Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-01-14

with cannon balls from the Matamoras maya
zines, and his wounded are attended in the
Mexican government hospital in that town.
Nominally the Mexican soldiers came over to
protect us; no one doubts here that they came
to blind us with an insincere expression of
friendship. We all felt safer without them
They came by invitation of two or three and
against the protest of nearly all our inhabitants.
We recognize this as a war of races and war
of determination on the part of our enemies
So true is this that if the forces now here were
removed, every prudent man of American ORR
gin and every naturalized citizen who priced
his life, would leave the whole of his property
and go with the troops to save his life. Moth
ing but chastsing these miscreants thoroughly
will make this country inhabitable. Wemustre-
duce it to dominion or abandon it to the inva-
ders.
For two months every citizen, even to the
old clergyman over sixty years old, has been on
duty, patroling or standing guard fifteen hours
out of every twenty -four. The authorities COM
PEELED every man to do this duty. The parts of
the town best built not more than one-fourth
of the part thickly built, has been barricaded,
and no American family has ventured to spend
a night outside. AS many as could do so have
left for New Orleans.
We have now here 100 troops, also about 2lj
rangers. No less than thousand can do eff
cent service against the enemy, and then if not
fortunate in bringing on an action this will in
time and barbarity be but repetition of the
Seminole War in Florida. a
1t is natural for us to contrast the interest
felt and the protection afforded at Harper's
Ferry and here. There twenty-three men
"black spirits and white"-took possession of
part Of a town, killed four or five individuals
when themselves were taken and imprisoned
and the thing was over but the country was in
a blaze, and indeed, so continues to be, for ev-
cry newspaper is devoting half its columns to
the subject. There whole battalions were in
stantly sent to protect the place. Here eighty
men took the town, murdered and mutilated
more citizens than there, robbed and outraged
like Indians, and then so just out of town, and
remain in organized force increased to near a
thousand, break up al entire country, cut off
every mail, plumber every American farm, kill,
murder, burn, and destroy, and all this under
foerign flag and supported by a foreign State,
whose hatred to our race is only equalled by
the duplicity of its inhabitants. And for three
months frontier town is left to do such duties
as we have done, and still no adequate protec-
ton is granted because forsooth, the reports of
the affair have been contradictory, / am not
aware that the facts set forth above have ever
been called in question, and is not that enough,
let the detail be as it may They can be au-
thenticated by hundred alIidavits as credible
as the oath of the most truthful man in the
country. Is not here u state of things which
makes the insane scheme of Brown at Harper's
Ferry look rather small? But we here have
property, life, families and homes at stake, so
we are partial judges.
We hope the country will sometime wake up
to the fact that here is frontier town where a
few daring spirits have pushed the enterprise of
the Saxon into the wilderness, and upon this
ground made sacred by the first blood of
glorious war, built city and created a COM
merce of several millions per year, and that
these men look to the flag of their country with
pride and ask tor Its protection.
Respectfully yours,
FRANK +. FEM.