The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-08-04

Tue SENATE mas called Tor the instructicns
given by Government 10 Capt. Hollins, of
the Cyane, upon his setting out for Grey
town, and under which he is said TO have
acted in destroying that town, and dsgracing
his country in the eyes of the civilized world.
The people would like to see these instruc-
lions, and know whether il was the terrible
bravery OF the administration which planned
and ordered the destruction of The Grpvrown
nation, merely the amable disposition of
Capt. IlolIins. A greater outrage has scarce.
ly been committed this century, and the peo-
pie are desireus OF knoaing a little about it's
orginators as well "a executors. To give
an idea Of the pr vocation, we extract IRON
the Louisville Journal:
We gave very short and imperfect ac-
count on Saturday OF the origin of this in
famous and terrible affair. We find fuller
ctatements in the New York papers. Some
time ago, Capt. Smith, commanding one Of
the Transit Company's steamers, shot a citi-
zen Cf Greyrown for vi hat he considered, and
perhaps Justly, sufficient reason. The local
authorities very properly demanded that the
matter should be judeialIy Investigated, but
Capt. smith refused To yield himself Up
They then declared that they would be sutis-
fed IL he would give bonds or even hi> verbal
promise 10 appear before them at any future
time. Even This he refused TO do, and he
was encouraged in his refusal by Mr.. Bor-
land who happened TO lie OIL board Capt. ). $
steamer on his return from his mission TO
Central merica. The authorities next en-
deavorPd TO board the steamer in order to
take Capt. Smith BY force, whereupon Bor-
land seized rife. pointed il at them, and
swore that he would shoot IL they did not in
sianily Withdraw. In this, he was not acting
in his ministerial capacity, but merely as an
individual. Even if he had been minister TO
Greytown, the course he pursued would have
been outrageous, but he was FIVE hundred
miles from the country TO which he was ac-
credited as minister, and was at Greyiown in
no ambassadDrial or ministerial capacity
whatever. The people there had no knowl-
edge that he minister anywhere, and,
iftIey had known it, il would have been no
thing 10 them. They beheid him only rs an
irdiyG1al lpwlessly resisting legal process
against another indiviturl for murder. They
rrtreated az sight OF his rife, but he says that
some missile hi MIN H. the lace. That night.
as ifto bully still further those whom e hcd
bullied already, he went tn shore and into
town, and there, as he alleges, he was be-
sieged in house all night aud not permitted
to leave il, though no pers, nal violence was
offered him. The next morning he was per-
United TO 20 without noleslation, aud he re-
turned unharmcd TO the steamer. He was
treated with Infinitely more forbearance than
he had a right 10 Expect. The authorities,
fully conscious Of their own weakness, with
drew from the contest, satisfied with the as
>eriiUn Of principle which they knew they
had no; the power u maintain against even
the officers aud crew OF a commercial steam.
e. The Mayor and others Immediately re-
signed their Offices, and Grey'ow has had no
l,cai authorities since. The authorities very
naturally concluded, that, az they were not
able TO bring en- individual, backed By three
or four ether Individuals, TO trial Tor TAurser,
there might as well be no authorities.
To punish the offence of The per pie Of
Grrylcwn in detaining over night an indi-
vidual who had inteTfered violently and with
a deadly weapon 10 arrest their criminal JUS
lice. President Pierce and his Cabinet sent
out Capt HoliinS. an board The Cyane, with
instructions To DEMAND an apology and at the
same time S2i 200 upon the strength at some
Did claim, and, if the apology and the $4,000
should not be forthcoming, to DESTROY the
city a. tweniy-four hours notice. Captain
tiullins, on arriving al Greyiown, found no
authorities there TO demard the apology and
the S24O00 from. ard this certainty was a
Iiirle IN kward. However, he got over the
difficulty by sticking up three or tour written
nulieeS 10 different parts OF the tow =, that the
apology must be made and the cash paid OF
tie town nd De demolished nj named
hour. There being no auth critics. perhaps
be expected the natives tn assemble ia mass
meeting and apologize and raise the money,
but probably they didn't know how to do
such things. Al any rate, men, women aud
children oil broke FOR the woods. and the
Cyaue, at the expiration OF the twenty fou:
hours grace, annihiaIed every vestige of
Greytown, and the wretchrd p pula;ion,
without homes ard wiihOu, food were at the
iast 6a'es p"rishing of starvation. As the
tects ow appear. an outrage more infamous
in its character is unknown tu the dark re-
'ords of national guilt. An act more utterly
piratical was never pe,pe rated bv Capt
Kidd or any of the other old buccaneers OF
the ocean.