Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1855-05-19
Manuel Pinto.

The annals of history do not contain
a more horrible case IF Judicial murder
than that Of Manuel Pinto, recently gar
roted in Havana. The bloody execu-
ton of the Duke d 'Enghein, by Napo-
Icons order, and the heartless fate of
Marshal Ney, fall below it in black
atrocity. The facts are now pretty
well asccrtained. The auditor of war,
whose assent to the sentence of capital
punishment is demanded by the laws of
the Island, positively refused to sign the
warrant, on the ground that no sufficient
case had been made out against Pinto
The chief, if not the sole witness, was
vile wretch who had been previously
condemned for felonies and pardoned
and because now the tool of the Captain
G neral in his bloody purpose against
his former friend and Secretary. The
refusal of tie Au Iitor of War seemed
only to have melted Concha the more,
and contrary to all law, precedent or
humanity, he instituted an arbitrary
court of fur, which should revise and
overrule this decision. But, so fagrant
was the wrong, that even this court were
equally divided, when Concha, bent on
the life of his victim, and incen>ed at
the protection which law and mercy
threw around him, decided him elf the
question, and ordered Pinto's axecution
in twenty hours. He met his fate calm
y and bravely, protesting his innocence
with his dying breath Such are briefly
the facts of this f .u murder.
1t is asserte d, and not without plausi-
bic justification, that Pinto, in his re-
lations as secretary Of Concha, was pos
essed of evidence going to show that
Concha himself had meditated treason
against the Spanish government. and the
establishment of dictatorship over Gu
ba. To Concha's guilty soul he was
therefore continual dread. Hence the
resort to such proceedings against him,
and the fendish malignity with which
he pursued him to his death. He was
determined TO rid himself of the wit
nesses 10 his crime at all hazards, and
without regard to law or right.
1t is not for us to intermed le with
the dealings of other governments with
their subjects. Still less do we advertise
ourselves as the champions of the op-
pressed in all quarters of the globe. 1t
is enough if we pr tect our own soil
from tyranny and cruelty But there
are acts which strike a chord of COM
mon sympathy-acts so luminous in
their enormity and their outrage upon
humanity. that we would indeed be un-
worthy of the name of men, if we pa
sed them by unnotced Such was the
murder of Manuel Pinto. And peo-
pie among whom such things can be
done, op' My and with impunIty, are en-
titled to the sympathy of every brave
and generous heart. 1t is unfortunate
for Spain, that her official dares 50 to
act, at this time, when all over the
country the fate of Cuba is regarded
with still deepening interest--when the
Government Is compelled to practice the
sternest vigilance to prevent attempts of
bold dventurers-when our relations
with Spain in regard to this very Island
have become angry and threatening-at
such time, fact like thi, is " ell cal
cuIated to sever the thread which sus-
pends the sword The best and oberest
may be unable to repress their ind,gna-
ton; and thus by the prompgings of IA
common nature, give encouragement to
the enterprise.
u r