The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1853-11-17
THE MURDERED CAPTAIN.
A "REMINISCENCES OF THE MEXICAN WA

REMlNISCENCE OF THE MEXICAN WAR.
After the battle of Ccrro Gordo, tie
army was encamped near Jalapa, and as
Twas attached by the General Govern
ment to the First Pennsylvania Volun-
teers, and had some acquaintances among
the officers of that regiment, | found
nearly all the officers had comfortably
quartcred themselves in that delightful
place. After proceeding down very
billy street, on turning by {. cathedral [
came plump upon Lieutenant of t,IIil
adelphia company, a short, fat, good ma
tured fellow, full of mirth, who ON find
ing out my object, insisted on introducing
me to his mess, consisting of only his own
company officers. z-e 20 as
They boarded with an ancient Mexican
landlady, one Dona Villaverde; and more
comfortable quarters, | am bound 10 say,
a soldier never found Every evening we
had parties of the senoritas, visiting os-
tensibly the three fine daughters of our
. hostess, but really to enjoy little flirta-
ton with the ''Barbares del Norte," or
northern barbarians, as the Mexican jour
nails politely termed us. I enjoyed the
character of the captain of the company
very much, for he entertained the most
exaggerated opinions of Mexican perfdy
and cruelty, and was the only one of the
party who took no partin the amusements
Of the evening, being in truth rather sick
and very peevish.
He had read in some works Of the hor-
rors and atrocities of the Spanish guer-
rillos in the Peninsular war, and, said he,
eve have already had samples of it here,
by the Mexican guerillos; our men afro
ciously mutilated, prisoners butchered in
cold blood, no usage of civil warfare re-
spected, but" he added, '.what could be
expected of such a race? Spanish cruelty,
joined to Indian craft and cowardice; and
then to see you, poor moths, futterng
around the blaze that will at last consume
you. For my part, should as soon think
Of enjoying myself on my death h-bed; -.
and | never retire to my couch without
feeling a shuddering sensation, for the as
sassin's dagger may be my doom before
morning fa7'r.- ~
Thus fearfully eloquent did he become
on the horrors to be endured, and though
brave as Roman in battle, he become
completely terrified at the thought of
midnight assassins. One night of our
mess was taken with violent cholc and
the surgeon plaster, which our hostess APP
piled to the sick mans stomach with her
own hands; for the good old woman, l am
persuaded, entertained sincere friendship
for the whole party. The mustard plas-
ter worked wonders; the sick man recov
cred, and the old Dona became a prose
lyteto the mustard cure, and believed in
mustard as she did in her patron saint,
with the most undoubting faith; as her
daughters and female servants had ample
proofs Of,
For in every complaint, on went the
mustard plaster, until at last poor things
were afraid to complain of any sickness
for no matter where the pain was, in the
head, tooth, ear or foot, a plaster on the
abdomen was the universal remedy.
met our chamber-maid one morning near.
ly doubled up, waddling slowly along
"Why, Inez," says |, what is the mat
ter?' She applied her hand to the part
affected. made a ludicrous grimace, and
sighed out mustaza. Shortly after this
as lwas taking my siesta in our chamber
tor we had butone for the whole party,
heard my fat friend conyersing with our
hostess in particularly execrable Spanish,