The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1854-12-13

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completion and Importance of this trar
sit way, a number of adventurers ha
taken possession of an old Spanish pos
at the mouth of the river San Juan, i
open defiance of the State or States &
Central America, which, upon their be
coming Independent, had rightfully sue
ceeded to the local sovereignty and iu
risdiction of Spain. These adventurer
undertook to change the name of tn
town from San Juan del Norte to Grey
town. Though at first pretending t
act as the subjects of the fictitious Sow
ereign of the Mosquito Indians the,
subsequently repudiated the control o
any power whatever, assumed to adni
q distinct political organization, and de
clared themselves an independent, sover
eign State.
If at some time a faint hope was en-
tertained that they might become sta
bic and respectable community. Tha
hope soon. vanished They proceeded
to assert unfounded claims to civil iu
risdiction over Punta Arenas, position
on the opposite side ofthe river San Ju
an, which was in possession under title
wholly Independent of the citizens of the
United States interested in the Nicara
qua Transit Company, and which wa.
indispensably necessary to the prosper
Gus operation of that route across the
Isthmus. The company resisted THEN
groundless claims, whereupon they pro.
ceeded to destroy some of its buildings
and ATTEMPTED violently to disposess it
At later period they organized strong
force fer the purpose of demolishing the
this mischieyous design was defeated by
the interpolation of one of our ships OF
war at that time in the harbor of San
Juan. Subsequently to this, in May
last, body of men at Greytown cross
ed over to Punta Arenas, arrogating
authority to arrest, on a charge of muir
der, Captain of one of the steamers of
the Transit Company, being already
aware that the claim to exercise iuris-
diction there would be resistance there
as it had been oil previous occasions,
they went prepared to assert it by force
of arms. Our minister to Central Amer
lea happened to be present on that occa-
sion. Believing that the Captain of
the steamer was innocent, for the wit
messed the tranraction on which the
charge was founded and believing also
that the intruding party having no juris-
dietion over the place where they propos-
ed to make the arrest would encounter
desperate resistance if they persisted in
their purpose he interposed eFectually
to prevent violence and bloodshed
The American Minister afterward
visited Greytown, and whilst he was
there a mob, including certain of the
so called public functionaries of the
place, surrounded the house in which he
was, avoWing that they had come to ar
rest him by order of some person exer-
cising the chief authority, while parley-
ing with them he was wounded by missile
from the crowd. A boat dispatched
from the American steamer Northern
Light to release him from the perilous
situation in which he was understood to
be, was fired into by the town guard and
to return. These incidents,
together with the known character ofthe
population of Greytown and their excl
ted state, induced just apprehension that
the lives and property of our citizens at
Punta Arenas would be in eminent dan
ger after the departure of the steamer
with her passengers for New York, un-
less guard was left for their protection.
For this purpose and in order 20 secure
the safety of passengers and property
passing over the route, temporary
force was organized at considerable ex-
pcnse to United States, for which pro-
vision was made
At the last session of Congress this
pretended community and Heterogeneous
assemblage gathered from various coun-
tries and composed for the most part of
blacks and persons of mixed blood, had
given other indications of
and dangerous propensities.
Early in the same month property was
distracted from the depot
IF the Transit Company and taken to
5reytown. The plunderers obtained
shelter there and their pursuers were
driven back by its people, who not only
protected the wrong doers and shared
,he plunder, but treated with rudeness
md insolence those who sought to recov-
sr their property. Such in substance
ire the facts submitted to my consider
alton, proved by trustworthy evidence.
could doubt that the cas- demanded
,he interposition 6f this Government.
Justice requires that reparation should
be made for so many and such gross
wrongs, and that course of insolence
md plunder tending directly to the in
security of the lives of numerous travel
ers and of the rich treasures belonging
20 our citizens passing over this transit
way, should be peremptorily arrested.
Whatever it might be in other re-
,pects the community in question are
prone to % mischief was not despicable.
It was well provided with ordinance,
'mall-arms and ammunition and might cas-
ly sieze on the unarmed boats, freighted
With millions of property, which passed
almost daily within its reach. 1t did
lot profess to belong to any regular
and had in fact no recogniz-
ID dependence on, or connection with, |
INV one to which the United States or
heir injured citizens might apply for
,edress, or which could be held RESPONSE |
Die in any way for the outrages commit
ed. Not standing before the world in
he attitude of an organized political So
,iety, being neither competant to exer-
Use the rights nor discharge the obliga-
ions of government 1t was in fact
murderous establishment, too danger
Jus to be disregarded and too guilty to
PASS unpunished, and yet incapable of
oeing treated in any other way than as
A resort for outlaws or corrupt band
If savages, depredating our emigrant
rains or caravans; and the frontier set
lement of civilization. Seasonable no.