Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-08-30


am too much affected to write you more
than to say that have this day been witness
to one of the most brutal acts of wanton in
humanity ever perpetrated in the annals of his
tory. This government, not content in re-
vengng themselves by the death of those un-
fortunate even if they were misguided men, and
which it may even be said was brought upon
themselves, deserves to be most severely chas-
tised for their conduct in permitting the desc
Grafton Of the senseless clay of our brave
countrymen. Forty Americans, four Irishmen,
one Scotchman, two Germans, one Italian, one
Philippine Islander, and two Habaneros, were
this morning shot about IL o'clock; after which
the troops were ordered to retire, and some
hundreds Of the very vilest rabble and negroes
hired for the purpose, commenced stripping
the dead bodies, mutilating their limbs, cutting
off noses and fingers, and digging out the eyes,
which they brought to the city on sticks and
paraded them under the very walls of the pa
lace. Oh ! the very remembrance of the sight
is frightful. l never saw men, and could
scarcely have supposed it possible, conduct
themselves at such an awful moment with the
fortitude these Americans displayed under
such trying circumstances.
They were shot six at time. Twelve
were brought to the spot 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 opposite to them, when they also were
shot! After being stripped and their bodies
mutilated in the barbarous manner described,
they were showed six or seven together, bound
as they were, into hearses which were used last
year for cases of cholera. No collins were al
lowed them, and think the manner they were
put into the hearses was equally as disgusting
as the other acts of the Spaniards. The heads
Of some were almost dragging on the ground,
and it had more the appearance of slaughter
cart on its way to market from the slaughter
house than that of a hearse conveying the dead
bodies of human beings. A finer looking set
of young men never saw. They made not "a
single complaint, not murmur against their
sentence, and decency should have been shown
to their dead bodies in admiration for the hero
ism they displayed when brought out for exc
cution. Not muscle was seen to move; and
they proved to the miserable rabble congrega-
ted to witness the horrid spectacle, that it be-
ing the fortune of war that they fell into the
power of this Government, they were not afraid
to die. It would have been a great consola-
ton to those poor fellows, as they repeatedly
asked to see their Consul, and through him to
send their last adieus, and such little memen-
tos as they might have, to their beloved rela-
tives in the States. One handsome young fell
low 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
triumph, when the people ofthe Spanish steam
er Habanero knew that the execution of the
American prisoners, whom they had taken at
Havana, was about to take place, fred ten shots
across or at the steamer Falcon, off Bahia
Honda, and Notwithstanding that this vessel
was we'll known to them, having, as she had,
the American flag hoisted, &C., she was detain.
ed and overhauled by these Spanish officers,
who, upon returning to their vessel, commen-
ced cheering and kissing at the Falcen, proud,
no doubt, Of ftheimpunity with which they had
detained an American mail steamer on the high
seas at their pleasure.