The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1856-05-03
Riot at PnnaIita.
The Panama Star of the 10th ult gives tho
following account of IT," ;s;~ rcss of

The Panama Star of the 10th ult gives the
following account of IL" - rcss O
a dreadful riot in TIL g oil
the 18th: y
On Tuesday after N.
gers for San Fran S
from NewYork,t
to the state of the
not able to elf
Taboga being Ia anti
between s and 8
AS is usually the esssoil9~~r passengers
ayai!cd themselves of the delay to procure re
freshmcnts, and all the hotels and eating houses
in the neighborhood of the station were filled
to excess, while the vendors of fruits, spirits
refreshments, etc., were all busily engaged il
supplying the demands made upon them.
Everything went on quietly until about c
O'Clock, when, according to the most reliable
accounts, a passenger, rather the worse fol
liquor, got into a difficulty with one of these
peripatetic traders, drew his revolver, anc
fired at him. The circumstance has been va
riously stated some assert that the negro
drew his knife first, or otherwise provoked tht
quarrel. The crowd, as is usual under sucl
circumstances, Immediately sought safety il
flight.
The man who fired the shot being seen short
ly afterwards in the bar-room of the Ocea,
Hotel, an indiscriminate attack was made upor
the party assembled there. More shots wer,
fired, knives and machettes used, and gradually
the ARRAY became general.
All the negroes Of the Cienega Playa Priet;
and the Arabal rushed for their arms, and til,
passengers retreated to the hotels, and to TIN
depot and storc-houses of the Railroad Com
pany.
In a few moments, the Pacific House wa,
attacked, broken open, and pillaged the stor
OF Mr.. McAllaster suffered a similar fate, ant
the Ocean Hotel was seriously damaged.
MIR. Theodore Saba, the secretary of Col
Ward, U. S. Consul, who was on the spot
attending to the delivery of the mails, imme
dlateiy rode up to town to inform the Consul
who, without loss of TIME, proceeded to thu
spot. In the meantime, the Governor, will
the police, had arrived, and as they took up {
prominent position, shots were fired at them
MIR. Saba was wounded in the thigh slightly
and a bullet perforated his coat. Don Pedro
Obario was also wounded q shot struck thu
Governors hat, and Col. Wards horse was
seven times hit.
The depot, in the meantime, or, about this
time, was broken into by the natives four OF
hVe persons were shot and as many wounded
and MIR. Center, of the r. r. Co, MIR. Cor
wine and Mr.. knight, of the p. NJ. S. S. Co.
had narrow escapes, the persons standing next
them having been shot dead. Mr.. Dubois, a
trenchman, a long resident on the .Isthmus
who was in the depot, was shot at the door
and Mr.. Robert Marks. also an old resident
here, employed as Waterman for the company
was shot as he defended the entrance gate oi
the station, but not before, as it is said, he had
killed two of his assailants.
While this was going on the few passen.
gers in the railroad depot who were armed
having almost expended their ammunition
could only return II stray shot to the valleys
poured in upon them by the police force, the
national guard, every man fighting for him
self and the armed populace of the suburbs
and city. The work of plumber I'LL the TIM
went on, the c%ompany's Office was rifcd, ant