San Andreas independent., 1857-01-03
C9t 5n0epen0tnt,
Safurday........ 3. 1867.
Another Letter from Nicaragua.

saturday,. .........".January 3. 1867.
Another letter from Nicaragua.
As it is desirable to publish everything
calculated to throw light upon the condi-
tion of Gen. Walker, we give the follow
ing, which appeared in the Placer Press of
Saturday, December 9th:
VIRGIN BAY, Dec. 3, 1856.
Dear Hawhins After voyage of
twelve days, [ find myself thus far on my
homeward voyage We had fine pleasant
weather on the voyage Being detained
for short time at this place, the head
quarters Of Walker, [ have embraced the
opportunity to send few lines of gossip
from this Interesting locality. On the
Sd ult., Costa Rican sloop-of-war, carry
ing a crew of one hundred and twenty men
and an armament of thirteen guns, en-
tered the harbor of San Juan. In the
afternoon Walkers small sloop, the Gran
ada, ran out and engaged her. After
about two hours fighting, they succeeded
in blowing up the Costa Rican About
forty prisoners were taken, most of whom
have since died, and the balance are badly
burned with powder.
At San Juan we found that Walker had
seized two hundred mules belonging to the
Transit Company. There were only wagons
sufficient to convey about fifty passengers;
the balance had to walk. At several
places along the line we saw trunks lying
upon the ground, broken open. Every
half mile couple of soldiers are stationed
on the road. At the Half Way House
they were dying off rapidly with the
cholera
Almost every one Of Walkers men
met asked me for money to buy bread!
stating that they had not tasted particle
of that article for three weeks Some
had been without food for days at a time
Three-quarters of pound of beef per day
is the only ration furnished to the troops
[ have not yet seen single healthy look
ing individual in the country John G..
Eubank, our former Deputy Sheriff, died
of cholera, at Granada, on Monday last
Walker has been compelled to abandon
Granada and burn the town, and has been
fighting against 900 Costa Ricans, with
a starved squad of 500 men, for the last
ten days.
Hennesy (banished by the Vigilance
Committee) is in command Of Granada.
Girls. Lilly and Mike Brannigan are here
The former knocked down one of our
passengers at San Juan. This class of men
constitute the leaders of this marauding
expedition.
Two months ago Walker had l 800 men;
they have dwindled down to $50 In that
time they have fought twenty battles but
the greater number have died with the
cholera.
The natives are almost to a man against
Walker. Those who express themselves
in favor. of him are held in subjection
through fear. Conversation with those
likely to possess the best knowledge of
Walkers true position, satisfies me that he
cannot hold out more than six weeks longer
at the furthest.
Only seventy recruits came out with us
from San Francisco, and not two hundred,
as has been reported.
Where [ took breakfast this morning, a
soldier came in with an order from the
officer in command, stating that he wanted
the boards of which the floor was com
posed for co6ins. The landlord refused to
give them up, upon which the soldier left,
saving that he should return and take
them
All the soldiers are cursing the day they
came to this God-forsaken land, and the
natives are held in such abject subjection
that they dare not call their lives their
own. The beautiful country" SO much
talked of, [ have not yet seen; it IS GER
tainly not upon the route Travelled by US.
IF you have any desperadoes IN Placer
that you desire to be rid of, send them
here. If they are not shot, disease will
soon dispose of them. Escape is impossl-
BILE. Death is stamped upon the counte-
nance of every man who has been here
two months.
J.W. Spann and Robert Horton are among
our company; both well. At present, it
is uncertain when we can leave here
Walker is at Granada, or rather on board a
boat off Granada, and cannot land. A ru-
NOR is afoat that he will levy a tax of two
or three dollars on each passenger for the
support Of the army. As we are ordered
to remain here until he arrives, this IS
probable.
Taken altogether, Nicaragua may well
be termed hell on earth.