The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-05-06
The Awful Massacre at Panama.
rgrom the New York Times

L "
ANOTHER ATTACK ANTICIPATES.
Mr.. Neils Nelson, passenger by the ]. L.
Stephens, and to New York by the Empire
City, who was several times fired at, but es-
capped without bodily injury, though he was
robbed Of 70 ounces gold dust and 1865 in
gold coin, has given the following statement:
The whole affair. on the part Of the ma
tiveS was evidently pIemeditated. The im-
mediate origin Of the attack was about piece
of watermelon, but there would have boon
row anyhow. After we had landed at Pana-
ma, and were stroiling about. taking drink
here and drink there, buying fruit chatting
and joking with our friends, we were told that
we SHOULD not be so merry before the night
was over. and enc of the Railway agents said
to the party was with, that he trusted none
Of us would get drunk and make disturbance,
because he knew that the natives were pre-
pared, and only wanted an excuse to attack
us. We did not pay much heed to this, but
thought there was something in it, as | had
noticed an old native woman, q half breed, go
up to several Americans, and without any
provocation at all, smack them on the face,
challenging them to resent the insult. None
of them did so, however. Butin the Afternoon
i think, about S o'c.ock--a most unfortu-
nate circumstance produced the occasion
which thu natives desired. We were outside
the gates of the city, in the neighborhood Of
the Railroad Depot. Soma of our people were
in the Ocean house--others in the Pacific
others were loungng about, smoking. At a
store kept by negro, fruit was sold, and some
OF the passengers bought pine-apples, melons,
and oranges there. One Of them Il don't know
his name, only that it was jack" New York
Jack, y" some called him, but believe he is
native Of Philadelphia, took piece of water
melon from the store, for which the negro
charged him dino. de refused to pay for
1t, and this negro grew ugly, and trandlshed a
knife. Jack - drew his pistol, VIII CHI the ne
gro wrested from his grasp and discharged it
at him, running away the moment he had
done SO. Jack" who was not wounded, lm-
mediitely started in pursuit.
The negro ran INTO Il shanty at the back Of
the Ocean House, where 'Jack'' caught him
and got back his pistol. He did not fire tie
negro, but went aw%y towards the Pacific
hotel. In the meantime, tie news mad gone
around that there Was musS, ami the natives
came for ward in great NUMBERS, nearly all of
them armed, a few with pistols and muskets,
but the majority with swords, cutlasSes and Il
long infamous lookrng knife, Ike our bowie
knife, called macJtete. They came along,
shouting '-caracho Ansalcano," to the number
OF several hundreds. In Inc Pacific iIotel
there were about one hundred passengers a. ID
this building WAS Tie ilrst o,JecL 10 attack
A fruitless attempt Was Made TO keep them
from entering, but they broke through every
obstacle, cutting and Slashlng at every bod v
they met. They demolished the bar, emptied
every trunk, and rit1ed the wnole place from
top to BOTTOM. The police OF the city by this
time were summoned. but instead OF trying to
4ueli the rfot taey inStla ated the Ratlves to
proceed with their outrage, by actually firing
Oh the Amer cans i hese POI &C were soldiers,
black fellows, animated by ext enc hatred of
the Anne ricIn nation. They behaved III the
worst POSSIBLE manner. la the ocean ftouse
were some huRdreds of passengers, men, wo-
men and chlldrVR The natives matte Il rush
at this hotel, winch was fame bunding and
the poles drew up in front OF it. Instead Of
driving off the rioters and aiding the Aneri
cans who Were inside, and who had no partici-
patton in the atfray, they actually fired at it
in platOons. Their balls pierced the frame
work in all directions, killing some and wound
ing many. OR people made their soap, as soon
as they could, jumping from the second story
windows, and rushing. OF to the water side, TO
get on board the steamer D. L. Stephens or
the Taboga, which is The maine of the small
vessels. Even women jumped from the win
dows and children were dropped out. The
Ocean House was completely rlddled by the
balls of the natives and poi'ce. When they
had forced an entrance they b.Oke open every
trunk and carried OIL the contents AS soon
as the ARRAY commenced lew parties made
their escape with their baggage, but some
hundreds, who were not w armed IN time, lost
everything they hal with them. The natives
made two attempts to get on board the raboga,
where they had taken ref so,hut were persuad-
ell not to do SO, by one of their own people,
who seemed to possess authority over them
The Pacific and Ocean Houses TOW present.
ed ruinous appearance. They were COM
pletely Quilted, all the furniture was cast out
of doors and destroyed; the natives and police
had got mad drunk with the liquors they had
found at the bars, and riot and rascality began
their carnival.
10 the depot was the next cry, and
thither the scoundrels repaired. Between 400
and $40 persons had fled there for shelter.
trusting for security to the authority Of the
Railroad Company. The natives began the
attack, and the Americans, who were poorly
rrovid ID with few reEolvers, fired from the
windows. The police teld them to cease firing
but Immediately they did so that same police
opened a vo.ley upon them, killing five or six
and woundng as many more. The Ameri-
cans escaped as fast as they could and rushed
to the WOO Is The natives took possession Of
the Depot, killed an agent of the Company,
and broke open all the franks that were de
posted there. Thousands of dollars worth of
property were stolen or wantonly destroyed.
Revenge as well as plumber seemed to be their
OBJECT. Two safes that were in the building,
in which money. jewllry, and other yatuables
were kept, were opened by blowing the locks
off with gunpowder, and their contents ex-
tracted. The rioters obtained about $4,000