctrine put forth by Mr..
Webster, in his Capon Springs Speech, to wit that
when the compact is broken the parties released
from it-or, in other words, when Congress shall
either fail to protect the undoubted Constitutional
rights Of the States, shall deliberately tramplc up
those rights, the minority of the people, thus in
jured and outraged, no longer bound to observe
the obligations of the compact.
Icannot be denied that many of the Wing leaders
in the late campaign in this State played most des
perate and disgraceful game on this subject. We
unite with Correspondent in the hope that those
who have been deceived by them this subject will
now look into it calmly and with the eye of reason,
and then form their own conclusions.