Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1854-12-11


,eca,iic communications across the isthu'ls, a
company was organized, under authority OF the
s,t.te OF Nca,agu but composed, ter s'le most
l,rt of cit ze,,s of the United States, for the
purpose Of opening such trass't way, by the
river San Juan and Lake Nicaragua, which
$ on bee me aa xligib and niuch used route
al the transportation OF our citizens and their
property between the Atlantic and Pacific.
Meanwhile and in anticipation OF the completion
and Importance Of this transit way, number
of Adventures had taken possession of the old
Spanish port at the mouth of the river San Juan,
in open defiance IF the State or States If Cent
ral America, which, upon their becoming in
dependent, had i'ghtfuily succeeded to the
local sovereignty and jurisdiction OF opaiI~-
These adj, enturers undertook to change the
name Of the place frem San Juan del Norte to
Grcytown, and, though at first pretending to
act as the sui cts Of the fictitious sovereign OF
the Mosquito Indians, they subsequently rcpu-
dated the control OF any power whatever, as
sumcd to adept a distinct political organization,
and declared themselves an independent sove-
reign state. II, at some time, faint hope was
entertained that they might become a stable
and respectable community, that hope soon
vanished They proceeded to assert unfound-
ed claims to civil jurisdiction over Punta Are
mas, position on the opposite side Of the river.
San Juan. which was in possession, under title
wholly independent of .hcm, of citizens of the
United States, Interested in the Nicaragua
Transit Com yanv, and which was Indispensable
ncccssar, TO the prosperous operation of that
route across the Isthmus The company re-
sisted their groundless claims whcrcupon they
proceeded to destroy some of its buildings, ard
attempted violently to dispossess it.
At a later period they organized strong
force tor the purpose of demoshing The estab-
lishment ut Punta Arenas buttis mischievous
design was defeated by the interpositicn Of one
of our ships of war, p that time in the harbor
of San Juan. Subsequently to this. in May
last, body of men from Gfcytown crossed
over to Punta Arenas, arrogating authority to
arrest, on the charge of murder, captain OF
orc OF the steamboats, of the Transit Company.
Being well aware that the claim to exercise
jurisdiction there would be resisted then, as ii
had been On previous occasions, they went ire
pared to assert it by force Of arms. Our minis
ter to Central America happened to be pre-
sent OH that occasion. Believing that the
captain of the steambo.t was innceen>, for he
witnessed the transaction IN which the charge
was founded, AID believing, also, that the in
trud:ag psrty, having no Jurisdiction over the
place where they proposed 70 make the arrest,
would encounter desperate resistance if they
persisted in their purpose. he nterposea, effect
sslly, to prevent violence ard toodshed. Thc
American minister afterwards visited Grcytown,
and whilst ltc was there, usob, including Ger
tain of the SO called f,neteHiries Of the place.
Iii, !,
ing that they had come to arrest him by order
of some person exercising the chief autEority.--
WAc parleying with ,hehs he WIS wonnued
by missile from the crowd. A boat, les
patched from the American steamer Northern
Light" to release him frofr the Perloss situa-
ton in which he understood to be, was
fired into by the town guard, and compelled to
return. Taese incidents together with the
known character of the population of Greytown,
and their excited state, induced just aparehen-
sions that the lives and property otour citizens
at Punta Arenas would be in imminent danger
after the departure of the steamer. with her
passengers, for New York, unless :. guard was
left for their protection Fer this purpose, and
in order to ensure the safety of passengers and
property, passing ever the route, temporary
force was organized, at considt tablc expense
to the United States, for which provision was
made at the last session Of Co grcss.
This pretended community, a Heterogeneous
assemblage gathered tran varions cdantrics
and composed, for the NEST part, of blacks and
persons CT mixed blood, had previously given
other indications of mischievous and danger
Gus propcnstics. Early in the same month";
property was clandcstihcy extracted ircm the
dcpn, ofthe Transit company, end taken to
Gre, toan' The plundciers Obtained shelter
there, and their pursrcrs were driven back b,
its people, who not only protected the wong
dcers and shared the plunder, bat treated with
rudeness aud violence those who song,a to re-
covcrtheir property.
Such, in substance, are the facts s,i4.t tilted to
my consideration, and pr.ved by noteworthy
evidence. could not doubt that the case de-
man,l-d the ntcrp lstionof this government.
Jastice required that PREPARATION should be
made for SO many and such gross wrongs, and
that a c5ursa of insolencc and plumber, tending
directly to the insecurity eff the lives of numer-
GUS travellers, and Of the rich treasure belong
ing to our citizens, passing ever this transit
way, should be peirmptory arrested. What
ever il might be in other respects, the commu-
ny in question, in power to do mischief, was
not dtSp.Ca II Wis Wen pFoNiQcd WIN
ordnance. small ara, and ammunition, and
might easily sc.ze en- the unaracd boats,
ireishted with nii.lionsof property, which pas
s-d slmost daily within its reach. 1t did not
profess to belong = any regular government.
and had, in fact no recognized dependence en-,
or connection with, any one TO which the Uni
tx, States or their injured citizens might APP
ply for redress, or which could be held respcn-
siblc, III any way, fol the ousrlses committed.
N Ut standing before the world in the attitude
Of all org .niaed political society, being ne;sAef
competent to exercise the rights norto DIS.
charge the obligations of a government, i, was,
in fact, marauding establishment too dam
gerous to be disregardcd, and too guilty to pass
unpublished, and yet incapable Of being trea-
ted in any other way than as practical resort
of outlaws, or camp Of savages, dep"edatins
on emgrant trains or caravans and the frontier
settlements of civilized states.
Scasonlble notice vas given to the people OF
Grewtown that this government required them
u rcplir TIE Injuries they had sone to cur citi-