The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1855-03-29


j. n. LOGAN and w. c. DAVIS, Editors
From tie I:;ash;ayton Uaioa.
The El Dorado Outrage - Tho Facts O.
. t:.o Care
The brief al'n.ion natle !,v us on YES
terlay To the late outrage uion the steamer
FL Dorado by Spanish fri gate WIS based
upon unofficial intelligence, but so well
authenticated, that we felt authorized to rrIy
upon ats correctness. We have been G,vo:
ell by the State Department with copy OF
letter OF Captain Gray. the commander oi
the I'll Dor;,d', addressed To the actin.
American Consul at Havana, which we
phblsh below, aud which fully s,lStaims the
account ou which oar comments of vc,trr.
day were made. Tn" inS,,it 10 our iia. was
ilagrant wholly urprovokcd, ard wilhou,
the shadow "t' iailia,;n". AHsar~e'l Span
isl, man-o:w war deliberately fires two shots
ut one of oar regular maii steamers, stops
her on her voyage byas force, AMI cnmpr!s
her to submit to Il search hy Il Spanish of
fetal. 1t is difficult To conceive of oros-
serontr"ge upon u;;r national lag. or Il more
delhcrate i',~,!t Ia our I;;ti,m, I:".:or, or Il
boldcr assertion oi "t!ic rig'.. Of search"
If the case takes the usual course, tie fact;
will bo forwarded to Madrid, where tie
Spanish government will be called u,.on f,r
reparation. The Spanish govcrn;aen, will
claim time to send 10 Havana to procure
evidence; and ain the msan time, whilst this
delay takes dAcc, some other American
vessel Will be fired into and searched 10y
another Spanish fri.atc, and in this way
the insult and i';;;Ery are never acknowl-
edged or atoncl for. We vii! not pursue
the subject, but Gully remark that our flag
and our homer have been insultcd and the
right Of search practically asserted We
have full confidence that the President will
do his duty Faithfully in the premises. The
letter Of Capt. Gray is as fellows:
SrE lMs.i.r Et DoRADo.
Havana. March 8, 1885.
Sin: I have to report to YOU that on the
night OF the 9Th inst, while Oil my pas
sage from lsrinwail G.. G.) towards this
r,ais WITH the u":. s!atfSi sss iea ~aiI, ii, {n{l na
hr'I'',i.. i" ino T., tno Spanish frigatc " Fero-
ioia,' iiaa'' the circunstansessofwh:ch arc these:
The night was beautaaily clear, With a
smooth sea a:'llight,ireczes ;:ulu the South.
and cast. At twcrtv mil:l!cs past m,l.'
night made Cape Antonio light, bearing
north ly west, per compass,) steering north
Ivy west 81 west "nl Il te" minutes after
wards i ship was seen an our pot bow will,
her head 10 south ais! west and copss0sss
1aueI nj. AT about LIS. when >l,yaMas
two points forward Of Tie beam, and {daiis9
tant from na.t to ,lrce-ulilrtcrs Of lnftt.
without signal OF any description, she irctl
p shot at us, which i,.l about twenty yards
from the ship OIL por! side. abreast Of fore
rigging. | Immediately ordered the helm
l,Stsn st;,rloar'l, AMI ran down towards her,
intMding to pass under !.cr >:evH, but, when
within three l,,n.leTl yards of her, she
fired Il seco,nl shot, wi,:c!. ia:.ci a: s..io;,
distance over ti,N l'r; ::scc! l,"s,: from for
ward to aft. Tie c.:;;..;:, hayin:; Lee,
previously, slowed, l >'".~;.e.l thrH,. and
ranging up under her sierra. asked what he
wished. lie rep!:e,. !,y :.i,:i,g wA&; ship i;
WAS, ;su,! where w;!s from. :.!l :,,:., The
Iniir, S:.,c> mail stc;,,:,.i.;n ~, Dorado"
rom Asplnwa!i, houai u Havana. lie
then tol'! nc to Lack and wait After Stop
ping some m!nutessI again hailed and ask
ell him what lie wanted, and to know if he
was going to keep me there I'LL night. lie
answered 10y saying lie wn!.! send ~ boa.
alongside, which he did. When tie o;iccr
came OH board, he requested to see the pa
pcrs. | showed him the clearance from the
United States consulate at Aspnwall. anh
also the bill of health; after reading which.
lie told INC coui,l proceed SO soon lis the
boat got short distancc from the slip.
The detention of st"ppng being about for
ty-fivc minutes, besides running cut of my
course.
/ would farther remaA!, tn during the
whole night my signal Iight.. we're burning
bright aud clear, an,l that I was pursuing
my course 1T a distance OF fully eight or
ter miles from any land, anal without the
intention Of violating the laws Of any
country.
l remain, with respect, your obeilicnt
servant.
ALFRED G. GRAY.
". IL. fonERTsoH, Esq, L. S. Consul.
We William Brown, second mate, and
Jo.hua II. Walcol,, passenger, Of tic steam.
er III Dora'!"," w!;c!, arrived Yesterday
morning ut Havana, from Aspinwa'l, do
hereby declare that the statements contain-
Ell in the Foregoing report, signed by Alfred
q. Gray, captain OF s;:i steamer, ale true
and correct; said Brown was. when the
occurrence took place, the officer of the
deck, and said Wateot was also on dsrs
part Of the time
WILLIAM BROWN1 q
J.. II. WALCOTT.
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Bank Rot5eryr Uaparullezed 4Mdaciky.
The Branch OF the Bahk Of the Stat8he
Georgia in This place, was entered throraal