The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-03-30
From the Philadelphia Prese.1

Neglscts its Duty.
from the Philadelphia Prese.
The case of our fellow-cltlzen, Dr.
!. G. Howard, who has been and is SO
GROSSLY treated by the Cuban author
tiles. is one which demands the I'M
mediate attention of our Government.
The charges against the doctor, slight
Us they were, have not been pfoVeu'
vet this refined gentleman IS COM
pelled. day after day, to undergo
fortunes horrible to think OF. we
present below an extract from let
ter written by the unfortunate man 20
his brother in this city, ana reeelveo
Yesterday. The letter is dated Ha-
yana, March 4:
81 have been loaded with chains and
working in the streets. am TO be sent 70
the galfeys at Ceuta, in Africa: on the Iotn
of ellis month. / amin great despair | can
not long survive this treatment anu my
Government neglects me-.
The Spanish Government has proved
meme of its charges against DR.. Howard.
Failing to convict him of any Gem
nlicity with the Instruction, they
have endeavored to invalidate his
American citizenship. Affidavits and
proofs of every kind have been fur
nished to the State Department at
Washington that can leave no doubt
of Dr.. Howard being a bona .f1de
American citizen. There is no longer
even a pretence for the Spanish, Gov
eminent.
Americans in Cuba are indignant,
and have become very apprehenslve
in the present condition of the island
at the evidence of weakness In our
Government in not protecting an in
nocent American citizen.
DR.. Towards friends are at work,
and have brought his case several
times to the attention of the authorl-
ties at Washington. The inactivity
on their part is hard to understand,
and we trust that the matter will re-
ceive speedy attention. DIR. Howard
is an Anne rican citizen, and should
have the protection of the American
Government. On Saturday last DIR.
Howard left Havana for the Spanish
penal settlement on the west coast OF
Africa, where he is banished. His
property is confiseated, and every
Imaginable indignity has been placed
upon him, That an innocent man
should SO suffer is scarcely credible.
A statement made. by his friends in
this city is to the effect that his crime
was in attending as q surgeon on
wounded insurgents. They declare
that he has not expatriated himself,
and that he still remains a citizen OF
the United States, His case was
brought to the attention of the Gov
crnment long ago, and in the Press OF
Dee. %, 1871, appeared a despatch,
which said ::
The case of DR. Howard, imprisoned by the
Spanish authorities at Cienfuegos, Cuba, was
to have come before the Cabinet to-day, fol-
giving alleged aid to the insurgents No re
ply 10 the request OfSecretary Fish to inyes
tigate the case has yet been made by oul
Consul General at Havana, and consequent
ly nothing was dsne at the Cabinet meeting
1t is now thought DIR. Howard will be sho
before our Government can interfere to SAVE
him.
Cur consul at Havana, Gen. Tor
bert, according to the statements o
DR.. Towards friends, must have beer
strangely derelict. He had not an
swered Secretary Fish on the ed o
December, and evidently has not We
March ~ sent a reply.
DR.. j.. E. Howard is a native o
Pennsylvania, and resident of Phil
adelphia, but has for some years livet
in Cienfuegos, Cuba. He is an un
Gle to, the two Cavadas, Generals il
the Cuban g Army of Liberation, ant
has besides other relatives in the in
surection, one of whom, Col. Guzmal
Barrios, was captured by the Span
iards last February, and. soon after
ward shot in Cienfuegos. The tw,
Cavadas resided for Years in tn
United States, and both served il
Pennsylvania regiments during TIL
late war; one ofthem, the elder
FREDERICK, attained therank of colonel
DIR. Howard was from the start of tn
Cuban revolution an object of sus
picion to the Spaniards because o
his relations, but it was not unit
last year that they found pretexts +
arrest and imprison him, accusin,
him of giving aid and comfort t,
the insurgents.