The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-08-04
THE DESTRUCTION OF GREYTowN.

attending circumstances oil the recent act oil
wanton and dissrceiul barbarism perpetra-
ted by our government at Greytown,ibe more
ipdeleusible and attrocious do they appear
in all their several stages. The course Of
the Transit Company in is quarrel with the
town authorities, placed them originally IN
the wrong, which all their successive acts
have only deePened. not relieved. The
whole affair is so perfectly monstrous and
exeerable us to be almost incomprehensible.
Ii seems unaccountable that our government
should have been 50 infatuated us to c' or a
measure whose atIocity was sure to cover
its perpetrators with odium n, home, and
with disgrace throughout the civilized world.
Its cowariice is only equalled by its wanton
welcomes and its Injustice, while the
dainning fact that all this destruction has
beon wrought to crafty The malice Of the
alder, abettor. and protector Of q deliberate
murderer. adds ten-'old 10 the guilty CON-
plicity OF the administration which espouses
the cause Of tie assassin and his accomplice.
Nor can we screen the commaEder OF the
Cyane from his full share Of the responsible
~ that properly belongs to him in this deep
disgrace 10 the American Navy. u is not
enough to say tina; he only acted in ACCORD
ance with the orders he had received irQ--.
the government. Even IL this were true, q
there no limit To CON pliance with the orders
Of superiorsl Is it sufficient to say in ex.
cuse for perpe,ra,ing deeds Of outrage and
cruelty, disgracelul to the age. that they
were IN accordance with his orders! Mus,
an officer become pirate and q felon, il
government SO order' Bat even this excuse
will not serve. There were no ord,Is Ion
the CLOSING scene OF arJUn, pillasp, and
drunken debauch which Concluded this car
nival OF crime. These were gratuities Tor
which Commander Hollins must have al the
credit, and enjoy all the honors, aud clearly
attest how willing an Instrument he was in
the hands of the cowardly miscrcants, whose
Infamous orders he evinced = much alacrity
in fulfilling. and upon which he improved
by the addition OF burning, sacking and
dcspoiling the desolared town.
And when II Is known that this sudden,
cruel and indiscriminate destruction n Grey
town, was but The closing act of u long g
ries Of outrages. in which all the wrong w
on the side Of power wrraked upon the veal
and the de(enceless, words are wanting b
enable US to express in adequate terms our
abhOrrenee aud indignation.
Tie prOximate cause Of tho recent out
rage has been already stated to have been
the deliberate murder of q native OF Nicara
qua, whose boat bad been run imto by one
Of the steamers Of the Transit Company. II
seems by the following letter to gentleman
in this city, written by an American citizen
who witnessed the destruction OF Grey
town, iha, this man Borland, who to tht
di'grace Oi our country has been clothc
with the representative powers, insiigatst
the murder, as well us sought to protect O.
murderer.
IRvING HorsE, July %, 1854, y
The proSimate cause OF the rec nj wanton
destruction Of our town was the homicide by
the Captain Ofthe Transit Company's Slean'
er III. l.. ROuth, which was descending the
river with the May passengers, and ran into
BunSo, (nasive boat. injuring it conside
ably, whereupon The patron and owner o.
the Bungo demonstrated and demanded pay
for bis injury, threatening 20 shoe, Captain
Smith some accounts say aim,G his gun
ut him. The Steamer proceeded down
river, when the immortal Scion BorsE.
Minister Plenipotentiary of the Uniss,
States to Central America, said TO the Cap
tain, "Why didn't you shoot the d-md
black" (ihe language is too gross Tor pub.
lication.)
The Captain turned the Steamboat, which,
By this time, was about hElf mile below
the scene oflhe dispute, and ran back against
the current OF the river to where the Bupae
laid, and having meanwhile been below aud
loaded his rifle, delibera -ly dropped @ one
knee and shot the patron of the Bues Ga.
He went below and expressed regret q, the
dced-said he wouldn't have done it If
Borland" had not told him to do it. The
victim was o very respectable man, Near
aguan named Antonio, and has formerly
been pilot On the Steamboat.
Upon the arrival OF the Steamer at San
Juan, complaint having been made, war
rant was Issued for the arrest OF Capt Smith,
who at first seemed willing to submit, when
Borland interfered, and rifle in hand, stood
on the guards Of The boat, telling the Mar
shall IL he stepped on board he would shoot
him that Smith should not be ai.ested /;
that he tBorland) VS. American Minister,
and called upon the passengers to aid him.
protect the Minister, but did nothing except
talk.
The Marshal returned without bis prison.
or, and In the course Of tho afternoon Bor-
land came on shore and went to the house
Of the Commercial Agent, remaining until
evening meanwhile report came ashore
that the passengers were coming to burn
the town, anl tho authorities stationed the
police along De shore, iorbidding boals to
land after dark. During the evening boat
was sent ashore from the Steamship for BDr-
land, which was not permitted to land, and
Dor ~ns obliged to remain ashore all
night. From this arose the report OF the
imprisonment Of the Minister.
Pending this..a rumor was circulated that
the homicide (Smiih) was at the house Of the
Commercial Agent, and an excited rab5le OF
the cOutrynen ofthe yicim went down to ar.
rest him without warrant or authority, and
BoTland came down stairs and exasperated
them still more by his harangue in thelchoi.
cest kind of dialect, such MS Webster does
not iurnish-ol scum Of h-ll, &C., &C.,
The Mayor appeared on tho ground and
denounced the crowd, but could not disperse
them, when some one threw b,ttle which
some accounts say hit him, (BorlandDon the
nose and the Mayor, on the spot, offered
u reward Of fiily dollars for the discovery
Of the vagabOnd. The next morning the
City Attorney addressed note to the Com.
mercial Agent, disayowing the rabble and
disclaiming any intention Of insulting the
Minister. and the Steamer sailed. bringing
the distinguished bl .ekguard to New York
The " Tribune of this city, of the Goth OF
July, containsa letter over the signature Of
oh. l.. s." giving IN account of the burn
ing oil the town by tho "Cyane derived
from lady, an eye witness.
About ona-hali OF the property destroyed
belonged 10 the Americans, and there hap
nan 10 IA, here NOW arcidently American