The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-10-10
From the NelD Orleans Della of Oct. 5 !
THE DEATH OF GEN. WALKER.

Several false reports having been published res
pecung the circumstances of Gen. Walkers execu-
tlon at IruXlllo, we have melancholy satisfaction
IN being enabled, from the statement of an eve wit
ness, to give authentic and reliable narrative of
the transaction. Mr.. William S. Elton, an inte-
gent young man, native of Philadelphia, who has
been for some time in the employ of the Panama
Railroad Company, as an engineer, happened to be
in Truxil0 when Gen. Walker and his command
were brought back to that place, and atten-
tive observer of all that occurred. Mr.. Elton came
over from Truxillo in a schooner to Charleston and
thence proceeded to Mobile, with letters from Col.
Rudler to Mr.. Julius Hesse, of that place. Mr..
Elton was friend of Gen. Walker, and sympathiz-
ed IN his cause, but was not of his party. lie wit
messed the execution of the General, of which he
gives, in substance, this descriptions:
At the gate of the Fort, the General having been
leo from his cell, was relieved of the heavy irons
ne mad borne ever since his surrender. lie had on
the clothes which he had worn through the expedi-
ton. force of two hundred men with fixed bayo-
netsrecelved him at the fort. He placed between
two priests, with lighted candles, and the troops
forming in column, the melancholy cortege pro-
ceeded to the place appointed for the tragica deed
The Generals carriage was erect and resolute, his
expression calm, and even smiling, and his whole
air that of man of earnest devotion and conscious
rectitude The consultations or religion which were
whispered to him by the priests who accompanied
him, on this his last march, were received and re-
sponded to by him with fervid piety and Christian
hopetulness. These responses, we are assured by
our informant, were all that proceeded from him
during the march from the fort and the scene of the
execution. The military cortege followed by
great crowd of people, and number of the sailors
and marines of the British ship Icarus, wearing
their side arms. As the procession passed the
streets, the doors and windows were all filled with
people, whose countenances and now and then their
language, indicated their views and feelings in re-
gard to General Walker. Among the natives
there was a general feeling of exultation at the
downfall of the 'terrible flibuster."
The Americans and many OF the foreigners, on
the other hand cd cd eF
for the sacrifice of so brave and true man, by the
half-breed rabble of this wretched apology for a
State, which had to employ a British man n-oE-war
to capture an invading force of seventy men, Even
the British marines and sailors, though a reckless
and desperate set of rOgues and rufians, were
heartily ashamed of their share in the capture of
Walker. AS the procession marched by the prison,
where the rest of Walkers men confined, the
doors and windows of the prison were completely
closed; Arriving at old ruined barracks or
tort, about quarter of mile outside the city, the
troops were formed into three sides of q square
and the General was led forward and placed near
an angle of the wall. The crowd of people stood
behind the line Of soldiers.
The priests who had accompanied the General
now held brief colloquy with him, received his
confession and administered to him the last sad
rites of the church, and retired. section of four
soldiers was then ordered to its post, and taking
their position within twenty PAGES, the usual mill
tary commands were then given, and the soldiers
took deliberate aim at the body Of the gallant
American, not feature OF whose face, not fibre
Of whose body, betrayed the slightest emotion of
fear. The command ''fre'' was given, the volley
was discharged, and the General fell forward on
his face. The body lay quivering in the agones of
death-the bullets Of his executiOners had passed
through his head-when the second section was
ordered to advance and fire another volley, which
only mutiated the body from which the life was
fast ebbing. Then a single soldier marched up to
the body, and placed his musket within few inches
of the already dead man, and fired, horribly defa
cling his countenance and blowing the head nearly
from the body.
Then the troops were formed and proceeded at
lively step, back to town, leaving the body of Gen.
Walker where it had fallen. Here it was taken
charge of by the priests who had attended him to
the place of execution, and by two American citi-
zens, whose names are Cornelius Hooper and Orlando
Graves, and after being decently colined was in
TERED with the ceremonies of the Catholic Church
in cemetery outside of the town. During the
whole time OF the execution, not a word escaped
General Walker, except his whispered responses to
the spiritual consolation of the priests. The story
that he addressed the spectators short time be-
fore his execution, declaring his regret for his
course, was concocted by the Hondurenean authori-
ties, or, perhaps, fabricated in Havana where
his name and deeds were held in such terror. There
is not a word of truth in the statement