Fremont weekly freeman. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1850-1853, 1851-12-13
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE,
Felzo,O Citizens Of the Senate
and of the House of Representatives

| 0tU " HtC L1OuS0 " AetpFSoefttutSOCS.
4 congratulate you and our common con
, stituency upon the favorable auspices undel
which you meet for your first session. Oul
country is at peace with all the werld. The
agitation which, for time, threatened the
i fraternal relations which make us one people
is fast subsiding; and year of general pros
lperity and health has crowned the nation with
unusual blessings. None can look back to the
dangers which are passed, or forward to the
bright prospect before as, without feeling a
thrill of qualification, at the same time that he
must be impressed with a greatful sense oi
our profound obligations to benifcent Prov
idence, whose paternal care is so manifest in
the happiness of this highly-favored land.
Since the close of the last Congress, certain
Cubans and other foreigners resident in the
United States, who were more or less con-
cerned in the previous invasion of Cuba in
stead of being discouraged by its failure, have
again abused the hospitality of this country,
Iby making it the scene of the equipment Of
another military expedition against that pos
session of her Catholic majesty, in which they
were countenaneed, aided and joined by citi-
zens of the United States On receiving in
telligence that such designs were entertained,
/ lost no time in issuing such instructions to
the proper officers of the United States as
seemed to be called for by the occasion. By
the proclamation. copy of which is herewith
submitted, also warned those who might be
in danger of being inveigled into this scheme.
of its unlawful character, and of the penalties
which they would incur. FoEsome time there
was reason to hope that these measures had
suficed to prevent any such attempt This
hope, however, proved to be delusiTe. Very
early in the morning of the third of August, a
steamer called the PamPero departed from
New Orleans to Cuba, having on board up
wards of four hundred armed men, with evil
dent intentions to make war upon the author
tiles of the island. This expedition was set on
foot in palpable violation of the laws of the
United States It's leader was Spaniard,
and several of its chief officers, and some 9TH
ers engaged in it, were foreigners. The per
sons composing it, however, were mostly citi-
zens of the United States.
Before the expedition set out, and probably
before it was organized, slight Instructions
rv movement, which appears to have been soon
suppressed, had taken place in the eastern
quarter of Cuba. The Importance Of this
movement was unfortunately so much exag.
gerated in the accounts of it published in this
country, that these adventures seem to have
been led to believe that the Creole popula-
ton of the island not only desired to throw of
the authority of the mother country, but had
resolved upon that step, and had begun well
concerted enterprise for effectiDg it. The
persons engaged in the expedition were gen
orally young and iil-informed. The steamer
in which they embarked left New Orleans
stealthily and without clearance. After
touching at Key West, she proceeded to the
coast of Cuba, and on the night between the
It'll and 18th of August, landed the persons
on board at Playtas, within about twenty
leagues of Havana
The main body of them proceeded to, and
took possession Of, an inland village, six leagues
distant, leaving others to follow in charge Of
the baggage, as soon as the means OF trans
portaton could be obtained. The latter hav-
ing taken up their line of march to connect
themselves with the main body, and having
proceeded about four leagues into the country
were attacked on the morning of the 18th by
body of Spanish troops, and bloody con,
fct ensued; after which they retreated to the
place of Decentralization, where about fifty Of
them obtained boats and re-embarked therein
They were however, intercepted among the
keys near the shore by Spanish steamer
cruising on the coast, captured and carried tt
Havana, and, after being examined before {
military court, were sentenced to be publicly
executed, and the sentence carried into effec
on the 10th of August.
On receiving information of what had oc
Cured, Commodore Foxhall A Parker wa
instructed to proceed IL the steam frigate Sar
anac to Havana, and inquire into the charge
against the persons executed, the circumstan
ces under which they we're taken, and what
lsoever referred to their trial and sentence
Copies of the instructions from the Depart
ment of State to him, and of his letters to tha
department, are herewith submitted.
According to the record of the examination
the prisoners all admitted the offences charged
against them, of being hostile invaders of tn
island. At the time of their trial and execu
ton the main body of the invaders was still il
the field, making war upon the Spanish au
} thorities and Spanish subjects. After th
! laps of some days, being overcome by tn
Spanish troops, they dispersed on the Gath c
: August; Lopez, their leader, was capture
some days after, and executed on the first {
September Many of his remaining follower
were killed, or died of hunger and fatigue, an
the rest were made prisoners Of these non
lappear to have been tried or executed. Sew
eral Of them were pardoned upon applicatio
Of Their friends and others, and the rest, abou
one hundred and sixty in number, were sen
to Spain. Of the final disposition made {
these. We have no official information.
Such is the melancholy result Of this illeg'
+, and ill-fated expedition. Thus, thoughtles
= young men have been induced, by false an
5 fraudulent representations, to violate the la
d of their country, through rash and unfounde
expectations of assisting to accomplish politics
revolutions in other States, and have lost the
> lives in the undertaking. Too severe judg,
ment can hardly be passed, by the indignar
r sense of the community, upon those who, b,
ing better informed themselves, have yet lie
away the ardor of youth and an il-directe
love of political liberty. The correspondent
: between this Government and that of Spai
relating to this transaction, is herewith con