Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-07-30

I
ly defended. An odious attempt has beer
made 70 re-establish slavery in this part
Of Mexico. Civil war has been provoked
and sustained here by the subsidies, arms
and ammunition furnished by the plant.
ers. Matamoras, where l now am, is in
ruins after a three months war proper.
tiOnately more murdeTous than the wars
Of Europe. Yet Notwithstanding the
/ American cannon, the heroic population OF
/ this city, which has Indian blood in its
veins, has repulsed the brigands who have
] assailed il from Texas.
+" What could do in such scenes of con-
fusion My humble possessions were
seized by these men. | had seen several
/ Of my neighbOrs killed in their fields, and
/ a .fetr ef them scalped. Others had fallen
beneath the axes Of the furious Rangers,
because they we're UniOnists. had seen
Bole Augustin cut up with knives before
the Justice of the Peace of San Antonio.
l had seen another pursued by a man FIR
ing revolver at him, till he fell bleeding
and dying in the market-place. What
should do What Could doZ The path
Of duty seemed to be efIaced. was at
once forced to leave my house, and leave
TO the terrible Vigilance Committee four
bare walls and the ashes Of my burned pa
pers.
81 only retained memorial of the Un-
iOnists Of San Antonio for the Cabinet at
Washington, document which, If found
on my person, would have been enough to
have hanged me ten times over, as a spy
or correspondent, or a Unionist | rolled
it up and slid it in the barrel of my rife
and the American Consul at Matamoras,
an energetic citizen of New England, to
whom transferred it on my arrival here
has forwarded it 10 Mr.. Lincoln, who, by
this time, must have received it.
~ cannot express to you my satisfaction
on finding myself free on this side of the
Rio Grande. Would that my voice could
be heard all over Europe. The Southern
States are witnesses Of a criminal attempt
which rivals the most bloody and Rbhorred
cruelties Of the lnquisition. To this san
culinary tyranny is added n throng Of ter
rible passiOns-all of those passions which
are engendered by the possession of man
Tor womanl by man. There are no longer
limits, no longer restraint, no longer mod
esty. Near to SeguiR Texas master
l0ds recently struck by Stare for har6lg in
his presence attempted 70 UiOldte the honor Of
his negro l0Ve. OF course, the negro hus-
band was hanged.
'' In this pretended political movement
Of the South there is return to barbar-
ism, which the customs of the times, the
spirit OF our country, and our ideas of hu-
manity and religion cannot permit. This
impious and heathenish attempt, which
openly adopts as its motto, " The extension
and perpetuity Of slavery criminal
attempt cannot succeed. The question of
the liberation of the slaves assumes every
day more practical form.
LETTER NO. ..
MATAMORAs, Mexico, May 13.
81 am lucky, after having lost all my
property, in saving myself from hanging
as an abOlitiOnist l have had a hard
journey hither from San Antonio, and
have found here true friend in the Amer
ican Consul
"I have lost all my goods, and was
forced to burn all my papers, including
all my notes on the condition OF society in
the South, which, though very moderate,
were tinged with an abolitionism Tor rath-
er with equity out Of place there. l had
also too much delicacy to leave these pa
pers in the charge of any Of my friends,
thus exposing them to danger.
"0ur position as regards Texas is de-
plorable; the postal communication with
Brownsville, and between Texas and Mex
leo, is quite broken off.
" All, my dear s., with what satisfac-
ton have I escaped from that region of
tyranny and oppression The history of
this impious war; for the extension and
perpetuity Of slavery will never be fully
written. No one can tell it ell, What
blind rage and hate New Orleans is ta-
ken Well, you who live far away cannot
comprehend the delirium this has raised
Before surrendering it the planters burned
their cotton, their sugar, their steam cot
ton presses, and their refneries. They
preferred this to cOnfscation and the
thought that their goods would enrich their
enemies. But-shame and crime unparal-
leled-they also burned their slaves. Think
Of the degree of insane fury to which they
were carried. They preferred to burn their
slaves rather than see them emancipated.
Those who committed this atrooity-un-
paralleled in history, particularly as it did
not hurt their enemies-thOse who did this
deed, called their inoffensive blacks togeth-
er, and sent them into the workshops, and
locked the doors the fire was lighted and
quickly did its work, while the masters
waited outside to shoot with their rifles the
child, the old man, the woman, or any who
! might leap from the windows or roof to es-
! cape the dreadful flames.
Il do not speak of the banks from which
/ the deposits have been seized for the army,
They amounted to one hundred millions
/ of francs, but what are q hundred millions
Of francs to the hecatOmbs of the servants
/ who, by the sweat of their brow, supported
their infamous masters. The sacrifice of
/ life and property in this terrible war is
absolutely incalculable. People have fought
/ with courage, with herOism and fauaticism
for causes, if not perfectly righteous, at
least justifable. 1 could have understood
/ the planter fighting to assure himself OF
I indemnity in case Of abolition, or to obtain
gradual emancipation spreading over
twenty or fifty years. But cannot COM
prehend an obstinacy carried to fury to
establish and impose that which is unjust
/ impossible, inhuman, absurd, condemned
by every religion, philosophy, system and
nation-Imeau the claim for slavery, uni
versal and perpetual.
This revolution will in time be regard
ed as the great feature Of modern history,
not only because it hastens the freeing Of
American slaves, but because it furnishes
the most wonderful example Of social mo.
nomania-a furious monomania contracted
under long influence of the very spirit
Of despotism and pride"
Hooksr,s Game of Euchre,