Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1851-09-30
5TaE CUBAN

| peaTed in the Sun OF Inesoays on DehaNa az
prisoners of the la1e Caban Expedition, and with
respect To the statement relative to the Ansriean
Consul. ar. Owen, and the Presidents prOclama-
ton, says:
We cannot well believe that a gentleman so
intelligent as Mr.. Owen could have drawn the IN
references attributed TO him from the PTOetama-
lion ofthe President or haze sought 10 exeGse any
seeming %inacII0n or inability on his part, by the
terms or tenor of that document, with reference
to the time of its appearance, and the purposes
for which it was written.
SThe Proclamation was issued with the view
of deterring the IncOnsldeTate, unieHectlng, ana
misguided from embarking in an Gnlawiul en-
terprise. To this end It denounced such en-
~terprises as expeditions of robbery and plum
der, and warmed all who should engage 10 them
that they would thereby forfeit their claim TO
the protection of this government, or any IN
! ference ON their behalf, no matter to what eX.
tremities they may be reduced in Consequence OF
their illegal cOndnct. This was the necessary
and proper language o! such a document II
would have been idle TO issue II without IN
terms excluding the conclusion that, 1t any
enc should embark in sHch au enterprise, ne
would still remain under the projection oil ms
government. and that his county would inter
fere on his behalf.
AFTER The Illegal enterprise, however, had
been consummated, and when American cItI<
Zens were in prison in a foreign country, charg-
I eQH Will having Oeeu eUSRRPo III III u NCN4 III
ferent STATE of Things had arisen. Were they
all guIlty because they were accused? And u
taken all III NtgrGnh GeiicIO, were they cut an
from the sym pathies and the pardoning power
of their government? Is not "A government,
like n>indWidmal, frequently called upon to
interfere in behalf of offenders who frave fer
feited all claim upon society? Did not the Pre-
sident himself make immediate application TO The
Spanish government for the exercise OF their le-
Diency and rlemency to The prisoners arrested IN
this lawless invasion. Could he have made any
other appeal, under the law of nations %
The ~forty.five prisoners taken in the IOPezcx-
petition, still remaining in the prisons at Hava-
ma, (not get sent to SPain,) have published the
following card, in which they condemn, in the
strongest terms, the conduct of Mr.. Owen, the
American Consul. We give their statement,
(says the Baltimore SUM over their own names,
as follows
To Ms American puhic.-We, The undersign-
ed, prisoners incarcerated in the city prison at
Havana, ON account Olnur la'e Cuban expedition.
under the OnmaE of Gen. Lopez. cannot with
hold an expression of our feelings towards the
American Consul, air. Alien B.. Oven, OF GeOr-
gia, now at this place. Since our arrival al this
place he has honored US once with his presence,
but since that time. although repeatedly solicited,
has always steadily refused to revisit US, either
in his private or official capacity. Placed as we
are, we feel an acI OF this kind far more deeply
than if otherwise Circumstanced. How to aC-
cDunt for it We know not, but can only ascribe it
to that worst of all feelings, inhumanIIy, or thai
more degrading sill cOwaIdice.
We write ills that our fellow country men at
home may know what kind OF a mar is placed at
The head of their affairs at this Place. Signed
by: RObt. NJ Order, Capt. cammand,O g cOnpa-
ny B Lieut.. Edmund II. Mcdonald. jain B.
Brown, Charles Il Dnwner, VnI. l.. Wilkinson,
Peter La COste, and l53 others.
& II ,;, +. I,aroLo,o ~ 80 SJo
following letter from Consul Owen to the editors
of The Washington Republic, in which lie pre-
SCENTS his deFence for tue consideration Of his
cOuntrymen.
CONSULATE OF TIC UNITED STATES,
lln,Ana, Sept I6, 1851
To the Editor of tho RepublIc-Sir: In your
weekly issue OF the 28Ih nlt, you do me the JUS
tice to object to my without a hear
ing, and TO cay thatI am probably able TO explain,
10 tie satisfaction OF my co~nntTymcn, my Omis-
sion to act relative To- the execution of the prisO
ners VIII" were shot here oT lie 18th nit.
| do not dNub! that 1 shall satisfy every impair
tiaI mind that am unde<eTving ccnsure, and that
| had no opportunity Ofduing any thing in behalf
OF the unfortunate men whn met SO sad u fate
reside abunt fIIr miles from tins place, and
not being well on the morning of the 18th. did
not reach Try Office IflsOHe time after ten O'Clock.
where, tor the first lime, hcatd .! tke capture of
about fifty of the men who had rome viii, Lopez
to this island in the steamer EampeTO. ] at The
same time heard That the prisoners had been tried.
found guilty, condemned, ordered TO Be executed.
the order for their execution sent forward and
that they were about being removed from the
hatbos, where they were, to the place of execu-
tiUn.
B Shortly afterwards, the American residing
here who, 1t is said, called on me, came aud mem
toned the subject to me, when said to him il
was too late, and that ! could do ntlhing-ihat ]
should not have time to get permission and see
the prisoners OF this felt perfectly satisfied at
the time, and | have since been confirmed in this
opinion by the highest a%uthOriIy in the leland
vino informed me that the execution, which had
already been ordered before I reached the CITY,
would not have 6een postponed for me to have an
interview with the prisoners, inasmuch as all !
conld have asked 10 be permitted TO do had already
been done by a gentleman known to some of the
prisoners, and for whom they had sent.
Soon after the American referred 10 left nv
Office, received The information that a gentle
man known to some Of the prisoners had been
sent for by Them, and 10 him they had delivered
the articles and messages they desired TO be con
Veyed TO their friends. II was but a short tine
afterwards that sent TO the palace Of Ihe govern
brand captain general, and heard that the prison.
ers had then been executed.
You will thus see that 1 had no time to act, and
that 1t was not IN my power to do anything for
the unfortunate men who had been iudnceato in
wade Cuba with the expectation that tleV would
tlnd the whole island in a state Of revolution, and
that they would be received with open arms by
the whole native population at least.
The charge of Indifference to the dreadful
condition Of such a number of men. the bi,rPIest
enemy / have on earth will not believe . and ali
must believe it a base laIsehOod and an untound.
ed %calumDy.
il were allowable on such an occasion. I
wOnldtmost solemnIy derIare before God, that, in
my Judgment, at the time and under the cTrcnm-
stances, Il was not in my power either 10 have
an-intetview with the prisoners, or to have done
anything on their behaIf.~
am very respectfully,
your Obedient servant,
A OwEx.