The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-07-21
SANTA AMMAN EXILE,
4 massachusetts Captain visits Him
at Sc. Thomas, W. J.

at Sc. Thomas, WI.
Correspondence Boston Courlerl
When the French invaded Mexico Santa
Anna was exiled for the last time, and he
has chosen st. Thomas for his place Of re-
tirement, for what possible reason no one
can imagine. 1t is not because OF its climate,
which is bad; nor for lis luxuries and gale
ties, of which there are nonej nor can it
be from motives Of economy, for he is rich,
and not niggaTdly; it is not because he is
smong his friends, for he is sometimes
Kissed when he appears in the streets.
Seldom, however, does he leave his own
grounds. It is said by the %virtuous gentle
men in town, whose means are not adequate
to wholesale icentiousRess, that he has q
hsrum, and it struck me that their hatred
of him was partly made up of envy. l had
q curiosity 30 see the man, and accordingly
sent q servant with q note, saying that the
captain of the American steamer just ar
rived would esteem it an honor TO be re-
ceived by His Excellency, and asking him
at what hour he would be disengsged. To
this 1 received s reply, eouched in true
Spanishcourtesy oflsnguage. A~strsnslated:
December IL, 1864.
To Captain -:
DEAR SR-In reply TO your polite note
of today, l have the pleasure to say that,
recognizing your delicate attention, 1 shall
have the greater satisfaction in seeing you
in this (your) house at five o'clock this
afternoon.
Without more particularly, 1 subscribe
myself, s~ttentively, yours faithfully, Q. S.
NJ. D. A L. DE SANTA ANNA.
1 accordingly presented myself accom-
panied By one Of our passengers, at the
hour appointed, and was received by his
Secretary in a well furnished psrlor of his
modest but large and c~0mmodious one
story house. In a few moments the Gem
eral came in, walking so easily without the
aid of q cane that 1t would have been i'm
possible TO have told which was his nAtu-
raj and which his afflicted leg. His car
rage WIS military and erect and he had
the appearance of excellent health and
condition. He is rather over han under
six feet in height, and does not stoop at
ali. He wore white %psntaloons and q
dress coat with brass buttons. Notwith4
standing the extreme heat he kept this
buttOned up nearly to his throat. He was
neatly shaver, and, evidently, just from
his toilet where the ~rejuvensting COM
pound of Batehelder had blackened his
hair. His compilation ia rather dark, his
eve piercing, but kind, and his mouth firm
" compressed, but not stern. When in
conversation mis- features we're animated,
and even handsome. There was nothing
in his physiognomy TO indicate n tyrsnt,
brute or s~ensualist. He extended his hand
with great cordiality, and by his affable
manner caused us TO feel so much at
home that there WAS no barrier to
conversation. This took an extern
sive range, commencing with affairs
at home, which were introduced
by my handing him some papers
with the last news of the wal. l must &C
cuse him of q little disingenuousness, Tor he
declined to v in English, from al
legged inability to speak the language, and
thus forced me into Spanish, which I spoke
very imperfectly indeed; but he was kind
enough to utter his words slowly and dis
tinctly, so that~I might understand all
that he said. Perhaps it was as well, for it
forced the burden of the talk upon him,
where he wished it to be. az am q poor
exile" he said, "but from my little watch
tower of st. Thomas; 1 look all around"
Then sweeping the horizon with his arm,
and pointing 70 the Northwest, he c~ontinu-
ed
81 see the people of your great Republic.
They were once my enemies. Now Is the
time that l wish that instead of fighting
1|AhemsalYRs. they and we were united
to drive European desPUsv---Ap from
America" And his clenched fist came
down upon the table, so that the whole room
ratified. His feelings we're clearly with the
North, andhe believed thatthe North would
be finally victorious, but that the Union
would not be restored. 1t would be subju.
CATION under military despOtism. HOver
there in Europe" he continued, as he point
ed to the Northeast, 81 see them disputing
and fighting 8 little. That does not concern
US. 1ney light nDouL INCL oSornei Daianve
of power, which never stays balanced. Let
the big dogs and little dogs fight. Down
there in South America SpaDisrd snd Per.
uvisns are quarreling. 1t will not amount
TO much. 1t will coon be settled" And
then he returned to Mexico, discoursing,
with mingled sadness and humorous irony
upon the condition of affairs there. He
looked upon the Austro French empire as
q very temporary affair.
He described his election most smusin g
ly. "Those French are very polite people"
ehHu No FoEy pOlAtoI luuoeu. we bhlhj
you know, of everything, a su disposition to
our friends, but we don't mean that, liter
ally. They do. That Bszaine told me
that q steam voyage would conduce 70 my
health, and he furnished me with q steam
or. He told me to go where l pleased, but
not to come back to Mexico. That was
the only condition tie pleasant fellow
made. "Look here" he added, his voice,
face manner, everything changing him to
another man, "Perhsps 1 may yet have
the opportunity of Ieciproesting such at
tentiORs."
Perhaps he will reciprocste. Revolu-
tioDs are no new things in Mexico. An
other chapter has yet to be written. Santa
Anna is not yet too old for the battle of
life. His sixty-lve years sit lightly upon
him, and with MS wooden leg he may yet
dance over the graves of his enemies. L
have nothing to say of the character of
Santa Anna. There are better and worse
men than he, undoubtedly; but he is a pleas
ant gentleman, and / thank him for his
kind reception and for two hours of his
agreeable conversation, although l fO. a
little vexed when I heard afterwards that
he understood English pretty well.