Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-06-09
WIN. walker.

Il
of the United States shin Of war 81,
Mary's, by whom he was brought to Pan
anna, where, we are told, he was held a close
prisoner by the Commodore. The next
thing we heard of him he arrives at New
Orleans in the Empire City. not as pris-
oner OF war, nor as fugitive from justice,
nor as person held to answer for piracy,
robbery and murder committed abroad
against citizens of the United States, but
as passenger; and on his arrival he
would seem to have been received and
welcomed by crowds as patriot and a.
hero. That crowds should flock to see
Walker. Just as every great criminal draws
crowd In his train, we can well under
stand; but that anybody should have for
HIM any admiration or respect, or should
view him in any other light than that of a
poor creature, as destitute of ability as he
Is OF honesty or humanity, we cannot very
well understand.
About two years ago Walker sailed from
San Francisco with some sixty men, enga-
ged to serve as mercenary soldiers in the
civil war then pending in Nicaragua. He
arrived at Realejo in June, 1855, where he
was joined by about $50 men from Leon.
in the service of the party to which he had
hired himself out. After some unsuccess-
full operations he was driven to take refuge
at San Juan del Sur, where he was Joined
by some additional recruits from Califor-
mia. By this time thb Transit Company
seems to have made up its mind TO engage
in the war, and by thd help of their steam
ers, Walker andthe natives with whom he
acted succeeded in surprising Granada,
which led, in the then exhausted state of
the country, to the submission of the op-
posite faction, and the acknowledgment of
the party with which Walker acted as the
legitimate and undisputed Government.
Under this new arrangement, comrloted
about the end of October, 1855, Walker,
who was recognized as Commander
Chief of the forces of the new Govern
ment, was at once raised to a position of
great influence and Importance; and had
he possessed talent, or even common sense,
he might easily have maintained himself in
the substantial control of Nicaraguan af-
fairs, especially as by the aid of the Tran
sit Company, and the advance of money,
arms and outfits by capitalists in this city,
New Orleans and San Francisco, he was
soon placed at the head of an army of ad-
venturers more than thousand strong
Walker, however, was in a hurry to en-
rich himself, and not waiting for the slow
progress of the sale of confiscated estates,
and not content with what could be got in
the way of contributions levied upon the
weather. natives and the foreign mer-
chants resident in Nicaragua, under pre-
tense of certain sums of money due by the
Transit Company to the Nicaraguan Gov
ernment, he pounced at once upon all the |
lake and river boats of his old confeder-
ates, the Transit Company, which, through |
his agent Randolph, he attempted to sell
to capitalists here for his own private ben
eft. This coup against the Transit Com
pany was followed up by another against
the native party in whose service Walker
had originally entered the countrywide
native President being unceremoniouslv
displaced, and Walker pIoclaiming him
self President.
From the time of this occurrence, which
took place on the l2th of July last, the
whole career of Walker, who was already
involved in a war with Costa Rica and the =
other Central American States, has been ,,
nothing but one series of robberics, mur-
ders, disasters and miseries, in the course
Of which some FIVE thousand recruits, for
warded to him by his dupes and co-opera- h
,ors In the United States, were reduced to t.
he miserable band of some two hundred e
with whom, thanks to the ref Il Il
1ge afforded him by an American ship-of- if
thither, it would seem, for that
express purpose-he has been enabled to c
escape out of the country He began
With the possession of all Nicaragua, the a u
Transit route, and every military post in X
he country, and the whole government c.
being in his hands. But in IL
plte OF the men and money profusely sup
'lied to him from the United States, in the o.
course of six or seven months he lost ev- !,
rything. First he abandons Leon, then
lie is driven from Managua, then from Ma a
aya, then from Granada, which city, be- P
ore leaving it, he first plundered, and then hi
et to work deliberately to DESTROY Soon
he river and lake steamers and all the mil
tary posts of the San Juan fall into the g
lands of the Costa Ricans. Disease and Sc
Iesertion rapidly thin his ranks; supplies
rom abroad wholly cease. He is cooped
P in single town, and finally he esca pes =,
merited death on the gallows only by "
eeking as fugitive, and under the name -
t capltulation, the protection of the flag
f the United States. oi
In his whole career we look in vain for al
single act of wisdom or foresight. All SO
he success he had he owed to the total ex- al
austion of the Nicaraguan population by tn
ivil war and their desire for peace at
ny price. His cruelty, his rapacity, his W
tier selfishness, disguised his fellow-fl- ev
busters not less than his Nicaraguan pc
ubJects, and he has ended by being thrust di
ut OF the country by troops and leaders M
'hom he has himself always described as Bt
'tally destitute both of courage and skill. tn
New Orleans must be hard put to it to Ell
ave no better material than this out of fe'
hich to manufacture hero and an idol. or
NJ Y Tribune. of
be