Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-05-07


April terrible atfray occurred at Panama be-
tween the natives and passengers to and from
California. Panama, it will DO recollected, is
situated on the Pacific coast of the Central A.
merican Isthmus, and Aspinwall on the Allan
tic coast, a railroad extending between the two
places. Some 1900 passengers arrived at Pana-
ma from Aspinwall, on the 10th, and met there
large number of persons who had come from
San Francisco, by the steamer Cortez While
the crowd was waiting around the depot q
drunken man from New Orleans got into quar-
rel with q native and, their respective friends
Joining in, q row was soon stirred up. The po-
lice Soldiers armed with muskets and beyo-
nets) came up, and joined with the other ma
tives in an indiscriminate assault upon the pas
sengers most of whom were unarmed and en-
deavoring to escape from the conflict The ma
tives, however, pursued them from place to
place, killing and robbing without reserve. The
horrid affray was continued until the next morn
ing, when quiet was restored and the passen-
gers were enabled to proceed on their way
The number of persons killed is varously re-
ported from fourteen to thirty. among them a
woman and two children. Many more were
wounded The loss to individuals and the Rail-
road Company is estimated at 100000. One
of the passengers says:
ssThe mischief was principally done by the
villainous police, under pretence of keeping or
der q large portion of those killed and wound
ed received shot from their muskets But few
Others of the natives had firearms, though they
inflicted most shocking and brutal wounds with
their sabres or cutlasses, which nearly all of
them ordinarily carry. The rascals who carried
the muskets ''by authority fired into the holl-
SEES, and crowds of innocent people who were
striving to escape, without the slightest excuse
or inducement, except hatred Of Americans and
determination, to kill and rob all they could
Col Totten, the agent of the Panama Rail
road, sent protest to the Governor of New
Granada, accusing him of permitting the out
rage, and intimating that the Government would
be held responsible for the damage committed.
The Cabinet at Washington have the affair I'M
der consideration, and will probably send yes
sci of war to Aspinwall for the protection of
Americans The matter has also been brought
before Congress-. q Gore 5' ea ~ 1915
The authentic accounts, received after the a.
bove was in print confirm the worst features
of the outrage The Secretary of the Navy has
ordered the war steamer Fulton, at last accounts
at Pensacola, to proceed to Aspinwall The
sloop of war st. Mary's was at Guyaquill on the
3lst March, and was to leave there for Panama
about the middle of April 1t is said that the
Governor of Panama led on the mob TO assail
the passengers. The wounded passengers that
arrived at New York on Tuesday by the Empire
City are all advanced in years. One of them
was cut down the back by the robbers while in
pursuit OF his belt He had on sort of sheep
skin shirt at the time, in which there were sew
eral small pockets, or purses, in which he had
between $4,000 and $4,000 concealed, the hard
earned savings with which he was returning to
his family. Those that wounded him discover
ed, and took about half of his treasure and let
him 60, but he was Immediately afterwards at
tackled by another lot Of banditti, and feeced of
every cent. Another of the passengers has a
severe cut wound across the left arm, third re-
ceiyed severe blows and Commissions on the head
and the fourth is also seriously hurt.